The Pismo Beach Clam welcome sign sits
on Price Street not far from the Pismo Beach
beaches and pier.
One of
the biggest clams along the California coast
and beaches, the pismo, got bigger when they
built a huge Pismo Clam welcome sign in the
city of Pismo Beach, California. It is one
of
several signs on roads going into the
city, welcoming travelers to the Central
Coast beach vacation spot that locals call
"classic".
How
did Pismo Beach become associated with
clams? Pismo is a type of clam you'll
find here. At
4.5 inches diameter you can take them with
the a salt-water fishing license, and you
may find them as large as 7 inches on rare
occasions. The Pismo Beach Chamber of
Commerce claims to have an 8 inch clam shell
on display.
We've
seen people clamming from Rincon Beach on
the border of Ventura and Santa Barbara
county lines, through Pismo Beach and
further north. Pismo Beach, the
Classic California city with its woody car,
surfing, and good times, might also be
associated with clams because of the big
event each year, the Pismo Beach Clam
Festival.
Also
winning awards for clam chowder is the
restaurant near the pier,
Splash
Cafe. If
you long for a hot, tasty bowl of clam
chowder or other tasty clam snacks, be sure
to visit this local favorite that people
rave about.
For
visitors hoping to catch clams, first get
your license, then head to the beach with
the tools of the trade. A bucket is one item
you'll definitely require to collect your
treasures. Another item is the digging
tool or clam fork with an attached caliper
for measuring the clams after pulling them
from the sand. You'll find clams just
under the sand and usually detect them by
the tiny air bubbles that rise to the sand.
The
laws regulating clamming are strict, making
clamming not one of the top sports fishing
activities. The clamming time is half
hour before sunrise and half hour after
sunset, with a limit 10 clams per day.
We've never done the math about the price of
a license for clamming and just buying clams
in the market, but it's easy to see which
activity yields more free time. Clearly
clamming is a sport for those who find it a
novelty, or consider 10 clams worth the
effort of a license that can cost just under
$10.
Like
surfing in San Clemente, riding a cable car
in San Francisco, or snorkeling in Catalina,
when in Pismo, it just feels right to clam.
The signs to do it are all around you, in
fact. And several local stores make it easy
to get started. KMart on the 101 in Arroyo
Grande and Longs Drugs, 827 Oak Park
Blvd, Pismo Beach, CA 93449. Call: (805)
473-1112, are several places to get going.
You
probably won't sink the big one, so be sure
to stop by the clam statue on Price and take
a picture next to the giant clam so you can
tell everyone you clammed in Pismo Beach.
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