Clamming,pumping, and fishing May 24th Tomales Bay

I'm in.. plus a friend or two.

Has anyone had luck w/ Butter clams and Steamers there?

As much as I would love to join the party, I won't be able to make it. However, I do have 3 of those PVC pipes that's mentioned. If anyone can pick it up and return it in San Lorenzo, send me a Private Message to make arrangements.

I personally prefer to use a fence post digger over a shovel. With that, I often do not have to reach into the hole with my hands. I have one of those diggers to lend also.

Man...After the Louisiana & Texas trips, then Shelter Cove & Paradise next, and now this!   My wife will kill me but then I don't have to worry about finding another job    Heck, you only live... twice so count me in 

Is there camping available, long drive, might be nice to come down the night before

yep here is the link http://www.lawsonslanding.com/

I might finaly be able to get out of the house for this one , if you have room for one more ?
I`m not sure about the muddy clams but crab and butts sound good.

There is an entire bay. There is plenty of room for all. Even if you dont want to go clamming there are halibut in the bay. Also if you dont like gaper clams you can paddle and set your crab rings.

,( piece of pvc pipe 20-24inches in diameter 2-3ft long,)
How about a 5 gal bucket with the bottom cut out, Never done it just looking at what I have
Brian

For those who don't know, these are how the PCV or clam tubes look like.  These are the 15-inch diameter, 30 inches long.

Wow...Steve (SAL) u been busy.  Those tubes come in real handy when you're digging for the big ones that are 3+ feet down.  I borrowed one from Steve for my one and only rookie trip.  I agree with yakaroo that a post hole digger would work very well and wished that I had one.  However, the shells are relatively thin on the gaper clams and you can possibly break them with your fingers.  So instead of slamming a post hole digger down, a gentle probing dig is warranted when you get close to the clam.  A 5 gallon bucket with the bottom cut out would probably work for most of the time but not for the really big ones.  The deepest I dug down was about 4 feet but that was my biggest one.  Phil and yakaroo got some mongo sized ones when they went down deep and dirty.

Allan (Hightide) the pismo clams have much much thicker shells than the gaper clams and as Craig has said, the limit is ten clams.  The gaper clams burrow much deeper too.  Keep in mind if you break a clam's shell you're supposed to keep it and it counts against your limit.  Watch out for the seagulls they will pounce on your clams if you leave them unattended.

Yep, Craig is right...clams are everywhere and if you find a virgin spot you'll feel like you're in a water park where there's spouts shooting up all around you.  However, the prime spots are loaded with people and they're like vacuum cleaners.   So my recommendations, watch Craig (ravensblack), Sonny (Sailfish), Steve (SAL), yakaroo or anyone that's been before and study their technique for reading the mud, holes and digging technique.  Then set out on your own, find a good spot, look for big holes and have a good time.  Unfortunately for me the mother load (it was awesome!) was way far away from the masses so I had to dig fast an furious (smaller clams) because the rest of the group had limited out already.

Bring a burlap bag or bucket to carry them back to the car and then put them on ice or cold water for the trip home.  Follow the many directions that are available on the web for flushing them and cleaning them.  I think Phil (Nothern Boy) posted a link from our last trip.

For clamming clothes I wore waders and they kept the mud off of me, a wet suit will do as well but most people just wear regular clothes and change when they're finished.  The mud is really sandy so it doesn't cake on like silty mud.  It does smell so rinse off as soon as you can or seal up your funky clothes in a plastic bag for the ride home.

Sorry I can't join you folks, we have relatives coming over for the long weekend and they're not the clamming type.  Have fun, it was a blast and ideal for a family adventure.

Gary

 
Clams - Main Dish Recipes
Gaper & Razor Clams are the two
to use for the Main Course
Baked Clams

In a shallow baking dish, place:

1) gaper or razor clams, 1 dozen, fresh & cleaned

Sprinkle on top of clams:

1) scallions, finely chopped
2) breadcrumbs, 4 tablespoons
3) parmesan cheese, grated, 3 tablespoons
4) butter, melted, 3 tablespoons
5) sherry, 1/3 cup
6) lemon, juice from one
7) paprika, dash
salt and pepper to taste

Bake uncovered in 400 F about 20 minutes until browned.
 Found this sounded great Never had anything like it, what do u do with them?

I'm still in.  I just need to get a hold of that pvc pipe.  I have the shovel and plenty of motivation.

I am in, and have room for people.  I will be coming from Berkeley from the sniffer fest, so if anyone wants to tag along, for one or both, I have lots of room in my truck, and it goes intot he body shop on Tuesday, so I am not worried about scratches or dings. I will be there the 25th, my bad, unless halibut is not good in the bay, then I will be there Sunday.

Just checked the tide for Montday, -1.7 @ 7:08 am  Then 4.9 @ 2:04 and 2.9 after.  I like these better.  I might still come Sunday, but am there for Monday for sure.