Winter hibernation is over...

tod osier

tod osier

Well-known member
Supporter
I don't know about everyone else, but the month or so after the seasons close, I have trouble coming up with the ambition to do much of anything. With the warm weather and nice big moon, I knew the spring clam run would be starting soon.

Tide was early, so we had to get up to be on the water at first light. The early season clams run best at daybreak anyway...

aa.jpg



I got up so early, I didn't even have a chance to fix my hair...

ab.jpg



Jen on the rake and Skeet in the boat...

ac.jpg



Snowgoose with our little yellow lookout...

ad.jpg



I swear the water on Skeet was just from splashes - now that I know a dog should never swim in cold water....

af.jpg



Nice haul of winter hard clams...

ae.jpg



We culled 10 dozen little ones and steamed open the chowders and cherrystones for chowder. Shot is some of the nice small ones....

ag.jpg



Put to good use....

ah.jpg



With the bigger clams, we steam open, grind, and freeze in their broth or make into chowder starter, which is New England Clam Chowder with the seasonings, clams and broth, but not cream or potatoes. Makes a quick meal to pull one out of the freezer chop some potatoes, cook and add cream. Chowda starter fixins...

ai.jpg



Starter with the everything added ready for the freezer. It keeps like that for a year at least. The fancy containers make it taste all the better....

aj.jpg

 
Last edited:
TORTURE, TORTURE, I tell you!!!!!

I am so jealous. and damn, thats looks like a ton of fun.

I like southern seafood, shrimp, oysters, fish, etc, but I really miss steamed clams and fried clam strips. Back in the day (late 1980's) I remember when wecould still get streamers for $2/dzn in the restaurants in PA. What do they cost now???

Like the boat too...
 
TORTURE, TORTURE, I tell you!!!!!

I am so jealous. and damn, thats looks like a ton of fun.

I like southern seafood, shrimp, oysters, fish, etc, but I really miss steamed clams and fried clam strips. Back in the day (late 1980's) I remember when wecould still get streamers for $2/dzn in the restaurants in PA. What do they cost now???

Like the boat too...
Click to expand...


You have a lot of fun stuff to do down there that I'm jealous of, so we are even. I'd love to have access to fish, shrimp or blue crabs in the numbers you have on the Gulf (we are too far north for good blue crabs and no shrimp).

On the steamers, to be honest, I have no idea what the prices are, since I can't think of the last time we bought them. I love doing fried belly clams on the porch or just having a big whack of steamers and some brews. We have one more dinner of clams left from that batch, you should have seen the Paella we had last night!
 
Some day we will have to trade:
I'll come up for seaducks, clams & stripers.
You come on down for redfish, shrimp, redheads and gadwalls.
 
Your living the dream dude! Wish I was by the sea again...
Click to expand...


Thanks, many times I do wish I was in Oklahoma, though. Lots of fun stuff everywhere I've looked - that is what is so neat about the country.

T
 
Some day we will have to trade:
I'll come up for seaducks, clams & stripers.
You come on down for redfish, shrimp, redheads and gadwalls.
Click to expand...


Get a few years on that boy of yours and we will make it happen!
 
That is excellent Tod. Makes me think it's time to hit the flats soon. If we keep having this kind of weather(70's) it will soon become sweaty work to rake a hundred or so............Very nice haul!
 
That is excellent Tod. Makes me think it's time to hit the flats soon. If we keep having this kind of weather(70's) it will soon become sweaty work to rake a hundred or so............Very nice haul!
Click to expand...


We were cold that day with the wind steady at 10-15 it was no shirt sleeve raking :). I think Jen about froze and never took her life vest off, but she did only have 3 mm stocking foots and a light pair of socks on - WTF?!? We have some good tides coming up next month.

We (Jen Gus and I) took the canoe on the lake here yesterday and it was crazy how beautiful it was. We were testing the idea of taking the canoe when we go to Wyoming and seeing how Gus did in it. Worked out well, but there will be some cringing going on when Gus has a fishing pole and hooks on it :). Got to see a beaver and a 'coon really close up too.
 
Next time, don't forget to dry off that cold water from the pup. You know how sensitive they can be Good looking clams there. Trip.
 
Next time, don't forget to dry off that cold water from the pup. You know how sensitive they can be Good looking clams there. Trip.
Click to expand...


Yep, classic case of cold water refusal - dog refused to stay the hell out of the water.
 
Don't try training him or anything. Like maybe raking up clams. That's an idea. My dog loves to empty any body of water of rocks. I bet I could teach him the smell/feel of clams and I would be able to sit back with a nice cold one and wait for that basket to fill up! Trip.
 
Don't try training him or anything. Like maybe raking up clams. That's an idea. My dog loves to empty any body of water of rocks. I bet I could teach him the smell/feel of clams and I would be able to sit back with a nice cold one and wait for that basket to fill up! Trip.
Click to expand...


Pete does the rock thing and he has picked up a couple clams over the years when we were clamming. Most of our clamming is pretty deep, but if we did much in less than a foot of water, Pete would be all over getting any ones you missed.
 
Some day we will have to trade:
I'll come up for seaducks, clams & stripers.
You come on down for redfish, shrimp, redheads and gadwalls.
Click to expand...


Get a few years on that boy of yours and we will make it happen!
Click to expand...
whoa whoa whoa, I got all that plus woodcock, snipe, and argueably the finest dining and music in the US. As to redheads, its hard to get your fix these days what with Lohan gone completely off the deep end and Julianne Moore getting a little too mature. Need a new fixation.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top