This past Sunday, we went on an adventure in search of razor clams. Kevin had actually been once before, but this was my first time. This worked out great as he was able to show me the tricks he learned and stay calm as I freaked out a little bit about my digging skills. Our friends Anthony and Aaron were also able to come along this time and we were later joined by Mike and Cici, who Kevin had gone clamming with the first time.
Razor clams are these sort of long and fairly skinny clams
with delicate, beautiful shells and two longer appendages sticking out of each
side of the shell. They live in the sand vertically, using one appendage to
burrow down into the sand while shooting sand and water out of the other end. I
think they’re fairly disgusting looking, but I quickly got over this in the thrill of the dig. We set out around noon for a stretch of beach near Grayland, WA on the Olympic Peninsula. I have to say I thought the fellas were making a joke about the weather when they told me we were going to “Grayland” (it was a bit dreary) but nope, that’s actually the name. After stopping a few times for more clamming gear, licenses, and lunch, we arrived at the beach and found a spot to start. This was my second time driving on the beach and I think I managed to hold it together a little bit better than the first time. To me it feels like you're going to spin out or get stuck - a bit like driving on ice - but I kept my cussing to a minimum (unlike last time).
The process of digging for clams is fairly straightforward but it still took me quite a few digs to really get a feel for it and be confident. You start by walking along the beach near the water, as the tide is going out. As Kevin explained, much depends on hitting the tide right and being at the right distance from the water. As you walk, you hit the sand hard (with your shovel, clam gun, by stomping your feet, etc.) then look for the little air/sand/water spout hole that the clams leave when they dig. This tells you where they are. On a side note, isn't it sort of unfortunate that their defensive mechanism (digging down further when they sense the vibration of something near) is actually the thing that gets them caught?
Once you see the "tell", you position your clam gun – don't ask me why it’s called a gun – over the air hole and wiggle it down into the sand. As you do this, you have to feel for the clam shell because it’s easy to hit the clam and accidentally crush the shell. Then, you plug the little air hole on the top of the gun with your finger to create a suction and use your
Sometimes, if you hit it just perfect and dig far enough, the clam will be in the sand plug you pulled out and you can just pick it up. Or – and this turned out to be the most thrilling part for me – you might dig just a little too shallow and you'll see a little water spout or even the very tip of the clam furiously digging down into the now-soupy hole you've created. At this point, you can reach your hand down into the sand soup and scope out your catch. I thought I was going to be really squeamish about this part. I grew up as the type of child who always begged her daddy take the fish off the hook, a duty that has now been passed down to Kevin despite my best efforts. I know, it’s a mental block. However, I'm happy to report that on my very first clam I enthusiastically plunged my hand into the sand soup, got a firm hold of my clam, and triumphantly pulled him (or her?) out. Phew!
The most difficult part turned out to be finagling the clam
gun so as not to crush the shell. The shells are really very fragile and it
took a surprisingly gentle touch. You really had to wiggle the clam gun down
slowly and be very sensitive to feeling the shell. Then, if you hit it, you had
to pull it out just a little, reposition it, change your angle a bit, and
re-wiggle the core. When we first started, I crushed a few pretty badly and I felt just terrible. If you crush them they die, which is fine, but not if you
can’t manage to get them out. Or you might not get the whole thing. The limit
is 15 per person, and the goal is to get one out of every hole you dig so that
you're not exposing or accidently killing and leaving clams that you don’t take.
I think I only crushed and wasn't able to pull two at the very beginning, but
it was enough for me to hand the digger to Kevin and tell him he should do the
rest. Luckily my husband is awesome, and replied that instead, how about he just
coach me on how to do it better on the next one? Yep, he’s the best.
Despite a slower start, by dusk we were all able to dig our limit. The not so fun
part is cleaning and breaking them down when you get home, and we were up until
midnight finishing up our 30 clams. We fried up a few right away, and
I've got plans to make this clam chowder recipe with at least some of the
others. Hurray for adventures on the beach with friends!
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