Digging for geoducks: Work is hard, but rewards are big

I was invited by my friends to join them digging geoduck on July 4th. The geoduck is one of the oldest and most impressive clams. It can weigh up to 10 pounds and live as long as 140 years. Its name originated from a Native American word meaning "to dig deep." The place we been is called Lawson's Landing in Dillon Beach, California. Lawson's Landing is a great place for camping, fishing, boating and of course clamming. The clams are found on the mudflats just off the shores of the campground, which means you must have a boat.

We got up on 4 am in the morning, almost 2 hours to drive.  We start to work round 6:30 am. Our only tool was a shovel.  Only problem is that the hole starts to cave in.  So, dig fast, get on your knees reach down and work the last foot with your hands until you can grab it.  The clams we got were decent sized, but not 2 lbs.  If they are that big, they've got to be DEEP!!  Not sure if this is urban legend or truth, but heard a story about guys using garbage cans with the bottom cut out to prevent the hole from caving in when digging for big ones.

We cleaned them by cutting off the long neck, peel the dark brown skin off and cut the very tip off.  Run water through it to get the sand out, split in half and fry them.  They taste very good, considering the smelly dark sand, which they come from.

Just give me a dish of soy sauce, lemon and a plate of thinly sliced fresh geoduck, and I'm happy as a clam at high tide.

It’s really great experience for me. Hope you guys have great holiday. 

Hope you guys also have a great holiday!!