The Other Other Other White Meat. Fresh Dug Bay Clams!

Boatdog · 01-29-2007, 11:58 AM

Spent a wonderful day with my wife and two dogs at Nehalem Bay Saturday. I love it when she comes up with these ideas!

Decided to leave the boat at home (heard crabbing is slow), avoid the Razor clamming crowd (dogs like to visit everyone), and have some peace and solitude while digging softshells on the bay side to take home and make some fresh chowder.

Here's the 'show'. Notice the water drops from it squirting on it's own.

Here's two limits ready for processing. A quick blanch, then remove from shell.

Here's a couple ready for the wife to clean and coarse chop for chowder.

We are all truly blessed by the huge variety of tasty salty edibles available around these parts. This is just one fine example of the hundreds I enjoy. It's a "do it yourself" type place at our coast!

Salty Walty · 01-29-2007, 12:27 PM

Those soft shells make good chowder.

skiffman · 01-29-2007, 01:25 PM

Boatdog, so these are in sand ? Dug some softshells in Netarts before but it was mud.

puffins crew · 01-29-2007, 01:33 PM

Nice report and pics. Nothing like fresh clam chowder.

Thanks for that!!

Peace, Tom

fyshndad · 01-29-2007, 02:54 PM

I got a mess of those clams near Baycity and it was sandy where the clams were
I did however have to cross a small mud flat to get to the sand
Next time I am going to use a boat to get there

Very Very easy to dig no shovel needed just rake with your fingers to find them

Weather or Knot · 01-29-2007, 06:02 PM

Did the same thing here on the Siuslaw Saturday then came home and had some halibut that I'd caught last summer. GOTTA LOVE THE COAST!

MattPark · 01-30-2007, 06:14 PM

How do you clean em? What's the edible part?

Flysnrides · 01-30-2007, 06:25 PM

Nice catch

Any chance we'll be able to clam during the weekend of the Conferance ? ?

Salty Walty · 01-30-2007, 07:50 PM

Yes.
If you get to town early there is a -1.1 on Fri. @ 5:35PM
You don't want to miss the Dinner Sat.
The tide is -.7 @ 7:26PM on Sun.

Flysnrides · 01-30-2007, 10:44 PM

Thanks Walty !

I took Fri off, intending to get to Newport early so that will work out nice..

I'll have to study the " how to catch clams " threads before I go....

Anyone else going to go for clams Fri ?

Fish_N_Russ · 01-31-2007, 07:06 AM

Thanks for the pics Boatdog

ron m · 01-31-2007, 06:05 PM

Tom, those clams sure look good! I bet you really enjoyed the chowder!
ron m

sagerat · 01-31-2007, 09:16 PM

Hey Boatdog,

Whats the process of digging the soft shells? I am used to digging gapers and poking for cockles. Any other bays that have good populations of soft shells?

Deepslayer · 02-01-2007, 04:30 PM

Those look a lot like the ones we used to get in Massachusettes. The small ones were great for steamers. Just steam them, peel the skin off the neck, dip them in butter, and eat them whole. The bigger ones were great in clam chowder. I wonder if they are the same breed?
,Ed