Deebs wrote:
I posted a question a couple of weeks ago. I asked why the clamming season was so short, and I was told by three people on this site that you can clam now. No problem. Three gentlemen told me that. I called the game warden’s office. They said I would be ticketed and fined. The season is December to end of April. Like I said in my first post, New England girls clam with their toes. No rake. But I won’t be able to put my feet in then. To cold. Oh well. It is a darn good thing I checked one more time. The moral of this story is, please be sure you give out correct information. Happy fishing
I posted a question a couple of weeks ago. I aske... (
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Deeps your previous source of info was somewhat correct. Then again what i am posting is internet source. Always best to check with local warden first.
Clamming Season in Delaware
The seasonal clamming activities in Delaware start on the 1st of December every year. It is undoubtedly a great way to kick start the holiday spirit by taking your family for a bit of clamming fun. Furthermore, opening up the clamming season in December has a few noticeable benefits as well.
During the summer, bacteria levels in the water are very high, which pose a contamination risk.
There is no water traffic like boaters or swimmers. You can peacefully enjoy digging up clams with the fam.
Also, the water clears up during this time of the year due to lesser microorganism levels and fewer people milling about, which makes spotting and raking up the clams easier.
Primary Clams Looked for in Delaware
There are a number of different clam species that exist in the Delaware waters. However, clammers consider only a few of them to be of value. One of these is the hard clam, also called the Mercenaria mercenaria. You can abundantly find it at the Indian River Bay and the Rehoboth Bay. It also holds high commercial and recreational value. The exterior is a smooth, hard grey surface with brown lines running horizontally along it. Meanwhile, the interior is white with a purple mark on it.
Hard Clams, These clams are incredibly abundant in Delaware and have a minimum size of 1 ½ inch. Other clam species like surf clams, razor clams, mussels, and oysters are also available in Delaware, but you will find them in smaller amounts. Hard clams are generally found about 1 or 2 inches within the sand at the bottom of the water, so they require a bit of digging up. They tend to feed on algae and other microorganisms in the water using a special organ called a siphon that helps filter out their food from the water.
You can harvest these clams all year round, but you require a fishing license to calm them in Delaware. You can dig up to 100 hard clams per person if you’re a Delaware resident and 50 hard clams per person if you’re a visitor.