Clamming

     This time of year is the overall low point in the fishing year. With salmon and rockfish out of season, halibut AWOL, and the crabs starting to run thin, the only thing to look for is low tides for clams.

     Clamming is an exhausting, filthy, and incredibly fun sport involving going out onto exposed seafloor and digging holes to look for clams. Anyone who wants to clam must wait for a low tide and walk out onto the previously underwater mud. Then you find a hole that fits your index and middle fingers. Start digging! Move quickly, as clams can't move side to side, but they can sink. Make sure someone sifts through the mud you dig to check for clams. One prevents the hole from collapsing in on itself with a “clam pipe”, a device available at the boathouse. Finally, a sportsman will fill in the hole so no one else has to trip in the hole. Boats are preferable to travelling on foot because boaters can get to the main clam island that shows itself to the south of Lawson's Landing on low tides. The clamming is generally better there than anywhere else. I should also mention that in recent months, the California Department of Fish and Game has been cracking down on those of us who don't want to stick to the ten per license limit. I have heard of wardens discovering clams in the pants of some determined clammers. Hopefully, everyone reading this isn't going to go that far. Clamming, however some may try to disgrace it, is one of Lawson's Landing's oldest and most famous traditions.

Blue: sub-optimal clam zone

Red: ideal clam zone

     However, I must warn you, the CDPH is warning folks not to eat recreationally caught shellfish in Marin County for fear of PSP (Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning). Click here for their press release. However, I ate clams (and they were delicious) not long before the quarantine began and I can move my fingers to type and my voice isn't slurred. However, they could be right.  Take this warning as you will. Keep looking for the next post because clams are being tested in the near future and I will alert you to any changes.