Clamdigger

by Lee Wilbur

Richard A. “Rat” Taylo is a lifelong clam “puller” and stand-alone Maine individualist. Richard is perhaps the historical epitome of what we like to feel Maine people are made of—people who have made their living with hard work, no nonsense, and a healthy dose of ingenuity.

A first glance of this no-frills ingenuity are the hand-painted signs on route 102, Mount Desert Island, town of Somesville. One-stroke black letters on weathered white plywood. “Clams 1/4 mile.” One quarter mile later, “Rat’s clams” and underneath “clams, mussels, cherrystones,” and lately, “lobsters” in red letters. An arrow points inward to the mile and a quarter gravel road. More arrows lead to the clam shop located in a cluster of hand-built buildings consisting of his and wife Connie’s house, a sawmill, chicken coop, storage buildings, potting shed, and the 2-story clam shop decorated with lobster buoys and another white plywood sign, Rat’s clam shop.”

Setting is a perfect picture. Tall pines line their driveway. It is private, quiet, with an occasional chicken to be seen. Connie now sells fresh eggs. They bought the land some 30 years ago. Richard built the sawmill, cleared the land, and in the process, cut and milled thousands of feet of pine spruce and “beautiful” clear oak for the wood boatbuilders. Hard workers both, then as now, they would work till late at night. In his own words, “The only time I could get any sawing done. Always too many people coming around looking for the lumber during the day.”

When I talked with “Rat,” he’d been “pulling” cherrystones from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m. that night up in Western Bay. His muddy socks and sneakers were piled under the tree. “I like digging in sneakers now,” he said, “Like to feel the mud and flats with my feet.” He told me how he got started at age ten, with his father and uncle Tim. Said “Rat” would never be a clamdigger. Most diggers prefer the shore digging. “Rat” went for the mud. Says he’s “been there ever since. Clams are sweeter, clean out quicker, fewer broken shells.”

“In high school, Bill Modine, Gary Tyler, Stuart Burr, and I used to dig together. We’d get five dollars a bushel from old Henry Tibbets. Then Birch Harbor started paying six so we started selling to them. Stuart was by last week. Hadn’t seen him for a long time. He went home and brought me back all his wire mesh clam hods. They’re lighter and you can wash off the clams better than the wood lathe hods. Hard to find good wire mesh like that today.”

After high school and after marrying Connie, “Rat” bought a 21' Boston Whaler. Wanted to explore the outer islands of Opeche, Black, Orono, Buckle, and Swans. Wanted the excitement of finding the “hot spots” loaded with clams and the privacy to dig alone. A few years went by, children were born, and Connie went into the restaurant business. Rat would be the babysitter late afternoons. No way he could not dig the afternoon tides so he built a cabin on the Whaler (later dubbed the “Whaler Bagel” by Tom Bowden), installed a cooler, porta-potty and bunks, so the kids would have shelter while he “pulled.” While daughter Robin was in her 2s and 3s he used a hand-built plastic sled to tow her around the flats while he worked. His son Kevin started digging with him at age 10 and was “pulling” close to fifty dollars a tide. Connie would often pull a tide with him as would Robin as she got old enough to handle a rake.

“Territorial rights” as for lobster fishermen, can sometimes be a problem for clam diggers, especially if you’re not “from there.”

“It was April 1, one year early on, when I had decided to pull on just Swan’s Island — temperature about 24 degrees. Ground was still frozen in places. I was alone and just got done working the tide. Late afternoon, just before dark. Had my boots off sitting in front of a small driftwood fire trying to get warm. Heard this old truck pull up and stop out on the road. I heard these men’s voices clear through the woods. “I’ll take the path. I’ll take the shore, you circle and come up on him.” By the time I'd tried to get away they’d circled me. One grabbed my boots and threw them in the water. We started to wrestle and punch. Knew I was going to get the S..... beat out of me if I didn’t get away. Did the only thing open. I dove into the water and swam out to the Whaler which was anchored a few hundred feet offshore. Cold, you can’t imagine how cold that water was. I waited, shivering, until they’d left. Then I took the boat into shore, found the boots floating and picked up the hods full of clams I’d left to soak in the water. I was so cold I knew I’d never make it back to Bass Harbor so I headed for a cove on Buckle Island where I knew there’d be plenty of driftwood. I built the biggest G...D....fire you can imagine. Stayed there all night and in the morning, even though I wasn’t supposed to, I dug every Jeezless clam I could out of that cove.”

Rat pulled on Swan’s for close to eleven years. Back then there were few clamdiggers. Mostly lobster fishermen. There were only two nonresident licenses available.

“I’d run out to Back Cove on Swan’s so’s to be there well before daybreak. I’d set my bike ashore, anchor the “Whaler Bagel,” then pedal the bike, hip boots and all, into Minturn and sleep on the lawn so’s I’d be the first in line for one of the licenses. Then I’d go back to the cove and dig one, or two tides if possible. Later when there got to be more competition for the two licenses I’d get a nonresident “peck” license and pull with that. There was an old clam warden there at the time and he’d look the other way. Knew we weren’t hurting the flats any. Besides, I dug where no one else wanted to. Out in the mud.”

Continued next month...

For a basic salad dressing for Cobb salad, Nicoise or Black and Blue, I've been using this one which I put together originally to make a lighter dressing (not to be confused, of course with low fat).

Lee’s Dressing

Equal parts or 2 heaping tbsp each, mayonnaise (pref. Hellman’s Olive oil variety), Miracle Whip and Sour Cream.

1 tsp dijon mustard

 1-1/2 tsp. catsup

 A good Polish pickle between chopped and minced. Amount determined by tasting.

 2-3 scrunches of ground pepper to taste

For a great Tartar sauce, I use just the Mayo, Sour Cream and Miracle Whip and add fresh or dried Dill and a good relish. “Wickles” available at Hannaford’s has found a place in our fridge of late.

Fair winds and good roads.