South County offers many locations for shellfishing adventure

Experienced clammers and those new to the activity will find plenty of places to dig for quahogs, Rhode Island’s state shellfish, on Block Island. Take the Block Island Ferry over from Narragansett [Point Judith] or Newport, RI and get hunting! Check for permit requirements, rules and regulations on state and island websites before heading out. You’ll want a clam rake, clam-sizing gauge and peck-sized clam buckets (or a garden rake, ruler and small bucket will do). Look for depressions in the sand (or squirting!) – that’s often a quahog clue. The best time to go clamming is just before low tide, when the shellfish are just below the sand surface. Clamming is allowed between sunrise and sunset. And all your bounty must be for personal use — they’re especially great in chowders, or as “stuffies.”

Fisherman’s Memorial State Park has a campground, game fields, tennis courts, spectacular views of Point Judith Pond, Narragansett Bay, and Block Island Sound. From the park’s northwest corner, a pathway leads to a state shellfish management area. Parking is available.

This state-owned parcel is parallel to the east side of the Quonochontaug Breachway. Parking is available at the end of West Beach Road for cars and boat trailers. Boating here is very dangerous due to swift currents running through the breachway. This site includes a RIDEM shellfish management area.

Point Judith Salt Pond -- and in particular the East Pond tidal flats -- supports a commercial and very large recreational shellfishery for clams, quahogs, as well as oysters and scallops in season. The north-south pond extends from the urban center of Wakefield at the head of the pond to the port of Galilee at the mouth of the pond.
Access from Galilee: Follow signs on Route 108 South to the Block Island Ferry. Park along Galilee Escape Road, the main road leading into the village. Walk down to the watery mud flats that have been exposed by low tide. Usually this area will have several groups of diggers.