Importance of looking DOWN while kayaking...

[Roccus7]

I joke w/SAMBO that I beach comb in my kayak, but I do love to go out and paddle when the tide is low. I've found multiple fishing spots because of kayaking recon missions while keeping my eyes firmly gazed on the bottom...

Well I can now add clam flats to that list of recon successes. While paddling yesterday I noticed a few hard shell clam shells scattered across an old mussel bar in the middle of the river. This bar used to be filled with mussels, but over the past few years the green crabs wiped out the mussels. Because the mussels no longer covered the bar, I was able to observe that it was covered in a coarse sand, which the local clams love.

Based on this info I hopped in the kayak this morning armed with my clam rake on a "Mission". After 90 min of digging, I was rewarded with 3+ dozen nice clams, and although I didn't keep any, I dug up another couple skimmer clams. Don't like them for cooking, and I've got a ton already brined and salted for bait.

Over the full moon it will be Oyster Time, got to love playing in the Maine Mud...

 

[pequa1]

Definitely reminds me of my first time clamming off the yak, probably 15 years ago when although I was in my mid to late 50s was new to kayaking. I was trying to find a certain location in the bay waters due south of my town (locals know the spot, lol) but with your eyes only two feet over the water surface it's admittedly harder than it looks. A stiff offshore wind was propelling me, along with the last of the outgoing, and at one point, thinking I was close to the destination put my hand down to slow the yak. Instantly jerked it up as I thought I had molested a blue claw. Drifted another ten yards and stuck my hand in again (isn't the definition of insanity doing the same thing and expecting a different result?) Anyway, same thing but going slower I realized I was hitting large chowders. Hopped off the Phoenix 140, staked the bow line, grabbed my little three prong garden tool and in ankle deep water filled a spackle bucket in 40 minutes. (Having never been so easily successful in my life it wasn't until later when I checked the regs and realized I was literally a gallon of clams over the limit.) Fortunately, the local bay constables, who are largely ignorant of fish regs but not of shellfish, were nowhere around. A couple of weeks later I went out and although that specific area is probably 1/4 acre, spent a half hour trying to find it again. Set up some ranges with trees on Jones Island and a distant buoy, and the third time went out with my gps and marked a waypoint.

Its a great spot, as even jet skis would be sucking up mud and broken shells trying to get to it. Boats are a football field away and its a long long wade for them to get to "my spot." Since the china virus, and my buddy who hosted Labor Day clambakes moving out east, have had little desire to clam but thanks for the memory Roccus.
(SWMBO doesn't care that much for clams, and I only love the cherrystones and littlenecks, grilled until they open and scoffed down. Haven't used bait or chum in years.)