Have You Been Razor Clamming On Washington Coast Beaches?

One of my favorite things to do is to go razor clamming on the Washington Coast! The razor clam is a highly sought after mollusk by those in the know in the Pacific Northwest. You will see people lined up for miles along the water’s edge on a nice clamming day. The razor clam is one of the best clams for recipes, whether you like clam strips, clam chowder or clam linguini. And almost anyone who can walk on the beach can enjoy the sport, from little kids to seniors.

I am blessed to have family with a cabin in Moclips (my son’s grandparents) but anyone can take advantage of clamming season if you time your visit to the coast when the Department of Fish & Wildlife posts open clamming days. People like the summer seasons best because the warmer weather and typically daylight hours but winter seasons will mean less people and I tend to go to the cabin during the colder months because I love stormy weather at the beach.

The last time I went razor clamming was the weekend of New Year’s Eve, 2021. My husband had never been so it was even more special. It was one of the first times I had been at the beach with snow! It didn’t last the whole time but it was fun while it lasted.

We knew that there would be three days of open clamming on the Moclips beach (Friday and Sunday) and Saturday it would be open at Copalis Beach further south towards Ocean Shores. We bought our 3 Day Razor Clam permits earlier in the week, information is here. You can sometimes find a vendor open on the coast, though. Anyone 15 and older needs a license. The limit is 15 razor clams a day per person, no matter the size or condition of the clam you catch. So, even little guys like this would count. And everyone needs their own container for the clams they catch.

We have some basic clam guns (or tubes) at the cabin but you can also use a clam shovel. My husband ended up liking the shovel better but he also has a pretty good ability at getting his hand down deep into the sand quickly. Bucks NW in Pacific Beach was gear to rent as well as permits. They also have a great page where they show pictures from the DFW website on what to look for in the sand. If you are clamming at night, a headlamp is necessary. You don’t need any fancy clothes, just what you would typically wear to the beach if you thought you would get wet. If you have rubber boots, those are ideal. My husband has waders on because they were in the garage and fit him but I just had some rubber boots from Costco and my hiking rain gear.

It can take a little time getting used to how the tube works and what to look for in the sand but once you do it is a blast. My husband had so much fun we caught our limit the first day, drove to Copalis the second day for our limit and then finished Sunday with our limit again!

Don’t be fooled. Razor clams leave a very subtle “show” in the sand above them where as shrimp are much more obvious and bubbly. I find the most success with “dimples” rather than holes or volcano like shows. The best spots are right at the water’s edge or even a little bit out into the waves. You may end up catching mostly shrimp at first but don’t give up!

You can find out more about razor clamming in Washington State on the the Fish & Wildlife website. They talk about tools as well as techniques for harvesting, transporting, cleaning and cooking with some great videos. And this is where they post the current seasons. You will need to be flexible as they are not often posted well in advance.

Just check out the joy on this young man’s face when he is catching his razor clams!

After I catch my clams for the day, I leave them in a bucket of fresh water for a little bit so they will spit out as much salt water and sand as possible. Then, I shell them. I will save some meat to eat that day but put most of it in freezer bags to take home and use in recipes later.