somewhere in the salt marshes of the Lower Cape Fear,
a clam rake is thrust into a mud flat. As
the rake claws along the muddy bottom,
the familiar ting, ting, ting rings in the air,
and the experienced and weathered hands
on the other end know what they’ve found.
For some it is a hobby, for most commercial
fishermen it is a sideshow, but for lifelong
clammers like Jerry Harrell, it is a little nugget
of gold.
Harrell says his favorite saying is “out
yonder.” It’s the response he gives anyone
who tries to take advantage of his almost 30
years of experience as a commercial clammer.
Those who ask where the clams are will hear
the same response.
“I don’t even know where they are,”
Harrell says. “You have to get the rake’s teeth
in the mud to find that out.”
Since 1984, Harrell has ventured out yonder
into the marshes, creeks and waterways from
By Cole Dittmer
Photography by
Allison Potter
the
32
WBM january 2013
ringing rake
