If you visit the Washington coast in October during low tide, you’ll likely see the beach lined with hundreds of people of all ages. Beyond the rolling sand dunes and swaying grasses, where the receding waterline reveals miles of open flat beach, they walk with heads down and eyes fixed on the sand. The experienced ones are likely tapping at the ground with some sort of apparatus, almost as if they were knocking to see if anyone was home beneath the surface. It turns out, that’s quite literally what they are doing. This is the time of the year when the long-awaited razor clam season opens back up after its annual summer hiatus.
Each year, an estimated 400,000 recreational diggers go out in search of these clams on Washington State beaches. Razor clams have been an important part of Pacific Northwest history, dating back to the first commercial canneries along the coast of Grays Harbor in the early 1900s. They are ingrained in the cultural identity of indigenous Coast Salish people like the Quinault and Cowlitz tribes, who have been harvesting these bivalves for millennia.
Each month, on their website, the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife will post tentatively scheduled dig dates for the Washington coast. Digs are generally in the mornings or evenings and always during low tides that are anywhere from a +3 ft to -3 ft level. The best time to start digging is 2 hours before the listed low tide. This is both the legal start time for digging and, as I’ve found, when the most success happens.
Locating Clam shows
The “clam show” is a colloquial term for the hole in the sand left behind as a razor clam retracts its neck back into its shell, and it is what allows you to locate the razor clam. When walking the beach, look for the clam shows that are roughly the size of a nickel or a quarter. If you’re not seeing any existing holes, you can tap the sand as you walk with your clam gun or shovel, and this often causes clams beneath the surface to retract their necks, thus creating a hole.
Equipment
Razor clam digging doesn’t require a lot. In a pinch, you could potentially dig your limit with only a chunk of driftwood and your hands. Heck, you could even do this while wearing sweats and tennis shoes if you wanted. However, if you’re not a glutton for punishment, then there are a few essential items you should bring with you to the beach. First item you’ll need is a digging tool. The two primary tools most often used for digging razor clams are the clam shovel and the clam gun.
The Shovel
A clam shovel is essentially a trench shovel that has a bit of a curve to the head. Once you locate your clam show, dig the shovel into the sand about 6 inches back towards the ocean side of the hole. This part is important, because if you were to dig directly above the clam, you would likely bury your shovel into the clam itself and damage the shell. This leads to a dead clam that quickly becomes inedible. Digging on the ocean side of the hole also allows you to grab the razor clam from its hinge-side as opposed to its sharp-edged side (hence the name razor clam).
You don’t want to do all of your digging with the shovel. Instead, take 2-3 scoops of sand away to form a hole, then finish by digging with your hands until you can feel the clam. From there, you’ll want to grab hold of the clam’s shell and rock it back and forth till you feel it break free. If the clam won’t break loose, start pulling more sand away from the sides of the clam and then try again at extracting it. If this all sounds incredibly difficult, well, that’s because it sort of is. Using a clam shovel is not the easiest way to harvest these critters, but many traditionalists (myself included) enjoy the challenge and the increased sense of pursuit that comes with a shovel.
The Clam Gun
The clam gun came about once people decided that digging with their hands and a shovel into the cold sand at 5 o’clock in the morning didn’t exactly match up with their version of “a good time”. Understandable. The clam gun is super effective, very approachable for people just getting into razor clam digging, and it’s generally much easier to use than a shovel.
A clam shovel consists of a long, roughly 6-inch diameter cylinder tube that has a double-handed handle on top. These are typically constructed out of aluminum or PVC. At the handle, you will find a suction hole that you can plug or unplug with your thumb. When left unplugged, it allows air to escape during the downward (or digging) process. When plugged, it creates suction during the upward pull that removes both the sand and the clam buried inside.
Simply locate your clam show, put the cylinder on top so that it's centered over the hole, tilt it slightly towards the ocean, and then rock it left and right as you put downward motion on the gun. The rocking motion will allow the gun to sink into the sand quickly. Once you have the cylinder about 1/2 to 3/4 of the way buried into the sand, bend your knees and straighten your back so that you’re spine is in a vertical position, straighten your arms, plug the suction hole with your thumb, then lift with your legs. Without using this proper lifting technique, you will struggle to get the clam gun removed from the sand, and you can very well injure your back in the process.
Clothing
Assuming you're choosing not to be the sweats and tennis shoes person, let's talk about the gear you should bring with you to the beach.
Hip boots or waiters will do an excellent job at keeping you dry and protected from the occasional wave that will inevitably make its way to where you're digging. If you're careful about retreating whenever a wave comes in, then rain boots can also suffice. Warm clothing and a rain jacket are generally a requirement, if it's not an unseasonably warm fall day.
Storage
You will need somewhere to store your razor clams for when you are digging and for when you’re on your way home. A 5-gallon bucket works for holding clams while you’re digging; however, if you don’t have a partner holding the bucket while you dig, you then run the risk of an incoming wave knocking over your bucket and turning your catch into seagull food. A better option would be a netted clam bag that you can hook to your hip with a carabiner. This option is pretty fail-proof and is what I always use when out on the beach.
You’ll likely find a lot of different suggestions on how to bring the clams home. The simplest and most recommended way is to put them in a dry cooler with a few ice packs. You can soak a towel in ocean water and cover the razor clams with the towel. Do not submerge the clams in water of any sort during transport!
Now that you’ve got your clams home. It's time to clean them and enjoy! For more info on the cleaning and preparation process, visit the WDFW website do get a step-by-step rundown.
Razor clam digging can be a great way to get family and friends together for a rewarding adventure in the outdoors. It's something kids can enjoy, and has some real potential at bringing food that you’ve harvested with your own hands from the ocean to the table.
