I am wondering if anyone here has any experience with eating freshwater clams.

We have clams in a local river that get pretty big, up to 8 inches long.
As near as I can determine they are either Fat Muckets or possibly Western Floaters.

They are plentiful in this river and since I was a kid I've wondered if they were edible.

My dad grew up on the East coast, Nova Scotia, and his dad was a Lobster fisherman so dad know something about saltwater clams.
One year with his guidance we harvest a bunch of these clams and cooked them up as per his instruction.
They tasted like old rubber and had a consistency to match.

Since then I've often wondered, do you cook fresh water clams the same way as saltwater clams?

In other words, did we do something wrong?

Anyone have any experience cooking and eating these things?

Not Mussel Shells but clams. My daughter went fresh water clamping when she lived in Florida.

One of the funniest lines I heard a friend of mine say "I don't like seafood, but I will eat a clam."

Hit the interweb you'll find your answer.

Yes you can eat them. I used to go camping on the Nueces River and we would fish, and swim/dig into the mud and grab a bunch of those big clams. We’d make a fire right there on the bank, and had a grill with legs on it that we’d put over the fire to cook on. I just put the clams over the fire. When they crack open they are done, just like an oyster. I learned after the first one, you have to cut the guts off of it first or you’ll end up with a mouth full of sand/dirt. Never had any condiments or anything to go with them, just ate them plain/steamed in their own juice. They weren’t bad. They were edible, especially when you’re hungry.

From TPWD:
"Consumption of Clams and Mussels taken from public fresh waters is prohibited by the TDSHS."
They make excellent catfish bait.

I think catfish will eat anything

Didn't realize they could make the eating of something edible illegal?

I got an email from my daughter last night telling me she had claims for dinner.

Does she work in the insurance industry?

My old timers disease kicked in.

Just kiddin sir, I meant no disrespect.

Heck, I had so much coffee this morning my thumb was jumping around so badly it was covering 4 letters at a time! I couldn't have spelled clam, claim, clamp, or clump if I had to!!!