The high tide (or “wrack”) line is best for:
- small to medium sized teeth, esp sand tigers
- small pectens
- wentletraps
- shells
This technique is best used:
- Anywhere, especially after a storm
The high tide line typically contains light or hydrodynamic items such as pectens, teeth (sand tigers are especially hydrodynamic), fragile shells such as figs & scallops, and wentletraps – along with seagrass, driftwood, and other “wrack” (marine debris).
- When walking the wrack line, start at the top which is where the lightest items settle. This area is often covered with seaweed; if so, it’s worth pulling the seaweed out of the way, as some great items often are tangled in or covered by vegetation.
- Watch for jingle shells, which are a similar shape to pectens, and much more common. A wrack line with jingle shells often yields medium-sized pectens.
- Learn to recognize upside-down pectens, as this is how the waves often deposit them.
- Wentletraps are often found in the super light debris a foot or so above the wrack line. Sometimes when there it appears that the beach is devoid of shells, you find that there is a wrack line and it’s full of wentletraps, augers, and other minis. Look for mica, “coffee grounds”, or a fine layer of dirt; then get low to the sand and really focus on the light debris. Augers or nutmegs are easier to spot then wentletraps, so look for them.