Scanning 5-day cycle for daylight minus tides below 0.0 ft.
Current velocity drops near zero one hour before and after high water slack, allowing gear to sit upright.
Shellfish Trip Planner
Prime daylight minus tides and high slack crabbing windows across the next 90 days.
Querying NOAA tidal matrix for daylight minus tides.
Species Guide & Regulations
ODFW harvest bag limits, viable vs. prime low-tide depths, and field clam show identification.
Where to look: Open ocean surf beaches (Clatsop Spit, Gearhart, Seaside, Agate Beach). Look for doughnut or dimple pits in wet sand immediately after a receding wave wash. Tap shovel handle to trigger squirt crater.
Where to look: Sheltered bay mudflats and eelgrass beds (Netarts, Tillamook, Yaquina, Coos Bay). Often findable right at 0.0 ft on upper flats like Netarts (never on positive + tides), while -1.0 ft and deeper exposes the prime outer beds. Look for nickel to silver-dollar siphon holes.
Where to look: Coarse gravel, shell, and sandy mud flats in estuaries. Findable starting at 0.0 ft, with prime beds exposed at -0.5 ft and lower. Look for side-by-side rectangular slits or figure-8 double siphon holes flush with gravel.
Where to look: Shallow surface sand and eelgrass beds in estuaries (Tillamook, Netarts). Often sitting directly on or right beneath the sand surface at 0.0 ft low water. Easy to rake without deep digging.
Where to look: Rocky, gravelly mudflats in protected bays (Netarts, Yaquina, Coos Bay). Findable starting at 0.0 ft and prime below -0.5 ft. Look for small round holes in mixed gravel, 2 to 4 inches below surface.
Where to look: Upper to mid-tide sandy gravel flats and freshwater estuary seeps (Alsea, Yaquina, Siuslaw, Netarts). Look for paired small holes in gravelly sand, 4 to 8 inches deep.
Where to look: River mudflats and low-salinity sloughs (Siuslaw, Alsea, Tillamook, Coos Bay). Look for elongated keyhole depressions in soft river mud. Dig carefully to avoid breaking brittle shells.
Where to look: Estuary channels, public docks, and piers. Harvest during high slack water when currents slow. Use rings or folding pots baited with poultry or fish. Always discard crab guts before cooking.
Boatyard Travelift & Keel Draft Haul-Out Planner
Calculates under-keel clearance against travelift well depth and predicts safe high-water splash windows along Oregon coastal river channels.
Always verify beach openings before harvesting. Marine biotoxins such as Domoic Acid and Paralytic Shellfish Poison (PSP) cannot be destroyed by cooking or freezing. An ODFW recreational shellfish license is required for all harvesters 12 and older. Every harvester must carry their own separate container.