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Post by Admin on Jun 3, 2015 10:38:17 GMT
The recreational opportunities listed on the webpage for the Necanicum River Estuary are brought to you by wwww.clamdigging.info for the benefit of the members of the Clam Digging and Crabbing Community.
Do not attempt to cross the bar of the Necanicum River Estuary. Avoid boating in the lower reach of the Necanicum River Estuary during any stage of the tidal cycle. Click on the images to enlarge them.
 
The Necanicum River Estuary at Seaside is dominated by freshwater and crabbing productivity is limited to periods of extended clear weather. The most productive crabbing is from boats and from the 12th Ave Bridge.
Clam Digging: Necanicum River Estuary clam digging is limited to softshell clams and purple varnish clams.
Crabbing is fair to good during the summer months from the 12th Street Bridge street seaward. The crabbing from 12th Ave. Bridge over the Necanicum River Estuary was good the last time I visited the area. Parking is available at the City Park located at the southwest corner of the 12 Ave Bridge. In between the time I parked my truck and walked onto the bridge to videotape the crabbers working their gear an OSP officer parked on the eastside of the bridge and observed the crabbers through a pair of binoculars. I did not notice him until I had left, returned to my truck and was driving eastward across the bridge, but by the time I turned around to video tape him in action, he was gone.
The summer of 2011, I visited Seaside and everywhere I drove there were crabbers taking crabs on the 12th Ave Bridge.
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Post by Admin on Jun 11, 2015 17:21:13 GMT
Backing and shaking crab. How to humanly kill Dungeness and red rock crabs is the question my wife wants me to answer. She can't stand to see anything suffer. Striking the Thoracic ganglion with a crab mallet kills the crab immediately. The crab does not suffer as it would if submerged in boiling water and neither does my wife. Killing and backing the crabs prior to cooking them shortens the total time it takes to cook and clean large numbers of crabs.
Clean crabs in seconds rather then minutes. I watched Zach from the Big Spruce instruct some crabbers on the method he uses to clean crabs for cooking. Zach's method is fast and efficient and cuts the drudgery out of cleaning crabs.
How to humanly kill Dungeness and red rock crabs is the question my wife wants me to answer. She can't stand to see anything suffer. Striking the Thoracic ganglion with a crab mallet kills the crab immediately. The crab does not suffer as it would if submerged in boiling water and neither does my wife. Killing and backing the crabs prior to cooking them shortens the total time it takes to cook and clean large numbers of crabs.
Click on the professional crab shaker Picking Dungeness crabs. Using this method cuts the time to pick a crab in half.
Additional Information for Crabbing From Coastal Waters:
Click on the following links for additional information about taking crabs in the Pacific Northwest. Click on ODFW's website crab page or click on Washington State's information on recreational crabbing or click California's information on recreational crabbing. Click on Alaska's comments on Dungeness Crabs and on permits and regulations for SE Alaska. Click on Dungeness Crabs at Netarts Bay. Click on Species Profile for Dungeness Crabs PDF file. Click on Species Profile for Red Rock Crabs to view PDF file. Click on Dungeness and Red Rock Crabs to view information on taking crabs from Oregon's Bays and ocean water.[/
The most productive crabbing usually occurs in the lower portion of the saltwater dominated bays, Coos Bay and Netarts Bay. Crabbers in Oregon’s Bays have to deal with the high river flows common during the rainy season usually from November through April. Crabbing in the smaller estuaries is over until next spring or early summer unless there is an extended period of dry weather. The river levels of coastal rivers increase dramatically with the arrival of the large seasonal storms. The increased river flows are enough to move the crabs out of the smaller bays like the Chetco Cove, Rogue River Estuary, Necanicum River Estuary and Nestucca Bay but not out of the larger bays.
A check of the Northwest River Forecast to view river levels for all of Oregon's rivers. Look for river levels to rise with the return to seasonal rainfall beginning in late Fall into the Winter months. The smaller estuaries the Chetco, Rogue, Salmon, and Necanicum are the first to be affected by seasonal flooding followed by the larger estuaries Coquille, Siuslaw, Alsea, Siletz, Nestucca, Nehalem, Yaquina, Tillamook, Coos, Netarts and the Lower Columbia River Estuary. Conversely when river levels drop crabbing improves first in Sand Lake, Netarts and Coos Bays before improving in Oregon's other estuaries.
Click on the Northwest River Levels to view the height of the river level for the various river locations along Columbia River.
Click on Nehalem to display the height of the river level for the Nehalem River near Foss
Click on Trask for Tillamook to display the height of the river level for the Trash River above Cedar Creek near Tillamook
Click on Wilson - Tillamook to display the height of the river level for the Wilson River at Sollie Smith Bridge
Click on Nestucca to display the height of the river level for the Nestucca River near Beaver
Click on Siletz to display the height of the river level for the Siletz River at Siletz
Click on Alsea River at Tidewater to display the height of the river level for the Alsea River – At Tidewater
Click on Alsea River at Lobster Creek to display the height of the river level for the Alsea River at Lobster Creek
Click on Umpqua River at Reedsport to display the height of the river level for the Umpqua River at Reedsport
Click on Umpqua River near Elkton to display the height of the river level for the Umpqua River near Elkton
Click on North Umpqua River at the Winchester Dam to display the height of the river level at the Winchester Dam.
Click on the South Umpqua River at Roseburg to display the height of the river level at Roseburg.
Click on Siuslaw to display the height of the river level for the Siuslaw River near Mapleton.
Click on the height of the river level for the Coquille River – At Coquille
Click on the height of the river level for the Coquille River – At Myrtle Point.
Click on the Chetco River – Near Brookings to view the height of the river near Brookings.
Click on the height of the river level for the Rogue River – At Agnes, and on the Illinois River at Kriby.
Click on the Summary of river levels to view and identify your river of interest in the Pacific Northwest. Click on the following link to view the level of the river gages in the Rogue River watershed. Click on the river levels at Agate Dam, Grants Pass, at Raygold, below Prospect, Lost Creek Dam, near Agnes, near Eagle Point, near Mcleod, near Prospect and the Rogue River Valley Canal.
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Post by Admin on Jun 11, 2015 17:22:40 GMT
Page left blank for your photos:
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Post by Admin on Jun 11, 2015 17:25:41 GMT
Internet Links of Interest:
Tidal Projections: for the 12 Ave bridge at Seaside.
Recreational Advisories:
Always call the Oregon Shellfish Hotline at (503) 986-4728 or 1-800-448-2474 toll free outside of Oregon before harvesting clams or mussels for messages listing the areas closed to harvesting shellfish due to high levels of marine toxins.
Fish and Shellfish Consumption Advisories and Guidelines In mid July the State issued shellfish advisories for elevated levels of arsenic in soft shell clams and gaper clams. The CDAO does not recommend consuming contaminated clams or fish species of any species. The Oregon Health Authority has prepared a series of asked and answered questions about the soft shell clams taken from Oregon's Bays. Click on Questions and Answers (pdf).
However the purple varnish clams common to most of Oregon's Bays have tested free of contamination from arsenic; and to date the clams have not been contaminated by Domoic Acid or PSP that have closed the Oregon Coast to the taking of razor clams and mussels.
Oregon's Beach Monitoring Program of Current Beach Conditions is a part time program that occurs between Memorial Day in May and Labor Day in September.
Oregon's Beach Monitoring program helps protect people who come into contact with beach water contaminated with elevated levels of fecal bacterium called enterococcus. The program does regular water testing to look for high levels of bacteria and issues a public health advisory when bacteria counts exceed acceptable risk levels.. Beginning in 2017 the EPA has implemented new higher standards to requiring Oregon to issue an alert notifying the public of the health risks.
Monitoring Beach Water Quality with New Beach Action Values established for the 2017 beach monitoring season thereafter
The Oregon Beach Monitoring Program (OBMP) is beginning a process to adopt a new beach action value (BAV) for bacteria of 70 MPN that will be used as the basis for public health advisories at Oregon beaches starting in 2017. The 2015 and 2016 monitoring seasons will remain unchanged and continue to use the current BAV of 158 MPN.
What type of bacteria? Ocean waters are tested to see if a fecal bacterium called enterococcus is present. Enterococcus is found in the intestines of warm blooded animals, including humans. High levels of these bacteria show there is fecal material in the water and that microscopic disease-causing organisms may be present.
How does the water become contaminated? Fecal contamination can be due to multiple causes near anybody of water. Some of the reasons of contamination are due to: animal feces deposited by domestic animals and all wild animals including beavers, seals, migratory waterfowl and seabirds , swimmers with diarrhea, children not properly cleaned after using the bathroom, the improper disposition of diapers, the vomiting or fecal matter in the water, agricultural and storm water run-off, sewage treatment plant spills, inadequate or the absence of public septic systems, failing or leaking of both public and private septic systems or the improper disposal of boat waste. The list of offending agents is seemingly endless. Do your part it reduce contamination of our waterways. When in Doubt, Stay Out! The Algae Bloom Surveillance program advises the public when a harmful algae bloom has been detected in a lake or river. Not all blooms are harmful, but some species of algae, such as cyanobacteria or blue-green algae, can produce toxins that can cause serious illness in pets, livestock, wildlife and humans. Toxic waters may or may not appear on the list of contaminated waters. So when in doubt stay out!
Please see the Oregon fish consumption guidelines for more information abut the health benefits of fish and how to make healthy fish choices.
Fishing the Necanicum River Estuary:
Pileperch, striped seaperch, walleye surfperch and white seaperch enter the estuary in small numbers to feed on intertidal animals. The best fishing occurs during the summer and ranges from poor to occasionally good depending on the tides, time of year and the amount of freshwater in the estuary. Local residents’ fish for perch and crab from the 12th street Bridge seaward.
Chinook salmon return in small numbers to the Necanicum River in late September, through October and into November. The catch averages 154 fish per year.
Coho salmon return in late September peaking in October and run into November. The run is small and of interest to local anglers. The catch averages 70 fish per year.
Information Report 2001-01. Lindsay, R.B., K.R. Kenaston, and R.K. Schroeder. 2001. Reducing impacts of hatchery steelhead programs.
Steelhead fishing on the Necanicum River offers excellent small-stream steelhead fishing throughout the winter. The river is stocked with 40,000 smolts at several locations up to Black’s Bridge. Hatchery steelhead are caught in the early winter months, with the peak of the run in late December/early January. Wild fish are more commonly caught later in the season. The Necanicum is open to steelhead fishing through March 31 downstream of the Hwy 53 Bridge at Necanicum Junction.
The Necanicum River is usually one of the first North Coast streams to clear following heavy rains. Boaters should keep a wary eye out, especially after storms when wood can move around.
Bank access is available along Hwy 26, especially at Klootchie Creek Park and around Black’s Bridge (about 1.5-2 miles above Klootchie Creek). Lower river access is available in the Peterson Point area. Boaters may launch at the park, and takeout at a site along Hwy 101 just south of Seaside.
Starry Flounder fishing was at onetime fairly consistent, but today the fishing ranges from poor for most of the year to fair at best in the spring. The best fishing occurs in the lower estuary.
Necanicum River boat launches are located at Quatat Marine Park and Cartwright Park on the Necanicum River. and Neeawanna Creek boat launch Broadway Park in addition to the up river boat launch at SEF Johnson Tract Click on the boat launch of interest and enter the name of the boat launch in the search parameter and answer the disclaimer questions and go.
Mile by Mile Guide from the Necanicum River Estuary to Nehalem Bay
22.0 approximately Neawanna Point Wayside is located on the west side of Hwy 101 and is eastern access point to the Necanicum River Estuary to crab and dig for purple varnish clams or soft shell clams.
21.3 Broadway and 23.0 Avenue U: Seaside Beach offers excellent digging for razor clams, and has the distinction of being the end of the Lewis and Clark Trail. Members of the expedition camped over the winter of 1805 making salt for their return trip east. The City of Seaside, like other beach communities, does not allow parking on the beachfront streets from 11:00pm to 5:00am. Access to Seaside Beach is available from multiple locations in the City of Seaside beginning at the Cove Via Avenue U to public parking area at the end of Avenue U; or, turn south onto S. Edgewood St. Continue south on Edgewood St. to the public parking area located on Ocean Vista Dr. Park and follow the trail to the beach at the Cove. Turn west onto Avenue G., but parking is limited to the street. There is a beach side public parking area located between 12th Avenue entry, and 11th Avenue exit. And additional but limited parking between 11th Avenue entry and 10th Avenue.
Several options for parking in Seaside: whether you are arriving to Seaside from the north, or the south, parking in Seaside is free*, quite easy and in larger abundance than many are aware. If you aren't sure of your activities while in Seaside, stop into the Visitors Center on the corner of Broadway and Hwy 101 (Roosevelt). The friendly staff can help you find a nice restaurant, family-friendly activities and quaint shops or direct you towards the beach.
From the North: turn right onto 1st Avenue as you approach Broadway along Hwy 101 (referenced as Roosevelt within Seaside city limits). Drive west until you pass the Seaside Civic and Convention Center. The lot just west of the Convention Center is free and open to the public. Street parking is also available but in lower supply. Should the Convention Center lot be full, continue west on 1st Avenue and turn left onto Columbia. Pass through Broadway and take your first right onto Avenue A. The public parking garage sign is located on your immediate right and the first two levels are free and open to the public. There is no overnight parking allowed in this garage for public vehicles.
From the South: turn left onto Broadway from Hwy 101 (referenced as Roosevelt within Seaside city limits). The possibility exists that street parking will be available on Broadway. We simply advise that your pay attention to all posted signs. If street parking is not available, proceed until you get to the corner of Broadway and Columbia. Turn left onto Columbia and take your first right onto Avenue A. The public parking garage sign is located on your immediate right and the first two levels are free and open to the public. There is no overnight parking allowed in this garage for public vehicles.
*Please pay attention to posted signs as parking hours may vary from location to location. Also note that Motor Home and Bus parking is prohibited in the Convention Center lot from June 1 - October 1.
RV and Motorhome Parking: there are a few options for those driving large vehicles through Seaside but not planning to overnight in the area. Option number one is located just north of the Seaside Visitors Bureau at the corner of Broadway and Hwy 101 (referenced as Roosevelt in Seaside). Broadway and its many shops, restaurants, family-friendly activities and ocean beach are located no more than 1/2 mile from this lot.
28.3 Ecola State Park is located 2 miles north of Cannon Beach between Chapman Point and Tillamook Head. The park encompasses Indian Point, Indian Cove, Crescent Beach and Chapman Point. Captain William Clark named the area after the Chinook Indian word Ekoli for a whale that had washed ashore when he visited there in 1806. Turn west from Highway 101 onto Old Highway 101 two miles north of Cannon Beach. Follow the signs to Ecola Park Road. The single lane road to the park is narrow and windy. To fish for the bass, perch, cabezon, sea trout and lingcod from the rocky shore at Ecola Point follow the trail from the main parking lot south for ¼ of a mile. The fishing for redtail surfperch from the sandy beach at Indian Cove or Crescent Beach is fair. Indian Cove and Crescent Beach are listed by ODFW as a location to dig for razor clams. The park offers visitors a dramatic view of coastline and Haystack Rock.
29.4 Cannon Beach is named for the cannons that washed ashore after the USS Shark sunk on Clatsop Spit in 1846. Cannon Beach is well known for the numerous small specialty shops and quaint restaurants that attract thousands of visitors each year. Haystack Rock, Cannon Beach’s most famous attraction, is the World’s third largest freestanding monolith rising 235 feet out of the surf. The Dorymen of Cannon Beach offer visitors charter fishing trips launching their dories from in front of Haystack Rock. Cannon Beach is listed by ODFW as a location to dig for razor clams and has good fishing for redtail surfperch. Refer to the Oregon Sport Fishing Regulation restricting the taking of shellfish within a 300 yard radius of Haystack Rock
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Cannon Beach is located between Tolovana Beach and Chapman Beach. Chapman Beach is the small beach located between Ecola Creek and Chapman Point and is generally considered as part of Cannon Beach. To access Cannon Beach, turn onto Sunset Blvd from Highway 101. The parking is very limited to one small public parking lot.
30.8 Tolovana Beach is located 1 mile south of Cannon Beach between Cape Falcon and Tillamook Head. Turn west onto Warren Way from Highway 101. There is ample parking at the State Park Wayside. The beach offers good fishing for redtail surfperch.
32.4 Arcadia Beach offers good fishing for redtail surfperch but parking is limited.
33.7 Hug Point State Park Wayside parking lot has only enough room to accommodate cars and pickup trucks. Hug Point is named for the roadway that hugs the point. The road was built by early travelers and could not be used during high tide.
35.2 Arch Cape is located north of Cape Falcon. Access to the cape is very limited. Arch Cape Beach is listed by ODFW as a location to dig for razor clams.
37.2 Cove Beach is located north of Cape Falcon and is a fair location to fish for redtail surfperch. Cove Beach is listed by ODFW as a location to dig for razor clams. Access to the beach is very limited.
39.2 Oswald West State Park parking area and trailhead to Short Sands Beach located at Smuggler Cove on the lee side of Cape Falcon. There are trails leading to the summit of Neahkahnie Mountain and to beach at base of the mountain from the park. Short Sands Beach is listed by ODFW as a location to dig for razor clams. It is a short ¼ mile walk to the 37 primitive campsite nestled in the forest. The campsites are assigned on a first come basis by Sate Park employee.
Mile by Mile Map of the Oregon Coast Trail from Oswald West State Park to Cape Lookout State Park
42.8 Neahkahnie Beach is located at Manzanita just south of Neahkahnie Mountain and offers excellent fishing for redtail surfperch but the parking is limited. Follow the Ocean Road to Manzanita Beach. There is good fishing for redtail surfperch with ample parking.
The legend of buried treasure near Neahkahnie Mountain has treasure seekers searching for the elusive booty from the treasure laden Spanish Galleon, San Francisco Xavier, that wrecked on Nehalem spit in 1707. The legend was passed down by Clatsop Indians who observed shipwrecked Spaniards burying chests near the base of Neahkahnie Mountain and supported in fact by the large amount of beeswax that is found from time to time on Nehalem Spit.
43.9 Nehalem Beach is the located north of the entrance to Nehalem Bay on the Nehalem Bay Sand Spit. Nehalem Bay State Park is a full service park located on Nehalem Beach below Manzanita Beach. The fishing for redtail surfperch is excellent along the Nehalem Beach.
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Post by Admin on Jun 11, 2015 17:28:34 GMT
COMMENTS: Sparkypaul writes: I went down the day I got to seaside, on a 1.7 tide just while waiting for my wife(shopping) just to see if I could see any "shows" , and ended up digging a dozen softshell clams with my bare hands. I went to gearhart, parked at the end of wellington, 100 foot trail to bay. where I found them was up against the edge of the bay, gearhart side to the east. they were smaller2.5 to 3.5", but quite a few. I also noticed a few varnish clam shells laying around, so that might be worth investigating the next time I'm up. |
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Post by Admin on Jun 11, 2015 17:31:08 GMT
Good Morning Sparkypaul, Bill here. Thanks for the heads up. Clam Diggers Association member Jerry and his friend John raked crabs in the Necanicum several months ago. They only managed to rake one legal crab, but they described finding purple varnish clam shells as lage as the palm of Jerry's hand. I am looking forward to digging some of the giant purple varnish clams this summer; that is if I can tear myself away from the razors. Bill
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Post by Admin on Jun 11, 2015 17:33:42 GMT
SparkyPaul writes: I definitely think it would be worth a shot. Thinking back on it there were a fair number of shells laying around, while the only other place I have dug them was @ nehalem and I don't remember seeing any shells laying about. Sometimes I wish I lived closer( Klamath Falls is a 6 hour drive to seaside).  Paul
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Post by Admin on Sept 10, 2017 16:53:05 GMT
JD writes: Bill and Paul,
1 thought about PVClams. I am not an expert digger by any means, but I have dug the Varnish clams in a few spots. I have found that the smaller ones eat better. Some of this is just the size of the clam you pop into your mouth (smaller tends to be easier for most folks) but I noticed that the biggest PVClams were pretty "grassy" tasting. Sorry I can't think of a better word to describe, but the bigger clams were not as good to eat.
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Post by Admin on Sept 10, 2017 16:53:51 GMT
I think the taste you are describing is due to alga and is more dominate in summer and fall. I like cockles in a Caesar salad but in during the summer and fall they taste like alga and I avoid them. Bill
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Post by Admin on Sept 10, 2017 16:56:16 GMT
SparkyPaul writes: After not getting any razors on sat I went to the bay and dug enough softshells for dinner, then tried to find some of the varnish clams I keep seeing shells from. dug a lot of pink worms and a couple of shrimp but no pvclams.I saw quite a few shells but no clams. Must not be in the right spot, but I gave up fairly quick because I was soaked (raining hard), maybe next time!!
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Paul