Clam Digging
Ages 5+ • 8 Hours • Up to 6 People
Duration
- Approximately 8 Hours.
- Departure is based on tides.
- Captain will contact you with the exact departure time.
About
- Your trip begins when you meet the crew at the Deep Creek Beach boat launch the morning of the trip. The boat will be staged on the north side of the launch. We have clam shovels & buckets but you are more than welcome to bring your own. You will gather all your gear that is needed for the trip, bring it to the boat and we will talk about the days activities.
- Once we experience one of the unique parts of the trip, the tractor launch, we will head 28 miles to the west side of Cook Inlet with a travel time of 60-80 minutes. On the trip out we will have the opportunity to look at 3 active volcanoes, Mt. Augustine (4,134’ and last erupted in 2006), Mt Iliamna (10,016’ and last erupted in 1876) and Mt Redoubt (10.197’ and last erupted 2009). You will also be able to see otters and a variety of sea birds.
- Once on the west side, we will wait for the out going tide to gently set the boat on the sand. The crew will lead you through a quick introduction to Razor Clam Digging ""Clamming 101"" then turn you loose to hunt down the elusive razor clam. The harvest limit for the west side is 10 gallons.
- Once everyone is back on board and waiting for the incoming tide to float us, we will rinse your clams to remove the majority of the external sand and refill your buckets with cold saltwater. Instead of returning right away to Ninilchik, we will take a short detour around the south side of Chisik Island hoping to catch wildlife roaming the beaches, go by the Old Snug Harbor Cannery and stop at the adjacent bird rookery. Then head back to the boat launch and drive back onto the trailer.
- Back on the beach we will cross load your clams to your coolers and vehicle. Then let you get started on your next task of cleaning them. See below on the different techniques that we used to clean the Razor Clam.
What to Bring
- Alaska sportfishing license
- Warm clothing and rain gear
- Food/drinks
- Cooler or Buckets (prefer with lids) to transport your clams back home