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Newport
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After crab mating ran rampant previously, the blueclaws finally started calming down, so catches picked up, said Linda from Beaver Dam Boat Rentals. She was going to post a warning sign about X-rated activity on the creek, she joked, and the crabs were paired everywhere. But customers finally started coming back with normal catches, a half-bushel per trip, more or less, for most. The full moon triggered the breeding, and now the new moon is coming Saturday, and that can cause more breeding and shedding. But this last moon seemed to inspire more of the breeding than usual, and during the moons, not all crabs breed or shed, and crabbing isn’t always affected so much. When they shed, they’re vulnerable and hide instead of eating. Beaver Dam will be open full-time throughout this Labor Day weekend, including on Monday, and will also remain open full-time, seven days a week afterward. Fall crabbing is excellent, and the sizes are large, because they’ve been shedding and therefore growing all season, and the waters are less crowded and are beautiful, including because of the migration of birds. That also creates a great experience for canoe and kayak renters from Beaver Dam, who usually use the vessels for sightseeing on Oranokin Creek, where the shop is located. Crabbers from the shop are towed up the creek on rental boats, and the staff checks on them every hour. But if customers want to take a break in the meantime, they simply call the shop, and the staff comes and gets them. Calling ahead to reserve the rental boats is a good idea. Linda also noted that deer-hunting kicks off with the fall bow season October 4, and Beaver Dam is a deer check-in station. It’s also a turkey check-in station in spring. The store is also going to start selling hunting licenses, including duck stamps; fishing licenses; and even shellfish licenses, which not every station is able to provide, probably by the end of September. Beaver Dam also caters to duck hunters, renting blinds along the creek. The first duck-hunting season is October 18 to November 1, and the second is November 15 to 18. During the first season, the blinds will be open when crabbers stop crabbing, so call the shop to find out when that will be, and that generally depends on the weather. But the blinds will be available the entire second season. Beaver Dam provides everything needed for crabbing, including trap sales and rentals, bait, crab spice, crab crackers, suntan lotion, drinks, snacks and ice cream.
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