How to dig razor clams

Razor clam digging is one of the easiest ways to bring a limit of seafood home from the Washington coast, and almost everything that goes wrong for first-timers is avoidable. Here is the whole trip, from checking the approval to cleaning the catch.

1. 1

   Check that the dig is on

   Digging is legal only on the beaches and dates WDFW approves after marine toxin tests. A great tide is not an open day. DigTide shows the approval status for each beach and alerts you when it changes. On fall and winter digs with evening low tides, WDFW opens the beach at noon, so there is no digging in the morning.

2. 2

   Carry a license and your own container

   Everyone 15 or older needs a Washington license that covers razor clams. Each digger keeps their own clams in their own bag or bucket, and the daily limit is the first 15 dug, regardless of size or condition, with nothing thrown back.

3. 3

   Arrive about two hours before low tide

   The best digging is on the falling tide, as the water pulls back and exposes the beds. Two hours before the listed low tide is a good arrival time, and the window closes about half an hour after low tide as the water returns. In fall that often means digging in the dark, so bring a headlamp or lantern, and warm waterproof layers.

4. 4

   Bring a clam gun or a clam shovel

   A clam gun is a tube with a handle and a vent hole that pulls a core of sand. A clam shovel has a long narrow blade. Both work. Add rubber boots or waders, gloves, and a mesh bag or bucket.

5. 5

   Find the shows

   Walk the wet, flat sand near the surf line and look for a show: a small dimple, a doughnut-shaped dip, or a keyhole-shaped hole about the size of a dime. Stomping the sand with your foot or tapping it with the shovel handle makes nearby clams pull in their necks and show themselves.

6. 6

   Dig with a shovel

   Face the ocean. Set the blade four to six inches on the seaward side of the show and push it straight down, not at an angle. Take three or four quick scoops, then reach into the hole and feel for the shell. Grab the shell, never the neck, and pull steadily. Razor clams dig down fast, so speed matters more than depth.

7. 7

   Dig with a clam gun

   Center the tube over the show and tilt the top slightly toward the ocean. Push down with a twisting motion, six to ten inches, keep your thumb off the vent hole while pushing, then cover the vent and pull straight up. Tip the core out and look for the clam. If you missed, go again right away in the same hole.

8. 8

   Keep every clam you dig

   Broken and small ones count toward your fifteen, and they are still good eating. Put each one straight into your own container, count as you go, and stop at fifteen.

9. 9

   Clean them within a day

   Keep the clams cool on the way home. Blanch for a few seconds, pull from the shell, snip the siphon tip and the dark zipper, split the digger and rinse out the grit. The three-minute method is in our cleaning guide, with the recipes to follow.

Stay safe out there

Never turn your back on the ocean. Sneaker waves and rolling logs injure people on these beaches every winter. Dig with a buddy on evening tides, watch the surf between scoops, and leave the water's edge when the tide turns. On drive-on beaches stay on hard-packed sand near the high-tide line, keep to the 25 mph limit, and avoid parking on the approaches.

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