Frenzy News
Can we say “Chubbs” and “Slab” in the same sentence?
Jun 4th
This week Aaron “Chubbs” Peterson got his mug on Moldy Chum’s site with the honor of one of the June Slabs of the Month. No joke this fish was HUGE, one of the biggest fish ever caught in the 7 years of our Frenzy trip.
Greenback cutthroat found in Utah
May 1st
Greenback Cutthroat
Taken from KSL.com
MOAB, Utah (AP) — Utah wildlife officials have confirmed that there is a tiny population of rare greenback cutthroat trout in a small creek in the LaSal Mountains east of Moab.
Officials have issued an emergency fishing regulation to protect the fish. Greenback cutthroat are listed as threatened on the endangered species list and are managed as a protected fish.
This is the first time greenbacks have been discovered in Utah. They are genetically similar to Colorado River cutthroat, which have a historical range on the headwaters of the South Platte and Arkansas rivers in eastern Colorado.
“It is a bit of a mystery on how they got where they are. We will work to determine if they are native or were introduced at some point,” said Roger Wilson, sport fishing coordinator for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.
Wilson said the first goal is to protect the fish.
“We will try to protect them from intrusion from other fish and disease,” Wilson said. “We will then start a discussion on if we should expand the population and, if so, how we will go about it.”
Paul Birdsey, regional aquatics manager for the wildlife division’s southeastern region, said the fish are limited to a 1.2-mile stretch of Beaver Creek. Anglers who fish the creek are now restricted to artificial flies and lures only and must release any cutthroat they catch.
“It is hard to say exactly where the population begins,” Birdsey said. “We will be doing additional surveys to try and determine what barrier is on the creek that has kept them pure. We will then work with the Forest Service to reinforce that barrier.”
Dennis Shiozawa, an aquatic biologist at Brigham Young University, identified the samples taken from Beaver Creek as greenback cutthroat using mitochondrial DNA testing.
The greenback cutthroat were ruled extinct in 1937 but survey work discovered small, remote populations. They are Colorado’s state fish.
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All you smart people out there I pose this question to you. How did this happen? I want some theories.
Thanks MidCurrent
Apr 27th
Last week Chubbs attended the Idaho Fly Tying and Fishing Expo, took notes and did a quick write up about Jack Dennis’ top 20 places to fish in the Rockies before you die. On Sunday the popular website MidCurrent posted about Aaron’s write up from the expo. We wanted to express our appreciation to the MidCurrent crew for picking up the article.
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Canadian co-op buying Sportsman’s Warehouse
Feb 26th
Quick post/update of the Canadian Co-op buying Sportsman’s Warehouse.
ENJOY!
By JAN FALSTAD
Of The Billings Gazette Staff
A century-old cooperative in Calgary, Alberta, is attempting to buy the Sportsman’s Warehouse chain, including four Montana stores.
United Farmers of Alberta Cooperative Ltd., with more than 110,000 members, operates more than 35 farm and ranch supply stores and more than 120 fuel stations.
Recent wild price swings in farm and oil commodities, however, spurred the co-op to diversify. The company conducted a study of its members and found that many are outdoors enthusiasts.
“Farmers are our traditional customers, but they don’t just farm. They hunt, they fish and they camp, so this is a natural fit,” said Natalie Dawes, the co-op’s manager of corporate communications in Calgary.
She said the co-op is conducting due diligence on the Utah-based Sportsman’s Warehouse, and that effort is taking longer than expected. She wouldn’t say when the process to buy a majority of Sportsman’s Warehouse might be completed, and no purchase price was given.
A joint news release said the co-op’s annual revenues of $1.8 billion in 2007 would increase by $800 million with the acquisition of a majority interest in Sportsman’s Warehouse. And the Canadian cooperative made a significant, but undisclosed, cash injection into the retailer before the holiday shopping season.
Doug Mason, who manages the Billings store, which opened in August at 3676 Pierce Parkway on the West End, said he has no indicationthat his store will be affected by the sale.
That possibility was also brushed aside by senior vice president of Stores Jeremy Sage, who also works out of Billings. “There are no plans of closing this store or any stores in Montana. We’re moving forward with the deal with UFA,” Sage said.
Sage said the co-op is interested in buying 80 percent of Sportman’s Warehouse.
The U.S. chain employs 5,000 people at 67 stores in 38 states, including Montana, with stores in Billings, Bozeman, Missoula and Helena, and Wyoming, with a store in Casper.
Last July, the co-op branched into retail sporting goods by purchasing Calgary-based Wholesale Sports, which operates seven stores in Canada.
“We’re a rural retailer serving people who live and play in the country,” Dawes said.
In May, a chief competitor, Cabela’s, plans on opening its first Montana store in Billings off South Billings Boulevard. Sage said sales at the Billings store have been great and that his company competes directly with Cabela’s in several markets.
“For local employees, it won’t have any major effect on them other than to continue business as usual,” Sage said. “All the senior management will stay in place, and the daily operations will stay the same.”
