Travel / Outdoors

Mark Yuasa covers fishing and outdoors in the Pacific Northwest.

The most recent razor clam digs March 7-11 produced excellent digging and participation as diggers came out to enjoy the mostly nice weather.

“We had a great dig over the weekend with lots of happy clam diggers,” said Dan Ayres, the head state Fish and Wildlife coastal shellfish manager. “The clams are fattening up really nice so that is another good sign. The surf did come up on Sunday, and people did struggle a tiny bit.”

Diggers through Sunday averaged 14.9 clams per person — the first 15 clams dug is a daily limit.

That Saturday turnout of 21,002 diggers was only eclipsed by a Saturday, Feb. 9 dig when 22,915 hit the beaches.

“The surf came up Sunday and struggled a tiny bit and might be a little less.

For the recent five-day dig a total of 33,052 came out to beaches and dug 493,651 razor clams.

The breakdown showed on March 7 at Twin Harbors had 662 diggers with 9,936 clams; March 8 at Long Beach and Twin Harbors had 3,274 diggers with 48,918 clams; March 9 at Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis and Mocrocks had 21,002 diggers with 315,033 clams; March 10 at the four beaches had 7,635 diggers with 112,563 clams; and March 11 at Twin Harbors had 479 diggers with 7,200 clams.

The season total is 178,71 diggers with 2,438,045 clams. Season average per person is 13.4 clams at Long Beach; 13.5 at Twin Harbors; 13.8 at Copalis; and 14.4 at Mocrocks.

“The surf did come up on Sunday, and people did struggle a tiny bit,” Ayres said.

State Fish and Wildlife has set some tentative morning digs for March 28 and March 31 at Twin Harbors; March 29-30 at Twin Harbors, Long Beach, Copalis and Mocrocks. Final word should be know about a week before.

Low tides: March 28, minus-0.3 feet at 7:57 a.m.; March 29, -0.6 at 8:40 a.m.; March 30, -0.7 at 9:26 a.m.; and March. 31, -0.6 at 10:16 a.m.

“One thing were working on is what clam digging opportunities are coming down the road (later this spring),” Ayres said.

State Fish and Wildlife says they plan to have more digs in April and May, and specific dates should be known very soon.

(Photo by Mark Yuasa)