I am looking to go clam digging with my grandkids near North rustico, can you share a good area? Also we would like to go fishing

Hi Laura,

Clamming is a great activity for the grandkids! I remember going with my father and grandfather to dig clams and then we would have a big clam boil. I loved clams when I was a kid, still love them to this day.

As you are probably aware there are a number of rules and regulations to abide by when digging for clams. 

The maximum daily limit for recreational clamming is 100 clams. That means no more than 100 clams, of all species combined. This is a personal limit, so if you dig 50 clams in Pinette and 50 in Tea Hill, you've reached your limit. The species you can dig are bar clam, bay quahaug, razor clam (these are amazing by the way), and soft-shell clam.

The following are the minimum size of each species you are allowed to keep:

Bar clams: 102 mm
Bay quahaugs: 50 mm
Soft-shell clams: 50 mm
Razor clams: no minimum length

It's best to bring a ruler with you as this size rule is strictly enforced.

Recreational fishers are prohibited from fishing oysters or scallops without a license, all the other listed shellfish don't require a license to harvest. It is up to the recreational fisher to make sure the area they are digging in is prohibited or permitted. You can find this information here.

Also, be sure to pay close attention to any signage from DFO warning of closed areas. The signs come in white, red, and yellow and are clearly marked. All of them mean "don't dig here."

So where are good places to dig? Besides Pinette and Tea Hill you can try Victoria-by-the-Sea, Maximeville, Cardigan, Panmure Island, Point Prim, or Beach Point.

You can use your hands or hand tools such as shovels or rakes to dig up your clams.

Now you have a bucket of clams; what do you do? Prepare them how you like by boiling, steaming, deep frying, or baking, but one thing I like to do is to get rid of the sand in the clam. You can do this by simply letting the clams sit in a bowl of tap water for a little bit (20 minutes to an hour) and they should have enough time to spit out most of the sand. (Don't make the mistake I made recently with a big bowl of soft shell or longneck clams. I let them sit on the counter overnight in fresh water and woke up to find the kitchen absolutely soaked from clams spitting all night. They can get some good distance for such little guys).

Hope you have fun with the grandkids!

Cheers

Rod Weatherbie