Some additional information on the seasonality of paralytic shellfish poisoning, and for anyone who wants to volunteer to sample water for CDPH for toxin monitoring:
‘The ‘normal’ season for PSP activity is spring through fall, hence the annual mussel quarantine that runs from May 1 through October 31. Some years, like this year, there is early activity and CDPH will issue health advisories for all shellfish in the affected areas. CDPH monitors for toxins throughout the year and depends in part on the help of volunteer samplers. If you or someone you know is ever interested in participating they can contact Vanessa for more information.’
I am glad the last time I went clamming in June I didn’t get PSP.
I just called the CDPH Shellfish hotline, and shellfish in San Mateo county has been cleared. Since there’s a low tide next weekend it would be a good time to try clamming at Pillar Point. Can’t clam still at Bodega Bay in Sonoma County though.
I kinda forgot about this after that toxin warning in the spring.
Has anyone dug geoducks with a trenching shovel? Someone says its much easier than digging + big PVC pipe. I prefer to not do the big PVC pipe because of the backbreaking effort involved, plus the only local sources for these pipes that I am aware of are in Dillon Beach/ Geyserville.
Some upcoming dates for low tides at HMB:
Sat 16 7:24 AM PDT / -1.7 ft
Sun 17 8:15 AM PDT / -1.3 ft
I’ve tried it. I prefer the clam guns. With the clam guns u have an idea if the clam siphon goes straight down or goes off to one side. Shovel is helpful if there’s a lot of seaweed etc to cut through. I prefer having both plus a hollowed out 5gallon bucket to help prevent the sand from caving in.
Your clam gun must be really long then for it to pull the geoduck and the mud out?
How do you use the clam gun with the bucket? I would have thought you only need a bucket if you dig with a shovel. And I thought a 5 gallon bucket is not deep enough for geoducks?
Bumping this old thread - has anyone gone clamming lately? (Apparently there is a current DPH advisory about domoic acid for Marin, but maybe people went before the warning went out on New Year’s Eve.)
I am especially curious about people’s recent experiences catching Eastern soft-shell clams, mya arenaria. This is the species that’s native to the East Coast and is commonly fried as “Ipswich clams”. It’s an introduced and arguably invasive species that is found in the Bay in some places - though I’d rather go foraging for them somewhere that’s not the Bay, assuming they can be found on ocean beaches.
