Alright, folks....It's high summer and soon to be the wonderful Fall fishing season. The clamming and shrimping at the coast is smoking hot right now...and wondering if any of y'all have been getting in on the action. For the record, I made a couple of recent trips to the coast where my brother lives and got into the flounder gigging, clamming, and a little shrimping (during the nighttime gigging) and did Okey-dokey.

Anyone else?

Hey...post what you did this Summer so far, or what you plan to do in the Fall and Winter.

I'll go ahead and throw out a good clam chowder recipe I've gotten the privelege to cook fresh recently. Anyone who's tried it LOVES it.

New England Style Clam Chowder.

25 LARGE clams in the shell
1 large onion
Diced potatoes (canned is fine---and easy---3 or 4 cans)
1 lb bacon
1 pint half/half
1 stick real butter
1/4 to 1/3 cup corn starch
Pepper to taste

***Steam the clams until just opening so as to easily remove. Do not overcook...You're just creating clam juice and getting the clams open for now. Set the clams aside and reserve the juice. 4 to 6 cups water to facilitate the steaming should be plenty.

Cook, well-done, 1/2 to 1 lb bacon. Set aside the bacon to cool and reserve the drippings.

Chop the onion fairly fine. Use half the bacon drippings and sautee the onion in the drippings until softened. Add ALL to crock pot. Do not drain. You WANT the bacon drippings in the pot. Also add the clam juice (should have close to a quart) to the crock pot.

Crumble the bacon into the crock pot.

Chop the cooled clams into small to medium sized pieces. Sautee the clams using the rest of the bacon drippings and add entire mix to the crock pot.

Cook on high setting for a couple of hours. Add the diced potatoes (drain first) and cook for a couple of more hours.

Add the stick of butter about 1/2 hour before finishing. Then add the half/half, and turn the crock pot on the low setting. Add small amounts of corn starch (mixed with a small amount of water to smooth) to the pot until slightly thickened. Do not add too much! Pepper to taste and enjoy! You do NOT need to add salt. Plenty in the clams and clam juice, and in the butter.

Note: You can add sliced or diced carrots if you wish. You can also use whole milk if half/half is too rich.

C'mon NC fishermen. Add your .02 cents!

Steve