Last year I saw an article on clamming in our local West Marin Citizen. It showed a guy named Eloy Garcia and his clam gun, an ingenious device for getting horseneck clams. I’ve been digging clams off and on since the early ’60s. (Back in “the day,” we used to get Pismo clams by dragging garden forks in the sand at Rio del Mar, south of Santa Cruz.)
In this (sic) neck of the woods, there are horsenecks. There’s no shortage of them because they’re tough to get: you’ve got to shovel a lot of poundage of mud to get deep enough to where these critters hang out. The clam gun, however was like a surgical tool, pumping down through a 4″ hole to get the clams.
I tracked Eloy down (the stars were surely lined up because “Eloy” is “Lloyd” in Spanish), and called him up. He was really friendly and ended up sending me a spare clam gun in exchange for some of our building books. I talked to him several times about technique, but just couldn’t get it working right. Why don’t you meet us up at Lawson’s Landing, he said. They’d be clamming all this week.
I went up there Wednesday night and met Eloy, his wife Nancy, and two other couples and some grandkids, all camping out. You know how you meet someone, and you’re just on the same page? Well Eloy radiates good will. He laughs a lot. We all sat around his homemade (out of a 50-gallon drum) fireplace, drinking beer as the full moon came up in the east.
I slept in the back of my truck and yesterday we went out clamming early in the morning. I was pretty slow in picking up the technique, which involves crawling around in 3″ deep water, locating the clam holes under the waving eel grass, then pumping out the mud to get down to the clams. then reaching down with your hand (up to armpit) to get the clams. Eloy and his buddy Ron each had their limits of 10 clams, and I had one. They started helping me and I think I’ve got the hang of it. More or less.
Note: I’m going to publish photos of this wonderful little seaside community of funky trailers and campgrounds that is currently under fire by a group of environmental zealots. See: https://www.savelawsonslanding.com/
Interesting. Are they tasty? I guess they would have to be to go to all that effort… but they don't look particularly edible!
Too bad his wife doesn't have a name.
"Clam Gun" was what the Chinook language named the spade that the Europeans brought to the west coast so long ago. You are a coastal guy and I know you've traveled this area (BC Coast) you might be interested in the Chinook language which was used so extensively here. Lots of it still in use…well in BC anyway ;-))
Are those Gooey Ducks?
Julie,
Yes I believe they are the same as gooey ducks.
Native Americans in your area sure liked clams, and the middens they left were mined by those in the know for great garden fertilizer. I grew up on a hill in Kentfield with a view of a ring left where the midden soil had been mined for gardens. The midden in Emeryville was said to be 35' deep in mostly decomposed clam shells. Don't think I would want to go clamming there today. Used to be that clamming was not recommended in Bolinas Lagoon due to pollution.
any special setup in the back of the truck for sleeping? looks like an aluminum shell with side access toolboxes. And a contractors rack. Very nice.
Horsenecks and Gooey ducks are totally different, but you can get both at Dillons, Ive taken some large gooeyducks and always limit out on the horseneck… both are very tastey
Horsenecks and Gooey ducks are totally different, but you can get both at Dillons, Ive taken some large gooeyducks and always limit out on the horseneck… both are very tastey
hey im one of those grandkids