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Nearly early two limits of mixed species of bay clam dug for display at Clam Clinic 2006 by Clam Diggers Association members William Lackner and Walt Summerton.
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The author, William Lackner, is a recognized authority on digging the clams common to Oregon's Coastal Waters. You may have seen him digging bay clams on the Oregon Coast Show or with weather guru Andy Carson from KPTV or in articles about digging clams in the Statesman Journal, The World Daily Newspaper in Coos Bay, featured in the Oregon Coast Today part 1 and part 2, The News Guard, The Newtimes and the Washington Post. Learn to dig Oregon's Clams by attending our 2012 Clam Clinic events - they are absolutely FREE, or get a head start developing your clam digging skills with the books, Oregon's Razor Clams, Oregon's Clams , or the new color edition, Oregon's Clams and Crabs or; enhance your knowledge about taking Oregon's Crabs. Always practice good clam digging and crabbing ethics. Clam digging and crabbing ethics are the future of digging Oregon's Clams or taking Oregon's Crabs. I would like to share a comment I received from clam digger Wayne. "Hi Bill, I had great success with the clams this year thanks to your class, and now we're enjoying Oregon's Chowder through the winter. I showed my grandson how to dig clams and now he's hooked. Great times!" We don't alway succeed meeting the expectations of those who attend our clinics but we do our very best. Bill CDAO Crabbing and Clam Clinics 2012 as Part of the Driftwood Libraries Spring Program Coastal Encounters FREE SILETZ BAY Crab Clinic 2012
Lecture on crabbing. MAY 8th at 6:30 pm at the Driftwood Library in Lincoln City.
Crabbing the following morning at 09:30 am, May 9th at the parking area located just West of Moe’s restaurant at SW. 51 St. Participants over the age of 14 will need a shellfish license, a 5 gallon bucket, a crab gage and up to 3 of their own crab traps. Or we recommend purchasing our Crab Max crab traps with hand lines. The cost for each trap with a hand line is 27.00 each. Each crabber will have to supply their own crab bait. We recommend chicken legs or thighs for bait. Call 541 265 5847 for more information. Clam Clinic 2012 Siletz Bay:
As shown above at the Driftwood Library in 2008 - digging clams is a great way to introduce kids of all ages to the vaules and skills that digging clams has to offer. Everyone who participates in Clam Clinics Siletz Bay and Netarts Bay 2012 will go home with a limit of purple varnish clams and bay clams. CDAO sponsored clam clinic clam digging classes are FREE. Call Bill at 541 265 5847 for additional information. We will meet at the Lincoln City Library on Tuesday May 22nd at 18:00 pm for a 2 hour lecture on digging the clam species common to Oregon's Bays. We will meet the follow morning on Wednesday May 23rd at the gravel pullout just north of the Bay House Restaurant at 09:00 am. to dig limits of purple varnish clams. Low tide a minus - 0.6 occurs at 9:17. 2012 Lincoln Sponsored Clamming & Crabbing Clinics
The Lincoln City Visitor and Culinary Center will sponsor a series of FREE Clamming & Crabbing Clinics at Siletz Bay. The clinics will be conducted by William Lackner, local expert.
CLAMMING: Overview: Clinic begins with a lecture at Driftwood Public Library on digging clam species common to Oregon’s bays. Following the lecture, participants will gather at the gravel pullout north of the Bayhouse Restaurant in Lincoln City to dig limits of purple varnish and bay clams. REQUIREMENTS: Shellfish license (need to buy prior) Shovel & clam bag (Bill will have available for sale) DATES: 6/15 - 1:30 at Driftwood Public Library; 3:00 at the Siletz Bay 6/29 - 12:00 at Driftwood Public Library; 2:00 at the Siletz Bay 7/13 - 12:00 at Driftwood Public Library; 2:00 at the Siletz Bay 7/27 - 11:00 at Driftwood Public Library; 1:00 at the Siletz Bay 8/10 - 10:30 at Driftwood Public Library; 12:30 at the Siletz Bay CRABBING: Overview: Participants will gather at the public parking area adjacent to Siletz Bay on SW 51st. REQUIREMENTS: Shellfish license (need to buy prior). Your own crab traps but we will be crabbing from shore and suggest using the Crab Max Folding Trap with hand lines (Bill will have the Crab Max folding crab traps available for sale). Bait: we suggest seal friendly chicken legs and a 5 gallon bucket. DATES: 6/22 – 9 AM 7/6 – 9 AM 7/20 – 8 AM 8/3 – 8 AM 8/24 – 11:30 AM Clam Clinic 2012 Netarts Bay: We will meet at the Tillamook County Library on Saturday June 2nd at 11:30 am for a 2 hour lecture on digging the clam species common to Oregon's Bays. The Tillamook City library is located at 1716 3rd St in Tillamook. We will meet the follow morning on Sunday June 3rd at the informational kiosk located next to the bay just south of the intersection of Whiskey Creek RD and Netarts Bay RD. We will meet at 6:30 am. to dig limits of bay clams. We will focus on digging gaper clams prior to the minus 1.57 low tide at 07:06. CDAO Clam Clinics 2011 Clam Clinic Netarts Bay 2011 was a 2 day event. We met at the Tillamook Library on Saturday July 2 nd at 11:30 am for a lecture on digging the clams common to Oregon's coastal waters followed by a period for questions and answers. The Tillamook City library is located at 1716 3rd St in Tillamook. We met on Sunday morning July 3rd at the turnout south of the intersection of Whiskey Creek RD and Netarts Bay RD. at 08:15 - 08:30. Our focus was on gaper clams. In the first photo some of the diggers gather around CDAO member Dave Randleman for instructions on how to dig gaper clams. In the second photo Dave reaches down into the hole to retrieve a small gaper clam. |
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| In the third photo Dave displays his prize a small gaper clam. In the forth photo the diggers disperse across the tidal flats to dig for gaper clams. In the fifth photo Dave displays his limit of bay clams all nineteen of them plus 1 white macoma sand clam.
Clam Clinic Siletz Bay 2011 |
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Shown above Clam Clinic Siletz Bay 2011 was a great way to introduce those new to clam digging and the wonders found in the marine environment. We will met at the Lincoln City Library on Tuesday May 31st at 18:00 pm for a 2 hour plus lecture on digging the clam species common to Oregon's Bays. We met the follow morning on Wednesday June 1st at the gravel pullout just north of the Bay House Restaurant at 7:30 am. All of the diggers went home with limits of purple varnish clams. Clam Clinic Seaside
Clam Clinic Seaside 2009 went better than expected for an inaugural event. On 06/23 approximately 40 participants attended the lecture series portion of Clam Clinic Seaside 2009.
On the following morning we met at the public parking lot located at the ocean end of 12 Ave. Clam Digger Association member Steve and I were the first diggers on the beach at 05:30 and we were greeted by several razor clams showing as donuts in the wet sand. I'll just bet if we were on the beach at daybreak we would have found razor clams showing. The clams were deep and I managed to dig only 1 of the first 3 that showed.
Steve struck out managing to dig only 1 razor clam for all the effort he put into it. I returned to the parking lot to greet the other diggers and my physician Dr Alison Ma and her husband Mike both of whom are new to digging clams. We departed the parking lot sharply at 06:15. and the diggers dispersed evenly along the beach. Fifty percent of the diggers dug limits of razor clams while the remainder managed to dig between zero and two to four plus clams. I dug a half of dozen clams in the surf using the method recommended by ODFW's Matt Hunter. I have experienced the disappointment of the diggers who did not do well and well as the satisfaction of those that did well. One couple dug a combined total of twenty razor clams mostly from the wet sand. I cannot understate the importance to those new to digging razor clams of being on the beach 2 plus hours before low tide and digging though to the change in tide.
Clam Clinic Coos Bay 2009 met on Wednesday 07-22 at18:00 p.m. for a lecture at the RV Park at the Charleston Marina Complex. Host Susan Smith, her staff and RV Park residents shined like diamonds in the ruff in preparing for our lecture. Scott Groth the south coast shellfish biologist for ODFW and ODFW staff biologist, Stacy were terrific and a high point of the lecture. Scott showed series of slides he had taken of the clams common to Coos Bay and Stacy spoke about the goals of the Shellfish and Estuarine Assessment of coastal Oregon (SEACOR) project.
The photo above shows some of the clam diggers new to digging clams digging Empire clams on the tidal flats at the Charleston Triangle. Tom Greener of Cave Junction in the photo on the left holds up the gaper clam he dug for his son to see. Bonnie from Idaho proudly displays her first Empire clam and Bob not to be out done shows his first Empire clam. Clam digger William and his family drove from Reno Nevada to participate in our clam dig. Once again we owe our thanks to Dave and Sandi Randleman of Shingle Springs Calif via Lincoln City for taking the time to show those new to digging Empire clams the dos and don'ts.
The lecture was followed by a clam dig for gaper clams on the large tidal flat known locally as the Charleston Triangle. We met at the public easement at end of S. Roosevelt ST. at 06:30 a.m. to dig for gaper and butter clams. Most everyone went home with limits of gaper clams. Most all of the diggers were new to digging gaper clams and the take varied between juvenile clams and medium sized clams but was dominated by the smaller sized clams. The Charleston Triangle is a very popular digging area and the small average size of the gaper clams addresses the issue of over digging so common in many of Oregon's Bays. Refer to the Clam Diggers Association for additional information. The razor clams dug from area beaches are an added bonus for those of you seeking additional recreational clam digging opportunities. According to ODFW the razor clam digging at Whiskey Run Creek has been mixed. ODFW has unconfirmed reports that razor clams are showing at Bastendorff Beach. ODFW also reports that razor clam digging has been good on the sand spit on the seaward approach to the Charleston Boat Basin. To get there take the Cape Arago Hwy to Boat Basin RD. Turn right and drive to the Alaskan Packers RD. Park and walk over the dune to the sandy beach. To access Bastendorff Beach take the Cape Arago Hwy to Bastendorff Beach Road ODFW reports that digging razor clams on the sandy portion of the north spit inside the bay has been very productive. To get there turn west from Hwy 101 onto the Trans Pacific Hwy otherwise known as the Menasha Dike. Veer to the right at the Jordan Cove Rd. and to the left at the Horsfall Beach Rd. Follow the Trans Pacific Parkway Rd. until the pavement ends, then continue until you get to the north jetty. People visiting the north jetty also get there by following the Trans Pacific Parking to the Horsfall cutoff to Horsfall Beach . Then take the Beach Rd. south to the north jetty. I spoke to the clerk at the Bites On tackle shop in Empire and he said he prefers the beach road to get to the north jetty. Digging for clams during the outgoing tide on the North Spit offers the opportunity to fish for redtail surf perch on the incoming tide. Currently the fishing for redtail perch on North Beach has been good.The Bite's On Tackle Shop at 750 Newmark Ave in the community of Empire is located just up the street from the Empire Boat Launch can supply all of your fishing tackle, crabbing and clam digging equipment needs. Englund Marine located just around the corner on the Cape Arago Hwy can outfit you with all of the equipment to meet your clam digging and fishing tackle needs. The MILL CASINO located on HWY 101 in Coos Bay offers excitement and entertainment for those of you who are young at heart. You will not want to miss any of our Clam Clinic events. Remember everyone is welcome. You can attend any of our clam clinic events without charge - they are absolutely FREE. Clam Clinic 2008 Coos Bay was a tremendous success sponsored by the Charleston Marina Complex and Englund Marine.
Clam Clinic 2008 Coos Bay began with a 2 hour lecture with an accompanying slide presentation describing how to dig razor and bay clams. The lecture and slide presentation were held at the RV Park Recreation Hall on Wednesday June, 04 at 6:00 pm. The gaper clam dig occurred the following morning, Thursday June, 05 on the tidal flats located on Clam Island. Everyone went home happy as a clam with limits of clams. Click HERE to see a video of the gaper clam dig. Click the back button to return to here. My fellow clam diggers, Clam Clinic 2008 was an overwhelming success. The success of our Clam Clinics belongs to those who participated. Thank You. CDAO PHOTO GALLERY
Click HERE to view photo gallery of clam digging activities. Participate! Share your clam digging adventures and recipes with us. Post your photographs and clam recipes by emailing them to us at clamdigginginfo@yahoo.com
Get a head start on your clam digging skills by purchasing Oregon's Razor Clams for $12.20 or the new 84 page edition of Oregon's Clams for $14.50 or our new premier color edition Oregon's Clams and Crabs for $22.90. Send a check or money order to Digging Clams in Oregon, P.O. BOX 746, Newport, OR 97365. Or click HERE to purchase with a credit or debit card using PayPal the most widely accepted way to pay for purchases on the Internet. ODFW CRABBING AND CLAM DIGGING CLASS SCHEDULE
The Razor Clam Workshop is a family friendly workshop that will be held during the Summer of 2012. The Razor Clam Workshop teaches the razor clam digging skills, i.e., clam identification, digging and cleaning methods to be successful at digging razor clams on Oregon beaches. Don’t miss out on playing in nature’s largest sandbox and the opportunity to come home with freshly cleaned clams and some tantalizing recipe’s to cook them with. Join ODFW and the Oregon Parks and Recreation for this adventure on the beach........
ODFW's crabbing workshop 2010 was held last October at Newport and was documented by Grant's Getaways and ODFW's 2009 photo gallery of events of the 2009 Newport Crabbing Workshop. The Razor Clam Workshop 2012: Participation in the Razor Clam Workshop at Fort Stevens State Park on Saturday May 5th and Sunday May 6th and the Crabbing Workshop 2012 at Newport on Saturday September 15th and Sunday September 16th are by reservation only on a first come basis; so be sure to register early. Cost: $40.00 / person; Children (12-17years of age) $10.00 / person; Children under the age of 12 free (includes the use of all necessary equipment, instruction/materials and lunch) Contact: Mark Newell 503-947-6018, mark.newell@state.or.us Crabbing Workshop 2012: Come join us as we partner with the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department to put on a crabbing workshop to teach you the art of catching these wily crustaceans. This workshop will be held near Newport. Your registration fee includes the use of all necessary equipment, instruction/materials and lunch. The ODFW's Crabbing Workshop teaches the art of catching the wily crustaceans. All participants 14 years of age and older are required to have a Shellfish License in order to participate in the crabbing portion of this workshop. Resident shellfish licenses will be for sale at the workshop for your convenience they cost $7.00, but if you can purchase your license ahead of time it would be appreciated. If you are a non-resident, a non-resident shellfish license (3-day non-resident license: $11.50 or non-resident yearly license: $20.50) will need to be purchased prior to the workshop, we do not sell non-resident licenses on site. Cost: $40.00 / person; Children (12-17years of age) $10.00 / person; Children under the age of 12 free. Contact: Mark Newell 503-947-6018, mark.newell@state.or.us ODFW COOS BAY AREA CRABBING AND CLAM DIGGING CLASSES During 2012 ODFW sponsores a series of free no fee clam digging and crabbing classes in Coos Bay, Winchester Bay and Bandon. ODFW announcement of the class schedule for 2012 posted below. Interested in clamming or crabbing? Need to refine your shell-fish identification? Questions about access to shellfish areas in the bay? Join us at one of our clam/crab seminars! All beginner or even expert shellfishers welcome!!! Class is Free, call 541-888-5515 for info. Power Point Presentation (1 hour class): Intro to Clamming and Crabbing Date: Location: Time: May 20 (Sunday) Charleston Marina RV 8 AM (dig 6:45) June 9 (Saturday) Charleston Marina RV 8 AM (dig 9:30) July 7 (Saturday) Charleston Marina RV 8 AM (dig 9:30) July 21 (Saturday) Bandon Boardwalk Shelter 8 AM (dig 9:45) Aug 3 (Friday night) Reedsport Library 5:30 PM Crabbing equipment, baits Crab handling, measuring, cleaning Clam digging tips and equipment Clam Cleaning and Cooking Clam recipes RELATED LINKS OF INTEREST FOR CLAM DIGGERS
Related links of interest to the NOAA Tide Tables for you area, ODFW Shellfish Regulations, Shellfish Hot Line Closures and the link to the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department's OHV Guide for ATV enthusiast. Return to Oregon's Razor Clams, Return to Oregon's Clams, Return to Clam Clinic 2012 or Oregon's Crabs.
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