Northwest Reel Life March 2024 Volume 3 Issue 5 - Flipbook - Page 18
The stick will stay in place
and will keep you keyed
in on the exact location of
the clam. These guys will
usually be around 1 ft to 1
1/2 ft deep. Shovel the sand
around the clam until you
can get your hand on the
shell and then give it a good
wiggle to free from its hole.
If the clam is deep enough,
you will need to place a
5-gallon bucket with the
bottom cut out into the hole
that you are digging. This
will act as a retaining wall
for the surrounding sand,
and it will keep the hole
from collapsing in on itself.
After the clam is removed,
you can place it in a cooler
with some ice packs and
transport it home. The
horse clam doesn’t require
siphoning, instead, these
clams need to be processed
like a razor clam, and the
stomach needs to be
removed. The abductors,
the foot (or digger), and the
neck can all be eaten. Be
sure to cut off the siphon
(the tip of the neck). Horse
clams fry up well with a
nice coating of flour and or
cornmeal.
18 | NWFISHING.net
There is no minimum size for
horse clams.
COCKLES
Cockles grow up to 5 inches
but are more commonly
found in the 2 inch - 2 1/2
inch range. Their shells have
several ribs that run down
each side, making them
popular for those who like to
repurpose shells for art and
other decorative purposes.
They can be found in 1-2
inches of sand or cobble at
a +2 ft tide or lower and are
harvested the same way as
manila and butter clams.
Cockles can be eaten whole
and are often steamed or
boiled. Be sure to purge
these clams to free up any
sand or grit. Minimum size 1
1/2 inches.
As noted before, geoduck
opportunities don’t pick up
till April, so we will save that
behemoth of a clam for a
later article. For now, march
is the preamble to spring
clamming and it’s a great
opportunity to get out with
friends and family and take
advantage of the numerous
culinary wonders that grace
the waters of our beloved
Puget Sound.
