The first razor-clam dig of the season will get under way on evening tides Oct. 28-29 at four ocean beaches.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) approved the dig after marine toxin tests on all four beaches confirmed the clams are safe to eat.

Beaches scheduled to open for the two-day dig include Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis and Mocrocks. No digging will be allowed either day before noon.

All diggers age 15 or older must have an applicable 2011-12 fishing license to harvest razor clams on any beach. Licensing options range from a three-day razor clam license to an annual combination fishing license, which can be purchased on WDFW’s website (https://fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov ) and from license vendors around the state.

Under state law, diggers can take 15 razor clams per day, and are required to keep the first 15 they dig. Each digger’s clams must be kept in a separate container.

“It’s important that diggers keep the clams they dig to prevent wastage,” said Dan Ayres, WDFW coastal shellfish manager. “It’s not unusual to encounter some small clams, especially this early in the season.” 

For best results, Ayres recommends that clammers start digging an hour or two before the evening low tide. On Oct. 28, an evening low tide of -1.8 feet will occur at 8:28 p.m. The evening low tide Oct. 29 will be -1.5 feet at 9:17 pm.

“This season’s tides are not as favorable as those in the past few years,” Ayres said. “Low tides will occur later in the day, so diggers will have to be prepared for the dark during evening digs in fall and winter.”

WDFW has tentatively scheduled four other razor-clam digs through the end of the year – all pending final approval until future toxin tests confirm the clams are safe to eat.  The tentative schedule for future openings is posted on WDFW’s website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/shellfish/razorclams/current.html

The first razor-clam dig of the season is tentatively scheduled to begin in late October on four ocean beaches, with additional digs planned through late December.

In announcing its initial digging schedule, shellfish managers at the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) emphasized that final approval of all openings will depend on results of marine toxin tests that show the clams are safe to eat.

Additional digs for 2012 will be announced in early January, said Dan Ayres, WDFW coastal shellfish manager.

“As in years past, we announce proposed digging schedules so people can start making plans,” Ayres said. “But no dig is final until test results confirm the clams are safe to eat.”

The first opening of the fall season is tentatively scheduled Oct. 28-29 on evening tides at Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis and Mocrocks.

Olympic National Park, in consultation with WDFW, is still developing options for a recreational razor-clam season at Kalaloch Beach, which are expected to be announced in two to three weeks.

Most other digging opportunities through December are set at Long Beach, Twin Harbors and Mocrocks, because those beaches have the highest number of clams available for harvest. 

Additional digs scheduled so far at Copalis Beach are limited to Nov. 25 (the day after Thanksgiving) and Dec. 23 (two days before Christmas), due to a low abundance of clams there this year.

No digging will be allowed before noon on any of the five razor-clam beaches until the tides change next spring.
 
“This season’s tides are not as favorable as those in the past few years,” Ayres said. “Low tides will occur later in the day, so diggers will have to be prepared for the dark during evening digs in fall and winter.”

All diggers age 15 or older must have an applicable 2011-12 fishing license to harvest razor clams on any beach. Licenses, ranging from a three-day razor clam license to an annual combination fishing license, are available on WDFW’s website at https://fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov and from license vendors around the state.

Under state law, digger can take 15 razor clams per day, and are required to keep the first 15 they dig to prevent wastage. Each digger’s clams must be kept in a separate container.

Below is the schedule of proposed razor-clam digs, along with evening low tides, announced by WDFW: 

• Oct. 28, Fri. – 8:28 p.m. (-1.8 ft.)
• Oct. 29, Sat. – 9:17 p.m. (-1.5 ft.)
•  
• Nov. 11, Fri. – 6:48 p.m. (-0.4 ft.)
• Nov. 12, Sat. – 7:23 p.m. (-0.4 ft.)  
   
• Nov. 25, Fri. – 6:27 p.m. (-1.9 ft.)
• Nov. 26, Sat. – 7:14 p.m. (-1.8 ft.)  
   
• Dec. 10, Sat. – 6:30 p.m. (-0.5 ft.) 
• Dec. 22, Thurs. – 4:40 p.m. (-0.9 ft.)
• Dec. 23, Fri. – 5:29 p.m. (-1.4)

Action:   Close the recreational halibut fishery in Marine Area 1.

Effective Dates:   11:59 p.m. Sept. 30, 2011.

Species affected: Pacific halibut.

Location: Marine Area 1 (Ilwaco/Chinook).

Reason for action: Federal regulations allow the Pacific halibut fishery to remain open in this area until the quota is taken or Sept. 30, whichever occurs first.  There is sufficient quota to allow the recreational halibut fishery to remain open through Sept. 30.

Other information: Daily limit one halibut, no minimum size limit.  The possession limit is two daily limits of halibut in any form, except the possession limit aboard the fishing vessel is one daily limit.

Action: Change daily bag limit in Marine Areas 1, 2, 3 and 4 to two salmon only one of which may be a chinook, release wild coho.

Effective Dates: Sept. 5 through Sept. 30, 2011, in Marine Area 1 and Sept. 5 through Sept. 18, 2011 in Marine Areas 2, 3 and 4.

Species affected: Chinook and coho salmon.

Location: Catch Record Card Areas 1, 2, 3 and 4.

Reason for Action: There is enough chinook in the quota to allow retention during the last few weeks of the season.

Other information: Marine Areas 1, 2, 3 and 4 are already open 7 days a week.

- Anglers must release any chinook salmon they catch in ocean waters off Washington’s coast beginning Aug. 29, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) announced today.

Anglers’ total catch of chinook salmon this summer is nearing the overall harvest quota for chinook in Washington’s ocean waters, requiring the change in fishing rules for marine areas 1-4, said Pat Pattillo, salmon policy coordinator for WDFW.

The requirement to release chinook salmon in those waters does not affect fishing for hatchery coho or other salmon species.

“Catch rates in the ocean for chinook salmon have been strong throughout much of the season, but we still have substantial numbers of coho remaining under the quota,” Pattillo said. “This change allows anglers to continue catching coho, while ensuring catch limits for chinook will not be exceeded.” 

As of Aug. 21, coastwide catch totals for the recreational salmon fishery had reached 90 percent of the overall chinook guideline of 30,100 fish, said Pattillo.

Until the change takes effect Aug. 29, anglers can continue to keep one chinook as part of their two-salmon daily limit in marine areas 1 (Ilwaco) and 2 (Westport). Anglers fishing marine areas 3 (LaPush) and 4 (Neah Bay) can continue to catch and keep two chinook as part of their two-salmon daily limit. Anglers fishing marine areas 3 and 4 are also allowed one additional pink salmon each day.

Marine areas 1, 3 and 4 are open daily. Marine area 2 is currently open through Aug. 25, and will be closed Aug. 26-27. Marine Area 2 will then re-open to salmon fishing seven days a week beginning Aug. 28. 

Barring any further actions, ocean salmon fisheries are currently scheduled to continue through Sept. 18 in marine areas 2, 3 and 4, and through Sept. 30 in Marine Area 1.

Fishery managers will continue to monitor the ocean salmon fishery, and announce any other changes on WDFW’s website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/ . 

Additional information on the ocean fishery, including minimum-size limits, is available in WDFW’s Fishing in Washington rules pamphlet, available at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/regulations .

Starting Sunday (Aug. 14), anglers fishing off Westport and Illwaco will again be restricted to one chinook salmon as part of their daily limit of two salmon off the state’s southern coast.

State fisheries managers increased the daily limit to two chinook last week, but a sudden surge in the recreational catch prompted a return to the one-chinook rule in Marine Area 1 (Ilwaco) and Marine Area 2 (Westport), said Pat Pattillo, salmon policy coordinator for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW),

“The number of anglers fishing out of Westport this week increased dramatically and their success in catching chinook was better than any week in recent history,” Pattillo said. “While we’re reluctant to go back to one chinook a day, this change is necessary to keep this fishery open for a full season.”

Pattillo noted that the new chinook catch limit will apply only to marine areas 1 and 2.  Anglers fishing off La Push (Marine Area 3) and Neah Bay (Marine Area 4) can continue to catch and keep two chinook as part of their daily limit – which also allows them to keep one additional pink salmon per day in those areas.

Prior to last week’s decision to increase the chinook limit off Westport and Ilwaco, WDFW found that catch rates were lagging well behind last year’s pace, Pattillo said. But that changed abruptly this week, when the number of anglers fishing those areas jumped 30 percent over the same period last year.

“We couldn’t ignore that much of a change in the fishery,” he said.

Ocean salmon fisheries are currently scheduled to continue through Sept. 18 in marine areas 2, 3 and 4, and through Sept. 30 in Marine Area 1.

Fishery managers will continue to monitor the ocean salmon fishery throughout the season, and announce any other changes on WDFW’s website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/ . 

Additional information on the ocean fishery, including minimum-size limits and area catch guidelines, is available in WDFW’s Fishing in Washington rules pamphlet, available at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/regulations .

Update: We have had to move our start time on Saturday from 2 to 3:30pm.
Our schedule is as follows:

Saturday – Doors, food court and refreshments open at 3:30pm.
The Coyote Kings – 4pm.
Boogie Bone – 5:30pm.
The Norman Sylvester Band – 7pm.
The Harp Breakers – 8:45pm.

Registration form online under Calendar of Events.  Registration is on a first come basis.  Register in advance!

Slow Drag Rules:

Slow Drag at the Port of Ilwaco 

1. Must have driver’s license & proof of insurance.
2. No tire spinning or excess engine revving.
3. Brake lights must be in working order.
4. Both cars leave the start at the same time.
5. Not to exceed 20 mph.
6. Put vehicle in neutral immediately upon crossing the “coast line” and keep it in neutral until vehicle comes to a stop.
7. Use of any brake prohibited.
8. Driver’s hands must stay at 10 & 2 position. Passenger’s hands remain visible.
9. Driver and passenger must remain in vehicle with nothing dragging.
10. Must stay in own lane.
11. Winner is vehicle closest to and with all wheels across finish line.

Judges decisions are final!!

Have fun!!

At the Artisan  114 Main SW,  Ilwaco, WA