Alaska clamming is a beloved activity for locals and visitors, offering the perfect mix of adventure, coastal beauty, and the promise of fresh seafood. Anglers often enjoy the yield equally as much as they enjoy the experience it takes to harvest fish or seafood. When it comes to digging razor clams in Alaska, for those of us who don’t own and maintain a seaworthy vessel or floatplane, accessing them is as easy as making a call to Bottom Line Charters. They’re one of several outfitters offering razor clam trips to the west side of Cook Inlet. It’s a fun and simple process and the charter business provides the gear and know-how. You can literally just show up with the proper clothing, your fishing license, and a packed lunch.
Alaska’s Razor Clams
Did you know that we have two types of razor clams in Alaska? There’s the widely distributed and more frequently encountered Pacific razor clam found from California to the Aleutians. Then there is the Arctic razor clam found in southern Cook Inlet west to the Bering Sea and Siberia.
Razors, living the dream, make their homes in the surf-swept and somewhat protected sand beaches of the open ocean, much like the area between Polly Creek and Crescent River Bar on the west side of Cook Inlet. Razor clams subsist on plankton they filter from the seawater that surrounds them. They can grow to a maximum size of over 12 inches long. Many of the razors we dug on our trip were roughly six- or seven inches long.
Understanding Razor Clam Biology and Populations
According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G), they’ve seen razors over 18 years old and there could be older ones out there. West side Cook Inlet razor clams commonly grow to 11- or 12 years old, and each year ADF&G sees some samples that are 14- or 15 years old. Old clams are one sign of a healthy clam population. The data is not part of formal research currently being conducted by ADF&G, but Homer sportfish biologist Mike Booz shared findings based on long-term observations and data they’re able to currently collect.
When it comes to razor clam biology and sexual reproduction, sexually mature, individually gendered clams discharge their eggs or sperm, which is believed to be triggered by a water temperature rise. Fertilization happens by chance as eggs and sperm mix in the surrounding water.
Still, even with random reproduction and the challenge of being a small clam in a big sea, the area biologist feels pretty good about razor clam stocks on the west side of Cook Inlet. He said they are seeing good recruitment of young clams and a retention of adult clams near Polly Creek and Crescent River Bar. Quality of habitat largely contributes to their abundance.
Timing is Everything
Timing is everything for razor clam digging. What you’re looking for is a negative tide. A negative tide is a low tide that dips below the zero point on the tide chart. As the tide goes out, the seafloor becomes exposed. To determine when minus tides occur, you can peruse NOAA’s tide charts and predictions, or you can just jump on the Bottom Line Charters website where they have already done the legwork for you. There are limited days to dig clams because tides are cyclical, and the minus tides only occur at certain points in the cycle. For 2025, favorable clamming tides are predicted for 18 days in May, June, and July. See below for those dates.
Average-sized razor clams harvested on the west side of Cook Inlet. © Shannon Martin.
A negative tide is needed to expose the beach for clam digging on the west side near Polly Creek. © Melissa Norris.
The Alaska Clamming Experience
West side Cook Inlet clamming is very cool and a little wild to experience. Depending on the time low tide takes place on your trip date, you’ll meet Captain Ernie Kirby or his son Captain Bryan Kirby at the Deep Creek Boat Launch just off the Sterling Highway in Ninilchik. You’ll leave your car at the State recreation site once you pay for parking. Then you’ll hand your gear up to your captain and climb the ladder to board one of the Kirbys’ Alumaweld six-pack boats on the beach.
Unique Tractor Launch
Launching is unique at Deep Creek Recreation Site. © Melissa Norris.
One of the unique aspects of this experience is how boats launch at Deep Creek. There’s no dock system, no place to moor. You launch via tractor into the surf. The tractor pushes trailered boats into the surf until the boat is floating, then cuts you loose. The captain needs to crank the motor as soon as the lower unit is submerged, then needs to reverse off the trailer and maneuver through the surf. It’s even more exciting on the return!
We went on a Saturday morning in late June last summer. We were fortunate to have bluebird weather with calm ocean conditions and sunshine! You can’t ask for more than that. Ernie navigated the 28 miles until we were across the Inlet on the west side near Polly Creek. I think it took about an hour and fifteen minutes to get there. I hadn’t seen either of my friends Ernie or Shannon in a while, so it was nice to catch up. We could see the amazing views of Mounts Augustine, Redoubt, and Iliamna in the distance. When we arrived at our destination Ernie dropped the anchor and we waited for the tide to finish going out. It’s pretty obvious when that happens because your boat floating status turns high and dry, and you see beach all around you.
Waiting for the tide to finish going out to begin. © Melissa Norris.
Digging Clams
The adventure continues. Ernie set the ladder outside the boat so Shannon and I could climb down onto the beach. He had everything we would need, including the clam guns and buckets. Shannon and I had done this before but were still grateful to receive Ernie’s refresher course. He first taught us how to look for a clam show, which is a subtle depression in the sand.
Recognizing Clam Shows
There are several types of clam shows. One looks like a dimple, another a small keyhole, and the last like a doughnut with a raised mound around a depression. Once you realize what you’re looking for, they are pretty easy to spot. Working a small area to start, slowly walk around looking for shows. When you find one, place the barrel of the gun, centered, over the show. We were using Ernie’s five-inch-diameter clam guns that are like a metal tube with a handle. With the air hole on the gun left exposed, you drive and wiggle the gun straight down. Next, place your thumb over the air hole in the handle and use your leg strength to pull the column of sand straight up. Release the air hole and shake the sand out of the gun. Your razor clam should be in that sand pile. Pick it up and add it to your five-gallon bucket.
Ernie demonstrates how to use the Clamhawk 5-inch clam gun. © Melissa Norris.
Shannon is a quick study and easily got the hang of finding clams and putting the gun to work. © Melissa Norris.
A Pacific razor clam resting on the beach after being extracted. The part you can see coming out of the shell is call the siphon or the neck. © Melissa Norris.
We were mindful of hitting the clams to avoid breaking their shells, although some of that was unavoidable. If you dig it, you keep it—broken shells result in clams dying. It makes cleaning challenging, but it’s part of the deal. It is helpful to precisely center the gun over the show, and to very slightly—like five degrees—angle the gun towards the ocean. Occasionally when we lifted the sand out, the clam would remain in the hole, attempting to dig. I made the mistake of reaching in too deep to grab one and learned the hard way why they are called razor clams. Ernie was quick with the first-aid kit and had my finger cleaned up and wrapped promptly. Soon after I was back in action. That’s why I am wearing the blue nitrile glove in some of the photos.
Some folks prefer to use clam shovels, feeling they do a more consistent job of keeping shells intact. Bottom Line also has those on board for clients to use if that’s their preference. First-timers can try both to see what they like best.
Harvesting Clams By the Bucket
Ernie pours the freshly rinsed clams back into the bucket to fill with saltwater for the ride home. © Melissa Norris.
All told we had about four hours to dig clams, which was plenty. We had filled up three five-gallon buckets and knew we had plenty for each of our freezers. Shannon appreciated the simplicity of the harvest. You just needed to get where they were located, look for a dimple, and dig them. It reminded her of a time she went to a cherry orchard in Washington when she was a kid—Fill your bucket. Everyone around you is also filling theirs, excited about the meals they’ll be preparing.
Back on the boat with the ladder pulled, the incoming tide came in and we were floating again. Ernie poured each bucket of clams into a crab trap attached to a rope. He would dip each trap filled with clams in the saltwater for an initial rinse. Then he returned the clams to a clean bucket and filled them with clean saltwater for the ride home. After clamming, the Kirbys usually take guests for a scenic boat ride around the south side of Chisik Island by the Old Snug Harbor Cannery and then stop at the adjacent bird rookery.
Guests keep their eyes peeled looking for wildlife. I enjoyed that experience when I went clamming with Ernie several years ago. This time we bagged out of the extra tour since we had so much to do with the clams and I was driving home later, making for a very long day. That is the part I do not encourage you to replicate of my trip!
Back on the trailer, the tractor service pulled Ernie’s boat out. I grabbed my car and we transferred our clams from their buckets to our coolers. After goodbyes to Ernie, we headed back to Shannon’s house to get to work.
The Real Work Begins
Before you book your trip there is an important thing you need to know about razor clams: Cleaning them is time consuming! And it’s a step you don’t want to half-ass. You’ve gone through the trouble of paying for a charter and harvesting this beautiful natural resource. You owe it to yourself and the clams to be meticulous about cleaning them. There are two main methods people use to clean clams: the blanch method and the non-blanch method. Captain Bryan Kirby has made two solid videos that demonstrate each of these methods. You can find them on the Bottom Line website or as a guest playlist on our Fish Alaska YouTube channel. My Co-Publisher Marcus has produced a razor clamming how-to video that includes his clam-harvesting and clam-cleaning tips in detail. That resource is also on our YouTube channel and website.
Cleaning and Processing Razor Clams
We got back to Shannon’s house and set up our cleaning station. We preferred to use the non-blanch method because of the logistics of the outdoor setup plus not wanting to partially cook our clams before freezing them. Running water into a large bowl, we began our assembly line. Her husband and a very kind neighbor pitched in to help. The first step is to shuck the clam from the shell. To do this you slide a knife along the inside of the shell on each side cutting the adductor muscles. This should allow you to peel the clam away from the shell. You’ll want to remove the brown intestinal material from the clam. Have some clean water on hand to rinse clams in between steps.
For the next steps I like using scissors. Cut off and discard the black part of the siphon (neck). Next, cut up along the zipper line of the clam, butterflying the first chamber of the siphon. Next butterfly the other chamber of the siphon. Cut or peel away all the brown gill and intestinal material here, then press on the foot to move the stomach forward and cut that off. There’s a translucent rod that juts out from the digger. You’ll want to pull that out and dispose of it. We opted to remove the foot to package separately but some folks like to leave it attached for presentation. Butterfly the foot and use your knife to scrape off any brown material including the brown intestinal line.
Watch these videos from Bottom Line Charters to learn two effective methods for cleaning razor clams.
A Time-Intensive but Rewarding Task
I needed to get on the road after working for several hours on the steps above. I grabbed a share of the harvest, filling a couple gallon Ziploc bags, placed them on ice in my cooler, and headed home. Cross-eyed with fatigue when I arrived, I put the bags in the fridge overnight until I could work on them more the next day. For the next two days I spent several hours a day at my kitchen sink, doing further trimming and rinsing. I transferred the clams to rows of paper towels to drain before I vacuum sealed them. The last step was to seal individual serving sizes for the freezer. Like I said, after all the effort of a clam-digging trip, you owe it to yourself to painstakingly process the clams.
A Word of Caution
Razor clams are filter feeders. When they filter and eat a biotoxin-producing algae that can cause paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP), consuming them can make you really sick. Even small amounts of the toxin can cause death. There are no documented cases of PSP from razor clams in Cook Inlet. The odds of encountering it are thought to be slim, but ADF&G says harvesting and consuming razor clams is at your own risk. Mike Booz suggested that the reason for no PSP cases so far could be because our water temperatures are typically colder than needed to trigger that effect. Also, razor clams biologically have a slightly better chance of dispelling the toxins quickly compared to some other shellfish, and that further diminishes the odds.
West Side Cook Inlet Harvest Limits
Each sport-licensed individual is allowed to harvest up to 10 gallons of razor clams on the west side of Cook Inlet. This limit was put in effect in 2022. Previously there was no limit. Having quantity regulations in place is a conservative policy. With that said, Shannon and I wanted nothing to do with 10 gallons each. Combined, we took less than 15 gallons of clams in the shell, and when the work was done, that was more than enough. I went home very late that night with my share—slightly less than half of them. There was more to do at home to get them in pristine shape. Six- or seven gallons in the shell is plenty of work for me and plenty of clams for my household.
From March 11-16, 2025, the Alaska Board of Fish is gathering in Anchorage for the Statewide Shellfish meeting. ADF&G has submitted a proposal to implement a reporting system and permit to gain clearer data on razor clam harvest and stock abundance
Adventure buddies, Melissa Norris and Shannon Martin, both busy moms and hard-working sportfishing industry professionals make time to enjoy these types of experiences. © Ernie Kirby.
A Good Plus One
Adventures are always more enjoyable when you’re in good company. It was a whirlwind weekend. I drove down from my home north of Anchorage the night before our trip with plans to stay the evening with my friend Shannon Martin at her home near Soldotna. Like me, Shannon tries to fit it all in as an active outdoor woman, mother, and career person. Shannon hadn’t been digging for razors since she was a kid, but she remembers it well.
I knew Shannon would be the perfect adventure buddy to bring along on this trip. About 16 years ago we were neighbors when she and her husband still lived in Anchorage. We played sports like co-op softball and volleyball together and hung out a fair amount. Years later we reconnected when Shannon’s career took her to the position of Executive Director for the Kenai River Sportfishing Association. She’s passionate about fisheries management and conservation, plus she is a positive and fun person to spend time with.
Shannon knows how to select a good plus-one herself. Her husband, Josh, is super supportive of Shannon and their family and loves a good adventure. He not only held the fort down with three kids while we were off enjoying, he even helped for a spell when we went back to their house for the many hours of round-one clam cleaning. That’s a solid plus-one!
Bottom Line Charters provides clam shovels as well as clam guns and it’s up to you to use whichever you prefer. © Melissa Norris.
Bottom Line Charters
This great charter business is family owned and family friendly, but razor clam digging isn’t all Bottom Line Charters brings to the table. They are longtime, experienced anglers targeting halibut, salmon, and bottomfish from Ninilchik. You can book a trip to target one species or a combo trip. Jig for halibut and bottomfish or troll or mooch for salmon with them. They also offer bear-viewing excursions. Ernie Kirby and his son, Bryan, are the captains. Bryan’s wife, Dionne, runs the office and their son, Hunter, is acting as a deckhand for his father. He is well on his way to becoming the third generation of Kirby captains. Fishing is a way of life in Alaska and this adventure family figured out their path pretty clearly. I highly suggest fishing with them or booking one of the available clamming dates. Give them a call at 907-567-7366 or find them online.
Recipes and Uses for Razor Clams
Know where your food comes from! This motto is becoming increasingly important to me. Alaska’s razor clams are some of the finest natural cuisine people can harvest. Clam chowder, linguini and clam sauce, clam dip, fried clams—there are several ways people traditionally like to feature razor clams in their meal plan. Shannon’s chef friend made razor clams au gratin with some of her clams. For inspiration, find my linguini and clam sauce recipe on our Fish Alaska website. For a healthier twist I have started using Palmini “noodles” made from hearts of palm. No, it’s not the same as a fine pasta, but you are what you eat. That reminds me, I think I’ll pull out a packet of clams for dinner tonight.
Melissa Norris
About the Author Melissa Norris
Melissa Norris is the founder and Publisher of Fish Alaska and Hunt Alaska magazines. She has over two decades of experience fishing all over Alaska, writing about her time in the field, testing gear, planning trips and cooking and harvesting wild Alaska seafood. In addition to writing tons of content for the magazine and our website, Melissa heads our digital platforms and leads the design team.