As the bay waters warm up to wading temperatures in the shallows, a staple activity starts again inside the back waters of Long Island — clamming. You can either do it by wading in from the shore or you can anchor up a boat in the shallows and hop off to search for them. Some like to use the good old fashion method of feeling for clams with the heels of their feet in the soft sand which is called treading, while others like to employ the use of a scratch rake to find the little morsels. You can find rakes at most local tackle shops. Most methods are effective and it just comes down to personal preference.
Before you do head out clamming with friends, family or on your own, know that local clamming laws do exist and they may vary depending on the area that you’re clamming and may also be specific to townships. I like to start off by reminding individuals the recreational limit per person, per day which is 100 clams in the state of New York. This is quite a few and if you have two or three friends with you, it’s more than enough. Just be mindful of this limit when you are clamming and keep only what you think you will consume. The resource can be precious and is vulnerable since clams can’t just get up and swim away. They also take a few years to reach a harvestable size.
Aside from the bag limit on hard clams, a 1-inch size limit is also in effect for them. The DEC defines this as 1 inch across the hinge of the clam. Don’t get this confused with the actual shell width of the clam or you will be keeping undersized clams called seed. It’s illegal to keep these and they are also the future of the population. Some companies sell clam gauges to help take this measurement or you can make a gauge out of a nuts, a bolt and a couple of large washers like I have in the past. Just space the washers to exactly 1 inch and tighten then in place on both sides with the nuts. I believe it costed be $3 to make each homemade gauge. Most rakes sold for this type of clamming are also spaced about 1 inch at the basket wire which helps sort the shorts from the legal clams too but be sure to still measure.
Aside from the limits on hard clams, the DEC also sets zone restrictions on around the island for clams. If you refer to https://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/103483.html you can take note of the closures in the areas that you might go clamming. These areas are broken down into uncertified (closed) and seasonally uncertified (closed for a portion of the year) areas. The zones do change based on water quality samples that the DEC does take from time to time but usually for the most part these zones in red always stay closed while the zones in blue will open up again during the colder months of the year. Every now and then the DEC closes areas temporarily due to storms and high rainfall as well.
This information changes from time to time and the best way to stay on top of clamming regulations and restrictions for your area is to save this link: https://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/345.html to your favorites and check it before you head out clamming.
Remember to take only what you will need for a meal or two. My personal favorite is a dozen littlenecks on the half-shell with cocktail sauce. If you haven’t tried clamming before, give it a go with friend or family and you’ll be surprised how such a simple activity can be so much fun. Also, keep an eye out in the July issue of The Fisherman Magazine for a full feature on clamming this summer.
