Journal archives for March 2018

March 9, 2018

Spring strategies

Spring is just around the corner, so that means the first opportunities for mussel searches will soon be here. Spring floods wash out many empty shells from the river bottom and also brings up older buried shells as well with their powerful scouring, and sweeps them all downstream. They often tend to collect in good numbers around river bends, as shells tumbling down with the current in the straight middle channels tend to go up the banks where the rivers curve as the high waters cross over sand and gravel bars that form in such bends.

The vegetation that grows on these beaches and spits acts like fine tooth combs that catch many shells - even the odd live ones -as they get filtered out going through.

So it's a good strategy to search such places right after the early spring floods recede, but before the vegetation starts to leaf up and hide all the loot. A narrow window of opportunity of only a very few weeks, yes, but often a pretty productive one!

Dr. Phil

Posted on March 9, 2018 01:26 PM by redgarter redgarter | 6 comments | Leave a comment