Siletz Bay Clamming?

[Fish_N_Russ]

I will be staying this weekend @ Siletz Bay for my wife's 30th. Plan on doing some rockfishing @ Depoe, but she would also like to do some clamming if possible.........anyone know of where good beds are on Siletz Bay? Or is there any??
thanks
Russ

[SKP]

I've limited on gapers, cockles, and butter clams, under the 101 bridge in Newport on a minus.75 tide.

SKP

[Fish_N_Russ]

With only a -.75 huh? Well thats good news then since I think this weekend they are about that.

I know the 101 Bridge at Newport is a good place.....but we are going to be staying at a place right on Siletz Bay @ Taft....didnt want to miss a good opportunity there if there's something to be had :smile:

[BentMetal]

I haven't ever clammed in Siletz, but I have the orange book "Clam Digging and Crabbing on the Oregon Coast" by John Johnson (who I think now is in charge of ODFW's shellfish stuff, if I caught the correct name on an Oregon Field Guide episode on clamming a while back). He says:

"The only clam species available for sport harvest in Siletz Bay is the eastern softshell. Reasonable numbers of them inhabit the flats between Cutler City and Kernville with best digging near the mouth of Drift Creek. Any near minus tide is enough to reveal these clam flats, however the digging is what I would call only fair."

Whatever that means, take it for what it is worth.

[Grits]

I dug a bunch of eastern softshell at Siletz when I was first getting into clamming and nobody knew what they were so I used them for bait rather than eating. It only took a few minutes to dig limits. Just head towards the rock along 101.

Don't forget to throw in some type of crab catch device because the crabbing off the bank can be o.k. or if you have a boat the bay is a great little bay to crab.

[Salmon Loser]

I beleive I read something in the paper last year about a clam in Siletz Bay can't remember the name. It has a purple shell it is one of the only non native invaders that is not harming the native inhabits. It lives higher up in the tide range and can be dug on almost any low tide. Just look for some of their shells on the surface and dig down. I have gotten some when digging sand shrimp but have not eaten any but the paper said they were good to eat. I got them on the big sand flat across for moe's if nothing else you can toss a crab hawk into the bay.

Good luck

SL

[ 03-11-2004, 11:01 AM: Message edited by: Salmon Loser ]

[fishingfirst]

if you have a boat the bay is a great little bay to crab.

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">I do quite a bit of salmon fishing over there in the fall. Where do you go for crabbing from a boat?

Thanks, Scott

[SKP]

You crab over by the boat ramp on the sand spit, or over by Mo's, but watch the tidal currents by Mo's, as you are right at the mouth of the bay, and things get churnin' pretty good there. Don't ever crab by Mo's on the outgoing tide, it's a stiff current, and dangerous, and it'll pull you out to the breakers quick.

Crab the low to the high.

SKP

[fishingfirst]

Thanks, I usually go down to Newport, but I have wondered about the Siletz(as I drive by).
Going to have to give it a go.
Scott

[Fish_N_Russ]

Ive seen many boats crab in Siletz bay......usually they are on the spit side since thats where the channel is, and quite a ways south from the mouth. I have crabbed with snares down close to the mouth, around Mo's and the current is pretty turbulent there. I wouldnt think crabs would be wanting to hang around there anyway, with all the seals around.

We dont have a boat, so might have to go down to Newport if softshells are the only thing @ Siletz. There is about a -.6 tide this weekend, hopefully that will be enough to get something anyway :smile:

[DriftR]

Clams in Siletz Bay???? Good luck. I have been out there more times than I can remember. Clamming in Siletz Bay is worthless in my opinion. Those clams are so small that it would take a 55 gallon barrel full to fill you up. Go to Newport or head to Seal Rock and get some good Steamers. You could also go to Bay City at Lysters and buy fresh steamers right out of their tank. A little butter and steamers, OH SO GOOD.

[boomer]

I was thinking about starting a topic about eastern softshell clams as I haven't seen any disscussion about them. I used to dig them in the mud flats in nehalem bay at the end of Tohl road. It is great fun for kids...not hard to find or dig, and plenty of mud to get dirty with. Since the shells are quite brittle, I would dig a pit between a bunch of clam holes then cave in the sides by putting a finger in a clam hole and pulling slabs of mud into the pit revealing the clam imbedded in the side wall. It was a fun thing to do when not much else was going on, and you didn't need much of a low tide.

[corrirod]

If you're going clamming in Oregon you'll want to make sure you check the website below to make sure it's safe.

Click Here