Big Cliff Posted January 26, 2020 Report Posted January 26, 2020 (edited) Seafood for the taking! Fishing has been slow ever since that cold front moved in last week, the water temperature dropped from 57°F to 50F in three days and the catching became almost non existent. A few whitings and crabs but nothing like it was. A friend and I had been talking about going digging for clams and oysters so I decided this would be a perfect time to give it a try. Unfortunately Bruce couldn't go with me today but I decided to go on my own anyway. Went and got my South Carolina salt water fishing license ($35.00 for a year) bought a clam rake $45.00 and headed out to see what I could find. I had never dug for clams before or harvested oysters so I was kind of flying blind here but the sun was shining, it was 18° and I had checked the tide charts and would be at my selected spot just before low tide; perfect! It turns out digging clams is hard work, you are walking through this black mud that will suck the boots right off your feet then you start trying to find these clams which it seems like to bury themselves several inches below the surface of the mud. It took me a bit of practice but after about half an hour of trying to figure out how and what to do I started to get the hang of it pretty well. Oysters are a lot easier; well you still have to walk through that darn mud to get to where the oysters are but they are sitting right out in the open (amid a plethora of old oyster shells) all you have to do is pick them up, perhaps break off a few old shells, wash a bit of mud off them and you are good to go. Now shucking them is a whole different story, that is an art form in itself but I've had a bit of practice now and it's getting easier. I spent three hours out there this afternoon and came home with a five gallon pail of oysters and about 1/4 bushel of the most beautiful clams. If you like fresh seafood it doesn't get any fresher than this! Today's catch: about 1/4 bushel of little neck clams Oysters About a bushel (5 gal pail) of the freshest oysters you could ever get. Considering the clams sell for about $8.00 a lb and the oysters sell for about $50.00 per 1/2 bushel I think I've already recovered my initial cost and I'm going back again tomorrow . 🙂 One last picture, this guy is called a "spot", I caught it yesterday, apparently they are excellent eating and quite abundant in these waters. They don't get very big, I believe the record is only about 2.5 lbs, a quick picture and this guy went back to grow a bit bigger. Anyway, tight lines and stay safe! Edited January 26, 2020 by Big Cliff 6
Old Ironmaker Posted January 26, 2020 Report Posted January 26, 2020 Buy yourself a proper oyster shucking knife. Beats a butter knife and it may save you a few thumbs. You tripled your investment in 1 day. Nothing like oysters fresh out of the sea on the half shell with some Tabasco and fresh lemon. I could make a feast with those fresh clams. I would eat them raw with the same as the oysters. Man they all look yummy. You go Cliff, I'm so jealous.
Big Cliff Posted January 26, 2020 Author Report Posted January 26, 2020 7 hours ago, Old Ironmaker said: Buy yourself a proper oyster shucking knife. Beats a butter knife and it may save you a few thumbs. You tripled your investment in 1 day. Nothing like oysters fresh out of the sea on the half shell with some Tabasco and fresh lemon. I could make a feast with those fresh clams. I would eat them raw with the same as the oysters. Man they all look yummy. You go Cliff, I'm so jealous. Got the oyster shucking knife, boy did I put it to good use last night😁. Fresh raw oysters, steamed clams with garlic butter, we ate until we couldn't eat anymore then I steamed the rest of the oysters. I am making a seafood chowder for tonight's supper , that with some fresh homemade biscuits, I'm getting hungry already. Best part is apart from a bit of gas to get there and a bit of time it's free! I think we have to plan a G2G in Myrtle Beach for next winter😊
Sinker Posted January 26, 2020 Report Posted January 26, 2020 Omg those oysters made me drool!!!! Can't beat anything fresh from salt water like that! OMG I'm starving now!! S.
mamona Posted January 27, 2020 Report Posted January 27, 2020 Fresh and free, what could be better? I am jealous
John Posted January 31, 2020 Report Posted January 31, 2020 On 1/26/2020 at 6:29 AM, Big Cliff said: I think we have to plan a G2G in Myrtle Beach for next winter😊 I'm for it Cliff, let's work on it..🙂
Big Cliff Posted January 31, 2020 Author Report Posted January 31, 2020 The only thing that could make this trip better would be to share the experiences with good friends
John Posted January 31, 2020 Report Posted January 31, 2020 1 hour ago, Big Cliff said: The only thing that could make this trip better would be to share the experiences with good friends Lets make some plans for 2021
woodenboater Posted February 1, 2020 Report Posted February 1, 2020 (edited) god those beach finds look awesome, making me hungry for some kumamotos ! nothing beats feast right from the sea. for oysters, I also suggest a good towel to place the oysters on, and to wrap over the bivalve as you slide the shucker in. Edited February 1, 2020 by woodenboater 1
Rattletrap2 Posted February 2, 2020 Report Posted February 2, 2020 Cliff, A few years back we were in Nova Scotia visiting some friends . My friends Wife suggested we go clam digging. I didn't expect much an had never done anything like it. We ended up getting quite a haul and brought them back home. Her mom steamed them for us and we also feasted till I could not eat anymore! A very memorable part of our trip! Your outing looks like it was a lot of fun. 1
Rizzo Posted February 3, 2020 Report Posted February 3, 2020 Not sure I would eat any of those things...more of a turf guy than a surf guy...but sounds like a lot of fun figuring it all out
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now