Razor clam fans will get one last go-round with their favorite bivalve, presuming they pass toxin screenings, May 24 on several Pacific Coast beaches, say state shellfish managers.

Three beach sectors, Twin Harbors, Copalis and Mocrocks, have enough of their allowable annual catch quotas remaining to permit a one-day opening from midnight to noon.

This will be the last dig of the 2008 spring season.

One proviso that will draw significant scrutiny from enforcement officers strolling among the masses will be the mandatory retention rule.

Shellfish manager Dan Ayers says clammers are likely to encounter a number of smaller razor clams this late in the growing cycle. There will be the temptation to put back the smaller ones to hold out for older, bigger razors.

By rule, that’s not allowed. Diggers must retain the first 15 clams regardless of size and condition, to prevent wastage and loss.

If 15 razor clams alone is not worthy of the gas and ferry expense you will incur, consider that several northwest coast rivers are scheduled to be available for salmon fishing the week of the 24th and afterward.

The Hoh River upstream as far as Willoughby Creek will be open for clipped or hatchery-origin chinook, as will the Quillayute River together with a stretch of the Sol Duc River.

The Sol Duc, by far, should have a greater number of keeper clipped chinook since it has a dedicated salmon rearing facility on its lower reach near Sappho.

All winter-run steelhead encountered in those two systems are off-limits for the season and anglers must abide by the mandatory in-water release rule for any fish that may not legally be kept.

Being that its spring, anglers also should be prepared for rapidly changing river flows and visibility that will play a part in chinook salmon fishing success.

FISHERIES OPEN, CLOSE

The ever-changing face of fishing in Washington has undergone a tuck or two in recent weeks.

On the plus side, if you are heading east via Stevens Pass, a short stretch of the Icicle River has opened to salmon fishing for hatchery-origin chinook.

Since the stock in the Icicle is not native to the Upper Columbia system, the Endangered Species Act listing for upper Columbia River chinook does not cover them.

Estimates are that 7,000 kings are bound for the tiny Leavenworth- area tributary to the Wenatchee River. The federal fish hatchery only needs 1,000 fish for egg-take, so a fair number of kings will be available.

Another positive note for shrimpers is the two-day sport extension on the quartet of shrimping days in Marine Area 12 (Hood Canal). One of the four-hour openers is slated for tomorrow, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The second four-hour stint takes place Wednesday during the same time period.

Columbia and Snake river fishers have had their opportunities cut short by a return of spring kings that has leavened itself out far below the pre-season forecast.

Effective May 11, not only has the Ringold Reach of the Columbia been closed, both sections of the lower Snake River also have been shut down to recreational salmon fishing. Those reaches join the Bonneville Dam- McNary Dam section of the Columbia that was closed prematurely May 10.

Anglers also will not find the lower Columbia River hatchery steelhead fishery (Rocky Point/ Tongue Point line upstream to Interstate 5) available to them May 16 as the regulations pamphlet promises. Managers will keep steelhead fishers off the river by emergency order to protect the now-disappointing return of upriver springs. The closure could remain in effect until June 15.

The only ray of good news for lower Columbia enthusiasts is that shad anglers will be allowed access to the Rocky Point/ Tongue Point line/Interstate 5 waters.

Projections are that the upriver spring chinook run now will top out at 180,000 well below the forecast of 269,300 fish.

Doug Huddle, the Herald’s outdoors correspondent, has written a weekly hunting and fishing column for the Herald since 1983 that now appears Fridays. E-mail him at doug.huddle@bellinghamherald.com.