[Nick Loebe]

It's obvious that the clams we can get in Delaware are not the same as the ones i keep reading about in the barn. they always give me a chowder clam and tell me it's the same, I think not!! Can anyone straighten me and the Delaware baitshops out?

 

[TWIN D'S]

I think the guys are using surf clams over here. (jersey)

 

[VDAWG]

Well they are called surf calms just as Twin's said,But i do belive they use um for chowder !!
and ide Bet they are selling the same clams over there as they are over here if your going to a bait shop !!
Do them come by the buschel ??

 

[Nick Loebe]

well vinney you would think so but last year we sat in a fleet of aprox 200 boats at the shoe with a bushel of so called clams, and watched every boat around us catch drum and rock. we cant be that bad of a fisherman. after approx. 1 hour got disgusted and embarrased and left. guy next to us said the surf clam is different than the chowder clam?

 

[Mays Lady Charters]

Nick, could be you got large hard clams, and they don't work as well as surf, been there,done that,very frustrating watching others right next to you catching and your doing nothing!Fish will mouth the bait, but don't want to keep it long enough to set the hook. They know what they want.

 

[STRIKE FORCE]

Get 'em fresh never before frozen for best results.

 

[Joe D.]

Check out 'Chunking's' response in the Home Port under the topic 'Clam bellies or fresh'. This may help with some of your questions.

 

[Nick Loebe]

mays lady charters, exactly!!! they dont know the difference. i was told the only place to get these buggers is in new jersey. why?

 

[MargaritaVille]

Hard Clams are what most people here call chowder clams.

Ask specifically for surf clams. They are usually sold by the bushel whereas hard clams are sold by the hundred.

Go down and see Fred at No bones, he is the clam belly king.

There are several locations in south jersey where you can get the right bait

Haases Marina
Capt Tates
No bones and many others.

 

[VDAWG]

Originally posted by Nick Loebe:
well vinney you would think so but last year we sat in a fleet of aprox 200 boats at the shoe with a bushel of so called clams, and watched every boat around us catch drum and rock. we cant be that bad of a fisherman. after approx. 1 hour got disgusted and embarrased and left. guy next to us said the surf clam is different than the chowder clam?

NICK make no mistake i wasnt knocking you abilities .....
all i said was that i believed they do make chowder from surf clams,,
there are many kinds of clams and im sure that all have different sents....
surf clams caught from the surf to just a few miles out .. ,cohog's (spelling)i think these are the deeper water clams from offshore,bay clams to name a few of the larger ones !!
ITS JUST strange that they dont sell surf clams at the bait shops ...They do have clam boats that go out from Del. Im NO EXPERT BUT NOW Ya HAVE ME SCRATCHIN MY hEAD ANd WILL BE CALLING a clammer friend of mine tonight !!!!! Thanks,Vinny

 

[Nick Loebe]

vinny, i didn't think you were making fun of me. i'm just baffled that we haven't caught on yet over here, we fish the same waters but have entirely different methods. you call the shops up, and i wont give any names so as not to hurt their buisines. but they'll tell you yes we have them and you drive all the way there and find out they are hard clams(quoahogs).

 

[VDAWG]

Nick,
It may be a pain in the arse,But if they dont have the surf clams,and im sure the diferance is the scent That comes off the clams,That is the diferance ....Call ahead to a shop over hear that is accesable from the harbor through the canal...and pick up a buschel,Just a few short steps from the boat >> If ya want email me and i'll give ya a number !!!1

 

[Lew'n aint easy]

Surf clam is a natural forage for striper because they get dislodged from the ocean bed and smashed every time there is a storm, so i supose they are keyed into there sent and recognize what they are immediately. Hard clam, or chowders are exclusivly back bay animals and are not disrupted as much by storms, and even if they were its not easy to break them open, as the name "hard clam" suggests, so they are not a natural forage for bass.

 

[RodFather]

Fresh un-shucked large (biggest you can get) surf clams are the ticket for the scenario you mention at the horse shoe for the drum and rock. shuck those babies right out there in the boat and drop them shells straight down. Next time you will be the one catching. Good luck and be sure to report back with your results.

 

[VDAWG]

Nick this is the scoop i got over in Del.They have the bay clams,From what i was told they have no boats that work the ocean for clams over on the del.side,There is a big diferance in scent that comes off the 2 when shucked,The surf clams break easyier in storms and such and are a natural forage as stated above by lewn anit easy !!come over and get your clams on the nj side !! also from what i was told the market is getting flooded from over sea's and it may not be worth it for our boats to go out after um soon ,which may leave us all with a shortage....
THIS IS JUST WHAT I HAVe HEARD .....DONT TAKE IT AS GOSPEL !!!!!

 

[Partnership]

Let's put it this way....

I'd never use a chowder clam for my bait


and I'd NEVER EVER use Surf Clams for my Clam Chowder.

 

[Fred81876]

there are boats in Ac that exclusivly catch BAIT surf clams out of polluted waters

 

[longfin61]

HEY GUYS NEVER MAKE CHOWDER OUT OF LEFT OVER OR FRESH SURF CLAMS THEY ARE INEDABLE!

 

[Old Snow]

[ 04-09-2005, 10:28 PM: Message edited by: Old Snow ]

 

[Old Snow]

[ 04-09-2005, 10:27 PM: Message edited by: Old Snow ]