Head to the Shores
Shellfish Gathering
With a salt water canal at its center and a myriad of lakes, waterfalls and streams surrounding the inner fingers of Puget Sound – this area is rich in aquaculture and water related opportunities. It’s time to start planning your outdoor adventures!
Click to download the Mason County Shellfish and Beach guide
If you harvest clams or oysters, make sure to keep them on ice or eat them soon after harvest. DOH advises that shellfish recreationally harvested from June through September, should be cooked thoroughly to avoid illness from Vibriosis. It is best practice to read posted warnings or call the Marine Toxins/PSP Hotline: 1-800-562-5632 for a recorded message that is updated regularly.
Visit the Shellfish Safety Map or the mobile friendly version of the map . Clam and oyster season are beach specific and may change annually. Always Check BEFORE you dig.
“Prepare yourself with buckets, boots, license and check the tides & harvest map. Local State Parks support a healthy stock of clams and oysters for license holders – free for the taking!”
Harvestable Beaches
Some of the following reflect adjustments from original 2020 seasons to make up for opportunity lost during the Stay Home, Stay Healthy-related closure:
South Puget Sound
Hope Island State Park – Boat access only.
Oysters are incidental at this site but clamming can be quite good. This beach is a very popular place to dig for geoducks. A tide lower than -2.0 feet is best for geoducks. Most of the oysters are on the west side of the island near the south end. The season is usually only open for the month of May but in 2020 owing too Covid -19, Hope Island State Park will be open for clams, mussels, and oysters Aug. 1 - 31.
North Bay – Abundant Manila clams and an enhanced oyster bed. The season here is short and locked into May and September under terms of a shoreline agreement.
Oakland Bay Tideland – Open year-round, good shore access with parking. Manila clams and oysters can be found here.
Hood Canal
Belfair State Park – Excellent beach for oysters and Manila clams can be found here. Clams, mussels, and oysters open two weeks early on July 15 and remain open through Dec. 31.
Potlatch State Park – Potlatch State Park and Potlatch DNR: clams, mussels, and oysters open June 8 and seasons are extended for two months to remain open through Sept. 30.
Lilliwaup State Park – Open year-round, excellent for oysters and native clams. Clamming is difficult due to the cobble substrate, but the beach is abundant with butter clams.
Rendsland Creek – Open year-round, excellent for oysters and a variety of clams can be found here although not in great densities.
Twanoh State Park – Open year-round for oysters and seasonally for clams, check season before harvesting. Good beach for Manila clams.
DNR 33, 47 & 48 – Boat access only beaches, open year-round for clams and oysters.
Eagle Creek – This is an excellent oyster beach. Opens June 8 for clam, mussel and oyster harvest. Clam and mussel seasons are extended by two weeks to close on Sept. 15. Oysters remain open through Dec. 31.
Triton Cove State Park – There is very little clam resource on this beach, but there are good numbers of year-round oysters. Opens June 8 for clam, mussel and oyster harvest. Clam and mussel seasons are extended by two weeks to close on Sept. 15. Oysters remain open through December 31.
Dosewallips State Park – This is an excellent beach for clams. The best areas are in the mid-upper tidal zone in mixed sand and gravel substrate. Opens June 8 for clam, mussel and oyster harvest. Clams and mussels close Sept. 30. Oysters remain open through December 31.
Productive digging is also found around and among the oysters, an area often overlooked by harvesters. Please take care not to cover oysters with sand and mud as this will potentially kill the oysters.