Recreation

 

Brief relief from high temps came early in the week, but a warming cycle has us creeping back into the 100s again as we move towards the weekend. A pair of distant wildfires is burning placing a veil of heavy smoke over our lake and surrounding areas. Local media reports that smoke could affect air quality to unhealthy levels for some. With any luck, the winds will shift and blow the smoke out before the weekend. As for the fishing … most (but not all) would say it has been tough.

Experienced bass anglers report reasonably good success on jerk baits, some crank baits and spinner baits. It seems, according to most reports, that the bass want a fast moving bait. The fish are coming from depths of 15 to 20 feet to whack that fast-moving bait running in the 4 to 8 foot range. A couple of bass guys have reported having their premium bass lures mauled by aggressive catfish in the process.

Shore anglers are having a tough time finding water deep enough to be productive. Minnow fishermen are the exception to the rule as they are experiencing a surprisingly good bite on extra large minnows while fishing the drop offs and ledges near deep water.

The crappie bite is about as off as it gets. I’ve had one accidental angler (he was fishing for bass) tie into a couple of nice crappie over near the Rock Garden in Jago Bay. But most folks are not able to put together any sort of comprehensive crappie bite information. Bring on the cooler weather!

The catfish are out hunting for food like the bass are. Live minnows have accounted for some strong success. Others are fishing more traditional baits (clams, shrimp, mackerel and livers) in deeper water areas with varied success.

Five-year-old Jacob Johnson and his dad Carl of Sacramento nailed a 17.5 pound cat a Konocti Harbor Resort on a live minnow. Way to go guys!

Our next CatFest event is being planned for Saturday, Sept. 22. Stay tuned for more details in future weeks.

Bob Rider owns Lakeshore Bait & Tackle in Clearlake. Visit his Web site at www.994fish.com or call him at 994-FISH (3474).

{mos_sb_discuss:2}

Once again, I have made my way back to New York City, and thanks to a two-day press credential issued by the United States Tennis Association, I returned to the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows to bask in the glow of the opening day festivities of the US Open Tennis Tournament.

This year, kicking off the two-week marathon, the evening ceremony honored Althea Gibson with her induction into the US Open Court of Champions in celebration of the 50th anniversary of her historic title victory at the US National Championships.

Only three years after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in baseball, Althea became the first African American to do the same in the tennis world. It would take a few years, but in 1957, Althea was the first African American, male or female, to win a Grand Slam tournament in the United States. The tribute to this pioneering African American woman featured a rousing musical performance by the legendary Aretha Franklin.

Unlike other sporting events that focus on a single game at a time, the US Open offers more tennis matches than anyone could possibly absorb all at once. Day and night sessions occur at the Arthur Ashe Stadium, the primary venue that has assigned seating. Meanwhile, daytime matches occur at the Louis Armstrong Stadium and the Grandstand, two venues with a mix of assigned seating and first-come, first-served accommodations.

As if that is not enough, tennis matches were also taking place opening day on 12 additional courts that have only limited seating capacity.

Choices have to be made, and on this first day of tennis, I was joined by an old friend, a former college professor who has serious knowledge of the rules of tennis. Courtesy of CBS Sports, we had two tickets for the Arthur Ashe Stadium, but judiciously chose to move about other venues as well.

Now my friend was probably more annoyed than amused by my limited knowledge of tennis rules, and as if to underscore my ignorance, I purposely asked dumb questions. At a tennis match, you don’t ask who’s throwing out the first pitch and how many innings are played in one set. As a player rushes the net for a ball certain to drop low, one doesn’t yell “slide.” As a matter of fact, tennis is a game of decorum in which silence is golden during play.

One thing to keep in mind about the early rounds of the US Open tournament is that the top-seeded players face opponents who may be unranked and qualified for tournament play in a number of ways that I am unable to explain.

Roger Federer, the Swiss phenomenon, is ranked No. 1, and this year he is bidding to become the first man since Bill Tilden in 1923 to collect a fourth consecutive US Open Championship title. On opening day at Arthur Ashe, Federer breezed to three straight set wins over American Scoville Jenkins.

It was the most boring match of the day, as Federer hardly worked up a sweat. In fact, the only press that Federer generated on this day was by responding to a press conference question about Althea Gibson by saying “I don’t know what you are talking about.” Apparently his grasp of tennis history is confined to more recent times.

My friend wisely picked the match between young American John Isner, a wild card ranked at No. 192, and Jarkko Nieminen from Finland, ranked No. 26. This showdown was scheduled for the Louis Armstrong Stadium, where we were fortunate to grab a pair of unassigned seats.

The match was the towering upset of the day, in which the 22-year-old American, having played earlier this year for the University of Georgia, made a remarkable Grand Slam debut by toppling one of the game’s craftiest players with both power and panache.

Despite some bone-headed plays and questionable shot selections, the lanky Isner, standing 6 feet 9 inches, played a quality match with his powerful serve. On this day, the young American became the crowd favorite, and eventually he moved on to a third round shot at Roger Federer.

The Williams sisters, Venus and Serena, are also crowd favorites, so perhaps it was fitting that they would play in the featured matches of the opening night session, although obviously not against each other.

Venus, ranked No. 12, easily dispatched her Hungarian opponent, Kira Nagy, in two straight sets. Meanwhile, Serena, ranked No. 8, who has not played since Wimbledon due to injury, didn’t have as sharp an outing in this first round as her sister, having to work a bit harder to secure at 6-3, 7-5 victory over her German opponent, Angelique Kerber.

Given that the Althea Gibson ceremony kicked off the night session, it seemed only proper that the African American sisters would play the featured matches.

Another fan favorite is American player James Blake, currently ranked No. 6. He even has his own rooting section, known as the “J-Block,” where his fans sport the same type of headband Blake always wears.

In a rare matchup with a fellow American, Blake was a featured player on the second day at Arthur Ashe, beating Michael Russell after surviving two tense tiebreakers. Blake’s style of play is fun to watch, but he’s somewhat erratic and prone to mistakes that can prove costly.

With the possibility of spending an entire day at the US Open, it is no small matter that the best food concessions in sports are found in Flushing Meadows. Courtside box holders have access to filet mignon and crab cakes at the Aces restaurant. Regular folks can get a Maine lobster club sandwich and all sorts of international foods in more casual dining areas.

Just as the Kentucky Derby has its mint julep, the US Open is pushing its own signature cocktail, the Honey Deuce, a concoction put together by Grey Goose that blends vodka and lemonade with a float of Chambord raspberry liqueur. Sadly, two days is not enough time to sample all the great food and libations.

Tim Riley writes movie and television reviews for Lake County News.

{mos_sb_discuss:4}

WOODLAND – The antics started as soon as the rafts hit the water. Paddling frantically, many of the kids spun helplessly in circles or drifted sideways down-river. After a few tries, however, they had worked it out and were happily gliding towards the first set of rapids. For many of the teens this was their first time rafting, or indeed their first real experience with the wilder aspects of Mother Nature.

Since 2005, the Woodland-based environmental group Tuleyome has been organizing rafting trips on Cache Creek for underserved Yolo County teens. This year Tuleyome expanded the program partnering with the Collings West Sacramento Teen Center, Esparto After School RISE program, the Woodland YMCA and Woodland Youth Services to take over 160 teens rafting down Cache Creek.

“The rafting trips are fun. But they also give the teens practical lessons in leadership and team work. And, as importantly it gives them an opportunity to get away from the urban landscape and learn about the natural environment,” said Debra Chase, Tuleyome’s executive director. “When you look at these kids and see the joy on their faces you see our future conservationists, farmers and leaders. That’s why we do this, for their future,” she said.

After a safety and training talk the kids donned their life jackets, grabbed their paddles, launched their rafts and began the voyage.

A number quickly became stuck on rocks and boulders. The tips they learned during the training session paid off however, and everyone freed themselves and continued downriver.

By lunchtime everyone was all smiles and it was clear they were thoroughly enjoying the experience.

Trystan, a participant from the Esparto RISE program had the highest praise. “That was cool!” he said.

These trips would not be possible with out the support of community businesses and individuals. The Rumsey Community Fund, Woodland Healthcare Foundation, First Northern Bank, Stephen and Robin Souza, and Pat Conrad provided important funding. Two local rafting companies, Cache Canyon Rafting and White Water Adventures, discounted trip costs. And Woodland Raley’s supermarket and White Water Adventures provided lunches. Tuleyome volunteers boated with the kids contributing their time and expertise.

“Without the generous support of the Rumsey Community Fund and our local businesses and individuals, it simply wouldn’t be possible to run the teen rafting program,” Chase said. “We really appreciate their support.”

 

 

Of course, for the kids on the river, none of that mattered as they faced the biggest rapid of the day innocently named “Mother.” It is the only class three rapid located just downstream of the Highway 16 bridge.

Bob Schneider described it to the kids. “Go under the middle span of the bridge then stay on the far right side. There is a hard right, then left turn at the bottom before the large haystack waves. It is challenging, but your volunteer guides will be at the bottom to help if you need it.”

Meeting those outdoor challenges can make a big difference for kids. Dustin Pearson, one of the participants from the Woodland Youth Services, called it “one of the greatest adventures of my life.” He added, “This has made me want to try all sorts of new things.”

Tuleyome is already planning for next year providing opportunities for the underserved youth of Yolo County. They always are in need of experienced kayakers to volunteer as guides and mentors for theprogram, which generally runs from June through the middle of August. If you would like to help contact them at 530-350-2599 or log on to their Web site at www.tuleyome.org.

Tuleyome is a not-for-profit organization working in the Putah and Cache Creek watersheds to protect both our wild heritage and our agricultural heritage for future generations. More information can be found at www.tuleyome.org.

{mos_sb_discuss:2}