Washington razor clam diggers tend to be fair-weather folks on the whole, preferring spring and fall digs and morning hours to winter digs in the dark. There’s at least one major exception to that, according to state Fish and Wildlife Department razor clam honcho Dan Ayers in Montesano, and that’s New Year’s Eve.
Ayers says bringing in the new year on the water, with friends and relatives around a beach fire and a limit of clams waiting to be dug has become a happening of some importance on the coast, from Long Beach to Moclips.
The New Year’s Eve low tide this year is not a great one — a plus 0.6 feet at 3:05 p.m. — but that won’t keep the crowd off the beaches and, if the weather and surf conditions cooperate, it won’t keep a bunch of clams from being dug.
“Assuming the surf’s down, there shouldn’t be any problem finding clams,” Ayres said. “Populations are very good and they seem to be a little higher on the beaches than usual, this year. Also, daylight digs like this one typically draw our largest winter crowds.”
All beaches except Kalaloch will be open for New Year’s Eve, and State Health Department approval for the dig should be on the WDFW website by today or Friday, Ayers said.
The other tides in this digging series are as follows: Jan. 1, 4:01 p.m., 0.2 feet, on all beaches except Kalaloch;
Jan. 2, 4:49 p.m., minus 0.2 feet, all beaches except Kalaloch; Jan. 3, 5:32 p.m., minus 0.5 feet, on all beaches except Kalaloch; Jan. 4, 6:12 p.m., minus 0.5 feet, Long Beach, Twin Harbors and Mocrocks; Jan. 5., 6:48 p.m., minus 0.5 feet, Long Beach and Twin Harbors; Jan. 6, 7:23 p.m., minus 0.3 feet, Long Beach and Twin Harbors; and Jan. 7, 7:57 p.m., Long Beach and Twin Harbors.
The WDFW website, www.wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/shellfish has a lot of good, useable information on finding razor clams, digging ‘em, cleaning ‘em, and even cooking ‘em. Recipes on the site include: Dan’s Low-Fat Razor Clam Chowder; Mark’s Pan Fried Panko Clams; Rich’s Broiled/Baked Razor Clams; Fried Clams; Clam Chowder; Razor Clam Fritters; Spaghetti and Clam Sauce; “Smoked” Razor Clams; Fried Razor Clams and Fritters; Best Darn Razor Clam Dip Ever; Razor Clams With Lemongrass; and Razor Clams With Ginger, Black Beans and Asparagus.
Winter blackmouth
The San Juan Islands, as is often the case, offer the best winter blackmouth fishing in western Washington. And the best of the best, according to Kevin John at Holiday Sports in Burlington, is what is called “West Beach,” the northwest side of Orcas from Point Doughty southwest for three miles or so along President Channel.
State creel checks on Friday counted 9 anglers with 4 chinook; on Sunday at the Bellingham ramp, 7 anglers with 7 chinook; and Sunday at Cornet Bay on the north end of Whidbey Island, 2 anglers with 2 chinook.
John would fish either plug-cut herring or a green or white glow 2-3-inch spoon, close to the deck, starting in about 80 feet of water and working deeper. The bottom here is pretty decent, John said, except for a couple of fairly grabby spots.
Quite a few of these blackmouth have been running 10 pounds or better — larger than the fish being landed on the “inside” of the islands.
Roche Harbor sellout
All 100 team tickets have been sold for the Roche Harbor Salmon Classic, scheduled for Feb. 5-7, according to coordinator Debbie Sandwith. A waiting list is available by contacting Sandwith at 360-378-5562, or market@rocheharbor.com.
Steelhead
Most westside rivers have been high and dirty for quite a while, but the Peninsula streams were fishable Friday and Saturday before bowing to heavy rain on Saturday night and Sunday. Checks on the Bogachiel showed 49 bank and 2 boat anglers with 1 wild steelhead released, and 14 hatchery fish. On the Calawah, it was 33 bank fishermen with 1 wild steelhead released and 5 hatchery fish, while 4 bank and 10 boat anglers on the Sol Duc reported 1 wild fish released. No fish were reported on the Hoh.
The Cowlitz has been running above 14,000 cubic feet per second, but with seven feet reported visibility over the weekend. Fishermen were doing fairly well on a 50-50 mix of late-run coho and winter steelhead — at the barrier dam and the trout hatchery, respectively.
Cowlitz smelt
A sampling net deployed on the Cowlitz Monday-Tuesday last week collected 72 smelt, and personnel there reported multiple seals working the area. There are currently no recreational or commercial seasons on the river, but strong runs the last two or three years, plus other factors, have resulted in discussions between Washington and Oregon fishery managers and the National Marine Fisheries Service about reestablishing eulachon seasons to gather biological data.
Short commercial and recreational seasons were allowed last year, and recreationists in the Cowlitz dip-net fishery took some 198,000 pounds of smelt while fishing 6 hours on Saturdays between Feb 8 and March 1. The fishery was popular, according to WDFW biologist Joe Hymer in Vancouver, and quick limits were taken on about half the open days.
The total spawning biomass of eulachon in the Columbia this year was estimated at 16,400,000 pounds.
The forecast for 2015, Hymer said, is for a run similar to the average over the past two or three years, but maybe not as good as this year’s. No seasons have been set for 2015.
Crabbing Ends
Recreational winter crabbing will close at 5 p.m. on Dec. 31, and everyone with a winter license will be required to report their winter-season catch by Feb. 1. Failure to submit a winter catch report, even if no crab were harvested, will result in a $10 fine being imposed when they purchase their 2015 crab endorsement.
Crabbers can send their catch record card by mail to WDFW CRC Unit, 600 Capitol Way N., Olympia WA 98501. The information can also be submitted online, Jan. 1-Feb 1, at https://fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov/wdfw/puget_sound_crab_catch.html.
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