Rare six-clawed lobster is caught off Massachusetts

Fishermen discover mutated crustacean in trap and donate it to Maine State Aquarium in Boothbay Harbor where it will go on public display

September 09, 2013 by David Strege

Photo by Richard Figueiredo F/V Rachel Leah via Maine State Aquarium

A very rare lobster is set to go on public display this week at the Maine State Aquarium in Boothbay Harbor where it will live among other odd-looking lobsters, mostly those with strange coloring.

But this one will stand out for something quite extraordinary: it has six claws.

Capt. Peter Brown and fisherman Richard Figueiredo were lobster fishing aboard The Rachel Leah, one of the five boats featured in “Lobster Wars” on Discovery Channel, when they caught the four-pound, 10-year-old crustacean in one of their traps off Hyannis, Massachusetts.

On the left side, they noticed five Edward Scissorhands-like claws where only one claw should be. A normal claw was on the other side.

Recognizing the lobster as something special, Brown named the lobster Lola and donated it to the Maine State Aquarium.

“This claw deformity is a genetic mutation,” aquarium manager Aimee Hayden-Roderiques told WMTW-TV in Maine. “Sometimes they have this throughout their life, sometimes this happens during a regeneration from a damaged or lost claw.”

The aquarium has two other lobsters with similar deformities on display, but neither is like Lola. Hayden-Roderiques said she has never seen one with six claws before.

It was also a first for David Libby, a marine scientist for the Department of Marine Resources who works at the aquarium and has 40 years of experience working with marine life.

“Sometimes the genes will just get a little mixed and it will grow a funny claw,” he told the Bangor Daily News. “But I’ve never seen anything like this.”

Lucky for Lola, the deformity saved her life.

Link to full article from David Strege and additional video footage below:

http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/nature/post/rare-six-clawed-lobster-is-caught-off-massachusetts/

Matt's Rant: I decided that because GrindTV’s nature section has provided some pretty fascinating filler for my blog, it only seems fair that I provide a link to my side column. It looks like I will have to break all of this blog-bling into two different columns at some point.

Mutations like this are rare but always worth noting. If you see this type of thing in greater numbers it is a much more concerning matter. One five-fingered lobster is not as alarming as hundreds if not thousands of hermaphrodite smallmouth.

http://www.fieldandstream.com/blogs/where-fish-bass/2010/04/study-says-80-percent-male-potomac-smallmouth-are-basically-hermaphrod

Max Factor update

Once upon a time Max had asked me for some fishing advice and invited me to fish a friend’s private pond. Before his annual trip to Lake McConaughy I had set him up with some additional gear in the way of a 6’6” St. Croix two-piece rod, some fantastic plastics, a few hooks, a couple cranks and spinnerbaits along with a small soft tackle bag to put it all in. A week later Max sends me this photo.

Included in the message was merely the details below.

36” 12lbs

Of course I picked up the phone and called him immediately. Max gave me a rough sketch of fishing highlights over the week and the details of the pike shown in the photo. Apparently the 4” clear bodied crankbait from the gear bag I had given them landed most of the fish including a few walleye.

“We noticed fish were most active during the morning and the evening so that is when we would take the boat out. Caught walleye most of the time. Then we went out during the middle of the day and one of the teens landed this.”

Max and his family had a fantastic time and growing more and more interested in fishing. They practiced catch and release for the most part but decided to take a few fish home. Max did some homework and found great instructions on how to cook up the northern pike. “It was very tasty and we ended up eating the entire fish in one day. Nothing wasted.”

My name is Matt and I’m a fishaholic.

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a ... it’s a fish

by Nelson Harvey, Aspen Daily News Staff Writer

Airborne fish aren’t native to the Colorado Rockies, but in recent weeks about 125,150 lucky swimmers have learned what it feels like to fly — at least for a few seconds.

The fish have been plummeting out of planes all over southern Colorado as part of the annual aerial stocking effort conducted by Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW), the agency charged with maintaining the state’s fish populations.

Aerial stocking, with helicopters and Cessna 185 airplanes, is used to drop fish into the state’s high mountain lakes that are virtually inaccessible by foot or horseback. The program targets more than 600 lakes across the state, many of them at elevations of between 10,500 and 12,000 feet.

Aside from insuring that backpackers and other backcountry travelers will have fish to catch, stocking remote high mountain lakes can help establish isolated populations of fish for scientists to draw on in case the need to breed them should arise.

Plane drops are a mere subset of the state’s annual stocking effort, which will put more than 53 million fish into Colorado waterways this year alone. According to CPW figures, fishing is second only to skiing as an economic contributor to Colorado’s recreation economy, contributing around $1.2 billion annually. Maintaining that moneymaker takes a lot of work.

Last week, the Garfield County Airport was at the epicenter of aerial stocking efforts in the state, as three pilots used the Rifle runway as a base to stock 265 high alpine lakes in western Colorado. This week the pilots will head to Salida, Gunnison and Durango to stock lakes high in the San Juan mountain range, according to Mark Jimerson, assistant manager at the Rifle Fish Hatchery.

In Colorado, aerial stocking typically takes place in the late summer or early fall, when high-altitude lakes are mostly thawed out from the previous winter.

"I don’t like bouncing them off the ice," said Al Keith, a Colorado Springs-based pilot and one of four who handle the bulk of aerial fish stocking across the state.

The pilots alternate each year between stocking southern and northern Colorado, which is much wetter. Last year, according to Jimerson, the pilots stocked 422 northern Colorado lakes.
Link to full article from Aspen Daily News:

http://www.aspendailynews.com/section/home/159302


Fishing the creek-three rock lock

To be a successful angler on moving streams, creeks or rivers it really helps to be able to read the water. Most can spot the gorgeous slack-water pools and big pretty flat sections. These easy to spot areas get hit by every angler that passes through. My success comes from locating the pieces of water that get overlooked or fished less frequently.

 

One such spot is a section of boulders that create an ideal place for fish to hold up. Rocks break up the force of the current and create a feeding trough of sorts behind them. Having three rocks in close proximity triples the odds that I will pull something out. I will cast in front, to the side and then run my lure through the sweet spot of water holding behind the boulders.

 

Fishing on the creek this year has been decent but I have had to deal with a lot of summer traffic and bad weather in the afternoon. The rainstorms have been mild to “run for your life”. Traffic brings frustration from all angles including tubers, kayakers to dogs swimming right through the casting lane. After no bites, a pair of shades and several flip flop shoes…I decide to move on.

 

Now I have to take a moment and admit that I spend time doing things simply for my blog. For a few years now I have tried to catch a fish near the bronze sculptures to show a fish on fish photo. Finally I was able to stick the landing on a decent browny near the sculpture and pull off the shot.

 

Water levels on the creek have been good to great considering recent drought years that brought things to a mere trickle. Runoff was not where we would have liked but the more than average rains made up for the lack of snow melt in a big way.  Around April I was becoming deeply concerned that some of these smaller slips of water would be pushed to absolute desperation mode this year. Being able to catch a few sturdy brownies on the nearby creek is a blissful way to spend a few hours where a larger trip was not possible.

 

A lot of money and effort has been spent over the last few years to cleanup and restore Clear Creek. Quality of creeks is often a lesser concern when mining and development occurred in the west. We are slowly undoing the damage of the past and given the opportunity nature will respond in kind.

Restoration projects are just the start and very expensive. Not every creek is going to get this type of attention. Anglers for the most part are doing a great job but there are still way too many signs that we are not. Spent fishing line, lure packages and big red discarded bobbers on the shoreline discredit us all.

 

Every recreationalist has a responsibility to respect the creek and minimize their impact. At the very least folks need to pack their trash out and approach all wilderness areas with a “leave no trace” attitude. The number of trash picker uppers is growing on the creek and I would love to see this trend continue.

My name is Matt and this is just another creek trip, nothing to see here, folks. Move along.

 

Into the Scrag

“You take a left turn off the main road and drive about seven miles. Turn at the second entrance, look for the green sign. Take the off road trail to the parking lot perched atop a hundred foot drop. You should see the water from there. Watch your step. Barbed wire grows from the ground…not kidding.”

 

This is how the place was described me to by Mr. K.O. about six years ago. First trip in and my legs learned quickly that even though it looked heavenly from the top of the cliff, things would only get downright gnarly once I reached the bottom. This trip was no exception. Summer rain gave the foliage increased vigor and a bit of an attitude. The brush was heavier than ever except the barbed wire ones…they were just a little more rusty and more difficult to see. I took a photo of what looked like a new patch emerging from where the cattle had recently grazed.

 

Foliage and mosquitos were biting from all directions but the fish not so much. I was able to coax small fish from spots here and there but no signs from the OMG section. Conditions were clear in the morning with showers predicted later in the day. Action might have been better in the evening but rough terrain and the dirt trail makes the dry morning run a bit easier to deal with.

The top of this fish is spectacular in the sunlight but not even close to what I hope for. Most fishing places are hit and miss depending on the day but this location is a trip to skunksville more often than not.  Even after catching fish I still felt like this trip was a skunker . All; I can do is soak up the scenery and mild conditions while making another cast.

 

Before reaching the end of the stretch a herd of cows had picked their spot to stop, graze and lounge around a bit. I worked the area just to the west and waited for them to move on. Instead of moving they stood their ground and gave me a few rough looks. Not being equipped for longhorn I chose to retreat and look for water I had missed on the way back.

At the end of the day I chalked the day up as another trip into the scrag and just getting out with only a few scratches is a notch on the “good day” side of things. The results may not have met expectations but these days I am just happy to be out there. 

My name is Matt and I’m a fishaholic

‘Turducken’ of the sea–scientists off Delaware catch shark within a shark-GrindTV

In a bizarre capture, bait is attacked by 3-foot shark, which is then 'completely swallowed' by a large sand tiger shark

(I probably don't have permission to repost this photo but its worth a few dents in the street-cred department. Please visit Grind TV and special thanks to University of Delaware for not sending me a lot of hate mail.)

Researchers at the University of Delaware set out recently in the hope of recapturing tagged sand tiger sharks. They enticed a large female but it was the bizarre manner by which they captured the predator that left them shaking their heads in disbelief.

After casting a small fish called a menhaden, a small shark called a dogfish was quick to snatch the bait, only to be swallowed by the much larger sand tiger shark. “The dogfish was about 3 feet long and completely swallowed by the sand tiger shark,” states a post on the university’s ORB Lab Facebook page.

The researchers had captured a shark within a shark, which prompted pro bass angler Aaron Martens to comment: “There’s gotta be some kind of ‘turducken‘ label for this kind of situation.”
The ORB Lab is short for Ocean Exploration, Remote Sensing, Biogeography Lab.

Scientists are trying to recapture tagged sharks, or tags that have popped off of sharks, to compile data for study.

Sand tiger sharks are vicious-looking because of the many dagger-like teeth protruding from their jaws.

Writes the ORB Lab in a separate Facebook post: “Their protruding spike-like teeth are perfect for spearing their favorite foods: bony fishes, small sharks, rays, squids, crabs, and lobsters.”

Sand tigers, which can measure to about 10 feet, lose an average of one tooth per day and boast 56 rows of teeth in each jaw “at any time waiting to replace lost or broken teeth.”

The sand tiger in the photo looks to have lost a couple of front teeth during its attack on the dogfish and/or its capture (and release) by scientists.

Quite a day of fishing!

Visit the full article on GrindTV at the link below:

http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/nature/post/turducken-of-the-sea-scientists-off-delaware-catch-shark-within-a-shark/

Don lands another biggun’

While fishing the wood structure for crappie, Don throws a big bait into the cove hoping for a bigger bite. Fishing for the MAD Show has been off and on all year long so I knew he was due for a big fish. First cast out and his rod bends over with a heavy fish. The bite was so hard we both swear we could hear it under the water.

 

These are the moments both of us live for and both of us hold our breath it seems until the other one lands the fish. There is no hesitation when it comes to helping with the photo op and at times I have to persuade this guy to let me use these pictures on my blog.

The lure used was a jig combo that I put together several years ago. Once you get the right materials it snaps together lickety-split. Later I asked him what he was throwing and he said, “Your lure.” I missed the first part and only caught what sounded like “lures”.

“No #$%^!” I responded as if Don was holding out on me. “I didn’t think you were throwing live bait…seriously…what are you throwing?”

“YOUR LURE!” he responded holding up the jig-combo. We laughed for about 30 minutes straight.

It is still good fishing you, Don. The one guy that can get up early to the meet spot and doesn’t sell out the fishing locations that I meticulously dig up.

My name is Matt and still a proud member of The MAD Fishing Show.

Longmont man-firm fined over sewage in reservoir

 

DENVER (AP) - A federal judge has fined a Longmont man and his self-storage company for illegally discharging sewage from the company into Union Reservoir in Longmont.

Federal prosecutors say John Albert Paquette and East Point LLC each were fined $10,000 Monday after pleading guilty in April to violating the Clean Water Act.

Court documents say that on June 20, 2012, Paquette and East Point knowingly discharged 1,000 gallons of raw sewage from a hose into the Oligarchy Ditch, which flowed into Union Reservoir.

The reservoir is used for outdoor recreation including swimming, fishing and boating.

Link to article from KOAA, a local news source for this area that covers the Front Range area below:

http://www.koaa.com/news/longmont-man-firm-fined-over-sewage-in-reservoir/

Matt’s rant: Water quality is not a hot topic for a lot of folks but for anglers it can mean the difference between a good fishing spot and human generated fish kill. A lot more could be done in regards to educating the public about potential dangers that are not obvious to the naked eye. Publicizing the bad examples and penalties that are handed down to polluters may also help stress the importance of water quality overall. At the very least it may help explain why those crappie from Union Reservoir smell a bit like crap.

Good luck and good fishing

Bass and Gill photo thread



Falling so far behind on the material that I need to kick out a few photo threads before fall fishing gets underway. Honestly I have about 20 trips that will drop from the radar completely if something doesn't give. So For this bass and bluegill post that is well past due I have decided a more streamline release is the only way its going to happen. Enjoy.

 

 



 

 

 

 

All of these fish were caught and released on the same day using black bunny streamers weighted down with a 1/8oz split shot for bass and a small beaded nymph for the bass. For some reason I get more bites going deep with the bait. I also have tremendous success employing a fleeing type of  behavior when the fish moves towards the bait. This gives the fish less time for inspection and demands more commitment to the lure. Hopefully this information and a photo thread is enough to make the stop by worthwhile.

My name is Matt and I'm a fishaholic.

From forest fires to flashfloods never a dull moment

One minute the whole state is on fire and shortly after that we are hit with a seasonal monsoon pattern. Activity on the fire line changes to sandbagging and flashflood management. Never a dull moment in Colorado.

Next week I will be hosting a seminar in Manitou Springs with tips on how to fish a mudslide. This demonstration will include instructions on how to cast a boat anchor with your Tenkara rod and where to attach the beacon on your fly vest.

For some amazing pictures of flash flood aftermath in the Manitou Springs area, please review the Denver Post Article at the link below.

http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_23634388/thunderstorms-likely-wednesday-afternoon

 

Morning conditions were mild with a slight breeze. Air temps were a comfortable 55 degrees at 7AM near Idaho Springs. Shaded areas were colder. Casting to the sunny and shade things started out very slow with the yellow and white spinbug. No hits, bumps, flash or follows. Switch up to color number two and it gets some attention.

 

Most of the fish along this 50-mile slip of water average 8-10 inches but the numbers can be good when vehicles are not throwing themselves into the water which happens a lot for some reason. Larger fish can be found in the 10-14 inch range by working deeper pools with patience or areas that don’t get fished a lot (some sections get hit almost every day spring to fall).

 

When I approach a section of river the first thing I do is cast to the spot that looks most tasty. Maybe this is a pool of flat water behind a rock or an eddy at the opposite shoreline. The biggest fish in the area is probably going to fight for that spot and picking fish off nearby may spook the lunker. In a tiny creek like this the good spots mean survival and where the first cast always goes. Cast, cast, miss…that is how it often goes for me on a creek bash. Cast again and move on.

 

 

After I have worked the sweet spot a few search casts go out in a fan cast situation. I hit upstream and roll it down. Throw it downstream and slow spin it back to me. 2 o’clock, 11 o’clock…sometimes I hit 6 o’clock by accident and have to dig my presentation out of the trees.

 

Water is clearing up but still running pretty high. Most of the drainages are working hard to keep the snowmelt moving where it needs to go. If an angler waits for conditions to be perfect…that angler will hardly fish at all.

 

My name is Matt and I’m a fishaholic

Don't treat your fishery like a toilet

It seems like a natural thing to simply step out of the boat and take a wizz on the shoreline. No big deal, right? Bears do it rabbits do it. A guy has to go, a guy has to go. What is the harm? 99% of the time I wouldn’t make a hassle out of this but holy cow. Dude? The ranger shack is about 600 yards from where you are pissing. It looks like you are using the fishery as a toilet and that is poor form…especially here.

This island (in one of Denver’s most frequented reservoirs) is off limits and bird watchers go a little ape$hit when they see someone urinating on what they consider a protected nesting area. If enough people did this and enough people complained the lake would be shut down. Trespassing signs would be put back up just like it was back in 1982.

Fishing here is a privilege that the city views more as a liability than anything else. When boating opened in 1988 folks were cautioned that all of this was done at the discretion of the city. A few bad instances could ultimately cost everyone this privilege. Some murmured that it would only be a matter of time.

These are the moments that make me question my efforts on elaborate dreams such as optimum fishing management in Colorado. Roving slot limits, putting big fish back, people following the rules seems so impossible if others are just going to piss all over it…literally. Maybe I need to scale things back a little and cover a few basics. Maybe I could suggest that we all (including me) start making more of an effort to do the following:

1.       Minimize our effect on the environment when outdoors. Maybe that is something as small as keeping the noise level moderate to something a little bigger like burning the entire forest down somehow. 
 

2.       Be kind and courteous to not only others but the wilderness around us. A good example here is that one group of campers that expects everyone else to endure their obnoxious behavior while they cut half the trees down in the camping area with a chainsaw. And that was their first day camping on the Poudre.  
 

3.       Give wild animals the room to be wild and understand that we are in their home. This pretty much means that no one will tell that bear to stop eating you in the middle of the night if it really wants.  
 

4.       Be more cautious while experiencing the outdoors.  “Last guy broke a leg on this run and died. But we’ll get you out of here in one piece buddy. I have a good feeling about this one.” 
 

5.       Don’t be an Ahole, why you gotta be an Ahole? Everyone is looking at you right now going, “Why is that guy being an Ahole?” 
 

Actions of one can adversely affect the privilege of others.
 

My name is Matt and I would have picked a better place to pee.

Supa’ Panz 2013

There are a few ponds and small lakes in Colorado that I covet for their bluegill and sunfish opportunities. Quality panfish brooders like this are as amazing to me as any fish that I catch. The colors and fin placement gives these fish a more tropical appearance compared to other freshwater forage fin slappers.  Recently I stumbled across a couple of sunfish that are fairly respectable by Colorado standards. As soon as I saw them the bass game was put on hold.

 

Both these fish were caught in four to six feet of water. They were hanging just outside of a largemouth bass’ nest and picking off small fry whenever possible. They hit a 1/8oz chartreuse mister twister jig. Nothing fancy just something I could fish deep and fast with action on the end.

 

Being very aggressive this time of year they would have hit anything in the micro size. Panfish will eat a wide variety of insects, minnows and aquatic organisms so most of the time these fish are not very selective. Quality panfish like this come from good aquatic conditions and balanced pressure. Like any sport fish population it greatly helps the sport to put the big ones back.

My name is Matt and...hold on...I think I see some panfish. 

Mud Bass on the Shorebang

It looks like The City took over another one of my fishing spots. This place took me five years to get permission from the homeowners to launch my tooner on it. In exchange I would do a Mattsabasser trash haul once a year while expressing only respect when out there. Only a small portion of the lake was public access and that access was from shoreline only. I had heard that The City wanted more control but there was no follow up on my part. Roll the dice and pull the truck up on the place one weekend to discover that a lot indeed had changed.

(Above: First fish pulled out of weed cover. This is a fish with a side of salad picture.)

“You can’t take that boat on here.” A young poindexter immediately barks out as I approach with boat in tow.

After some discussion I choose not to launch and made a call to the homeowner leaving a voicemail. Eventually I did find out that boat access has been removed even from the landowners. This is heartbreaking as it took me so long to get that access on a privileged section of the water.

“It looks like this place is a shorebang situation from here on out.” I scoff in sadness and remembrance of years that have passed. “That figures.”

(Above: Respectable fin slapper. In previous years this would be a good skunk-beater or something that kept the action going between much larger fish. This year it was my best fish of the day.)

The ditch company isn’t paying for water shares from this drainage and or routing water from other sources. Instead of water fluctuations up and down, the pond loses a foot of depth every year. This and other factors hurt the system in so many ways. The City could put water in there and make the situation almost as good as it was but they won’t. Most of the shoreline is a muddish-like quicksand that smells from decades of wet decomposition.

(Above: Last fish picked out of the mudhole and I had to go in and get him costing me a pair of shoes.)

The same thing happened to another one of my favorite fishing places when The City took over. The fishing oasis that I had worked so hard to get access was turned over to the public in a similar fashion. Bad things happened and in a few short years the whole place was drained. The place was turned to mud. The only saving grace is the fact I am always looking for new water and I still managed to C&R a few fish out of this one.

The lure of the day was a 5 inch Yamamoto twin tail grub in watermelon flake. Every lake is different but this particular body of water has a lot of weeds and algae that limit some of my other gear options. It also sports a lot of frogs that the bass love to hammer. I throw this twin tail grub weightless on the heavy stuff and might slap on a 1/8oz or 1/4oz weight in less cover. A 2/0 extra wide gap hook or even worm style gets me a few more hooksets than the plastic frogs with the two prong hook setup.

My name is Matt and I’m a fishaholic.

Fire Season already starting in Colorado

It doesn’t take much heat and dryness to create a dangerous situation in Colorado. Every year it seems to get worse. This year fire season didn’t wait long and we have several large fires to deal with. The Black Forest Fire took folks by surprise and was a bit of a flashback to the recent Waldo Fire. In both instances homes and lives were lost.

As we roll into the dry and hot season I want to urge caution and respect for the dangers that are present this time of year. I also want to express sincere prayers and wishes to all that are being affected by the Back Forest Fire and future fires that will undoubtedly occur.

(photo credit Mattsabasser-Cloradocastersblog)

(photo credit Mattsabasser-Cloradocastersblog)

link to photo from Gazzette.com:

http://gazette.com/gallery/articleid/1502225/1/pictures/220362

Useful link for those need help or want to help folks impacted by the Black Forest Fire:

http://gazette.com/how-to-find-and-give-help/article/1502352

Link to timeline of events of Black Forest Fire:

http://gazette.com/complete-timeline-of-black-forest-fire-events/article/1502358

There is also a map of the homes that were lost and a lot more on the story:

http://gazette.com/map-destroyed-homes-in-black-forest/article/1502313

Good luck and good fishing.

Always be ready for that one bite…and weather

 

Early summer conditions in Colorado usually mean water in the 65-70 degree range mixed with high winds. Wind has been blowing for several days at speeds that range from 5 to 60mph. These are the times when you pick the hot spot and gamble on the weather.

“Once the gate opens, all hell could break loose today.”

On this trip I had four rods;  two 7 foot, med-fast action with finesse or fast moving baits and two 6’6” heavy action rods for some jigging action. Jigs were digging up moss so I leaned heavily on the finesse baits. Fan casting in all directions I finally get a heavy thump on the line.

The fish battles ferociously and leaps out of the water twice trying to spit the hook with a frantic headshake.  Each time I hold my breath fighting to keep the line from going slack and losing the fish. I had to adjust the drag back and forth a few times before finally getting the fish to the hand. Took the picture and let it go.

I throw a lot fancier stuff for fish here but a 5” senko, black\blue flake is what got ‘em on what pretty much ended up on a one bite-one fish run for me. Fished for another hour without so much as a nibble. By then all hell did indeed break loose and winds started gusting heavily in the 40-50mph range. A land hurricane took over the entire situation and most of the boats headed for shore. Docking the boat was a challenge and a few folks had to be towed in by stronger craft.

Right about now I wish that I would have taken a picture of the boat ramp with waves and whitewater. That would have really rounded this post out perfectly. Dang Nabbit.

My name is Matt and I’m a fishaholic.

Cabela's® Announces Opening Date of Thornton and Lone Tree, Colo., Stores

Cabela's Incorporated, the World's Foremost Outfitter® of hunting, fishing and outdoor gear, will celebrate the official grand opening of its two Denver-area locations – Thornton and Lone Tree – Thursday, Aug. 15.

Ribbon-cutting ceremonies hosted by Cabela's executives and special guests will begin at 10:45 a.m. at each location and doors will open for business at 11 a.m. Opening day will begin a weekend-long celebration featuring outdoor celebrities, events for the entire family, giveaways and more.

The Lone Tree store will be located in Douglas County south of Denver in the new RidgeGate Commons development along Interstate 25 at RidgeGate Parkway, about a mile south of Park Meadows Mall. The 110,000-square-foot store will employ approximately 200 full-time, part-time and seasonal employees.

The Thornton store will be located north of Denver in a new retail development along Interstate 25 at 144th Avenue. The new development will be located on the southeast quadrant of the interchange and is being developed by Thornton Development, LLC. The 90,000-square-foot store will employ approximately 175 full-time, part-time and seasonal employees.

The stores' interiors are built in Cabela's next-generation format designed to surround customers in the outdoor experience. The exteriors reflect Cabela's popular store model with log construction, stonework, wood siding, a large glass storefront and metal roofing.

In addition to thousands of quality outdoor products, the stores feature a gabled entry facade, fireplace, Gun Library, Bargain Cave, Fudge Shop and mountain replica featuring North American game animals re-created in their natural habitat.

http://www.cabelas.com/custserv/custserv.jsp?pageName=coloradopress

Photo credit link to Denver Post.

http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_20486022/cabelas-confirms-it-will-open-two-new-stores

Photos from the field-June 2013

Through my adventures photos are taken that never seem to make it into specific fish posts. So much of my fishing goes unseen or heard. Even though these pictures may not be ready for prime time fishing posts, I have found a way to fit them in an excerpt called “Photos from the field.”

Normally I have a few clever and not so clever captions to go along with the pictures. This time the photos will be posted without my captions and will let the viewers make up their own.

 

 

 

 

 

As we roll through the last lush spoonfuls of late spring I want to wish everyone a safe and joyous summer.

Good luck and good blogging.

 

Pennsylvania doctor, fishing guide rescue baby moose from southwestern Montana river

MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) -- A Pennsylvania doctor on a guided fishing trip in southwestern Montana went home with an amazing tale of hauling in a 25-pound lunker — a baby moose she helped rescue from a rushing river.

Karen Sciascia of Red Hill, Pa., and a guide were fishing the Big Hole River on Saturday when they spotted a cow moose with a calf trying to cross the waterway.

"We were watching this adult female struggling back and forth, and we didn't see a baby until we got close," Sciascia told the Missoulian (http://bit.ly/18RzCfb) for a story published Thursday. "Mom kept pushing — the current was pretty swift. The mother bolted and took off across the river. She was trying to get across the main portion of the channel, and even she struggled."

When the calf stepped off the gravel bar into the water to follow its mother, it was swept downstream.

"It was small, and the river was swift," Sciascia said. "We lost sight of the baby. It was hurtling downstream and was being pushed by the river. It was too small to ever fight the current."

Sciascia and guide Seth McLean with Four Rivers Fishing Co. in Twin Bridges followed downriver, finally spotting the tiny moose's nose just above the water.

"We got up alongside it, and I just grabbed the little bugger. I scooped it up from the river under its front legs," Sciascia said.

"I tried to hold it out, not wanting to get my scent all over it, but it was basically limp," she said. "It was breathing, and with my hand on its chest, I could feel its heart beating real fast."

McLean rowed the raft upstream and snapped a photo before they dropped off the calf at the side of the river.

Link to full article and amazing photo of Karen Sciascia with the baby moose below. Photo provided by the Four Rivers Fishing Co.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/doctor-guide-rescue-baby-moose-180559991.html