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How to Catch a Butter Clam

Clams have been highly coveted since the time of the Native Americans. Butter clams are particularly desirable as they are frequently used in clam chowder. Although butter clams can be found in a variety of different areas along the American West Coast, the process for catching the clams remains the same. All that is needed to catch the clams is a specialized clam shovel. While locating and catching butter clams can be a rewarding hobby, it is important that certain rules are followed to ensure that the clams and their habitat is preserved for other clam diggers.

Things You'll Need

  • Clam shovel
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Instructions

    • 1

      Locate an area of the beach that is marked for clamming and wait for low tide. While many beaches are open to the public for clamming, others are closed or have restrictions on the numbers of clams that can be removed. Always comply with local clamming rules.

    • 2

      Look for small depressions in the sand that have a diameter of anywhere from 1/2 to 1 inch. These holes in the sediment are what the clams use for breathing and feeding and are a sign that a clam is in the sand below.

    • 3

      Place the shovel into the sand 4 to 6 inches away from the depression with the handle of the shovel pointing away from the ocean. Drop to one knee and use body weight to drive the shovel into the ground. Swiftly begin to remove small amounts of sand as clams can move down deeper into the sand quickly. Butter clams are typically buried 8 to 14 inches deep in the sand. As the sand hiding the clam is removed, keep the blade of the shovel vertical to prevent from damaging the clam. Grab the clam when enough sand has been removed.

    • 4

      Confirm that the clam removed is a butter clam by examining the color and shell design of the clam. Young butter clams are yellowish while older butter clams are grayish or white. All butter clams have shells marked with concentric rings.

    • 5

      Fill in the hole created while removing the clam. This is helpful for other clammers as well as the health of the clam bed.


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