Pole

Hello fellow anglers: I hope your Thanksgiving was a grand memory. I spent my Thanksgiving day, fishing in the morning and enjoying family the rest of the day.

I do have a special early Christmas present for you all later in this report.
But first I would like to say thank you, to all the anglers that have called the Naw line or have shared their fishing adventures over this last year. I hope I have answered all your questions, and as well you have educated me.

We all like to brag about our fishing adventures.

This is my annual reminder that November 18 is a very significant date in the lives of some 4,212 hardy Alaskans (as of the 2010 census).

Those folks live in a unique location known as Barrow, Alaska, which is the northernmost community in the United States.

It is located in the Far North, on the edge of the Arctic Ocean, about 320 miles north of the Arctic Circle, and roughly about 1,300 miles south of the North Pole.

On November 18, the sun sets below the horizon at Barrow and it will not peek back up over the horizon until January 23 (weather permitting).

It’s a proven hot ticket to catch a ride from Carson City to the North Pole. For the third year, The Polar Express train aboard the historic Virginia & Truckee Railroad has sold out. More than 16,000 passengers secured tickets on the Christmas season-flavored, children's story-inspired holiday passenger train.

Even with the addition of 18 more trains representing 6,500 seats over last year’s 10,000-plus capacity, a 66 percent increase, the train’s popularity continues to grow, V&T officials note.

With the holiday season just weeks away, THE POLAR EXPRESS train is cannonballing down the fast track, with nearly all tickets aboard the historic Virginia and Truckee Railroad sold out.

Hello fellow anglers. I would like to start out by telling you of a friend of mine. I started writing this column in 1992. I had my many sources of information from local law enforcement to departments of fish and game in the two states that I wrote about.

The most influential and most informative was Dave Zellmer from the Alpine County Fish and Game Commission.

Here is this week's fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in Nevada, Northern California and the Sierra. This report is for the week of Oct. 9. Go here for Doug Busey's latest fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in and around Carson City and Lake Tahoe.

ALMANOR LAKE, CALIF:
Shasta Cascade Wonderland Association (530-365-7500) (www.shastacascade.com) reports:

V&T Railway's Candy Duncan is this week's guest on It's Your City. Candy discusses the train from Carson City to Virginia City that has hosted more than 10,000 rides this season. She also discusses the popular Polar Express trains set to fire up during the holiday season. Candy is joined by a special guest from the North Pole. For tickets go to www.vtrailway.com.

Enjoy a wondrous evening under the stars with our friends from Great Basin National Park as they host the Star Train at Nevada Northern Railway, Saturday, Sept. 28 at 7 p.m.

There will be a trivia contest on board with prizes for those with their thinking caps on. Passengers will be let off the train in order to gaze through telescopes at the night sky, guided by the Dark Rangers of Great Basin National Park. This is a great train ride that the whole family can enjoy.

Returning with more rides and seat options for its third season after two consecutive years of sold-out tours, tickets to the Carson City Polar Express aboard the historic Virginia and Truckee Railroad are on sale now for the 2013 holiday season.

With just 30 trains in the U.S. that travel to the North Pole, the Polar Express aboard the historic Virginia & Truckee Railroad has captured the hearts, minds and imaginations of children, their parents and grandparents making the train tour into a holiday tradition for Carson City area families.

Last week, I wrote about our visit to the remote Ookpik Wilderness Lodge on Babine Lake in British Columbia.
This week, I would like to offer a suggestion for taking a 2014 vacation trip beginning in Smithers, British Columbia, traveling to Watson Lake in the Yukon and returning to Smithers.

It will basically replicate the trip we took, after our return to Smithers from staying at the Ookpik Wilderness Lodge. If you are interested and if you have the vacation time, you might want to consider a 2014 Canadian vacation trip.

A 50-year-old Carson City man, who hid from authorities in an attic, was arrested Sunday and faces a felony domestic battery charge with strangulation. William Elliott was arrested in the 1500 block of Rand at 7:26 p.m.

According to the arrest report officers responded to the Rand address for a report of a man brandishing a gun and possibly domestic battery. Officers spoke with the victim who stated she walked into her home and the locks were changed.

A Carson City woman faces misdemeanor charges of driving under the influence and failure to maintain a single lane of traffic after an accident on Thursday night in which her vehicle hit a light pole in the 3700 block of North Carson Street.

The 64-year-old woman, a state employee, told officers she had not been drinking but then admitted to one drink at a local bar and restaurant. Officers report the woman had blood on her face and chest. She declined medical attention after an evaluation by Carson City Fire Department personnel.

A Carson City man was arrested and faces charges including domestic battery and gross misdemeanor child abuse after using a pillow to repeatedly beat on his girlfriend in which their baby also sustained a bruise to the face, authorities said.

Miguel Angel Paredes, 23, was arrested at 4:08 a.m. Saturday in the 2000 block of Lone Mountain Drive. He faces a gross misdemeanor charge of abuse or neglect of a child, two misdemeanor charges of domestic battery and a misdemeanor charge of obstructing an officer.

A 20-year-old Carson City man was jailed Tuesday and faces statutory sexual seduction and failure to appear charges. Jose Alberto Garcia-Perez was booked into the Carson City Jail after being transported by law officials in Las Vegas.

A warrant was issued for the statutory sexual seduction charge, a gross misdemeanor, on April 5 out of Carson City Justice Court while the failure to appear warrant was issued June 24. He is being held without bail on the failure to appear charge, and $5,000 bail for the other charge.
In other arrests:

A distracted driver ran into a power pole, knocking out power to two buildings and some sections of streets Saturday morning in Carson City.
According to the Carson City Sheriffs Office, the accident happened at 5th Street and Allouette Way in Carson City.

by NATASHA VITALE

A Nevada Assembly committee supported banning most “horse tripping” for sport, entertainment, or practice Thursday, sending a bill to the full Assembly.

State Senate Bill 72 was one of many bills prohibiting animal cruelty that were discussed in the Assembly Committee on Natural Resources on Thursday. It bans horse tripping unless it is part of an event that is allowed by the local government.

The bill passed the committee by a vote of 10-2, with Assemblymen Ira Hansen, R-Sparks, and John Ellison, R-Elko, opposing the bill.

A Carson City man was taken by CareFlight to Renown Medical Center in Reno after the truck he was driving hit a power pole Saturday afternoon at the corner of Musser and Minnesota streets.

The condition of the man is unknown at this time. No other injuries were reported. The accident happened shortly before 4 p.m. The driver was conscious at the time he was taken by ambulance to the former Carson Tahoe Hospital site a few blocks from the accident scene where he was picked up by air ambulance.

The cause of the accident is unknown at this time.

The Carson City Sheriff’s Honor Guard and Chaplain dedicated a new flag pole at the administrative complex on Wednesday. The ceremony kicked off a second presentation where three deputies were awarded the “Life Saving Medal” for assertive medical actions resulting in the saving of a life. Deputy Matt Putzer, John Hitch, and Chris Ramos all received medals for their service. The ceremony was concluded as Deputy Bill Richards was promoted to the rank of Sergeant.

UPDATED 6:22PM: High winds blowing into Carson City knocked down trees and cut power Wednesday to several places throughout town, including Carson Middle School where a downed line started a small brush fire.

With the bitter January cold weather in the Sierra behind us, we do have plenty of water frozen on our creeks, streams, rivers, ponds, lakes and reservoirs. And that ice covering provides an excellent opportunity to catch fish.
Ice fishing is a unique sport that requires a whole different set of fishing techniques, gear and clothing, as opposed to lazy fishing on a warm, drowsy day in the middle of the summer. So, if you’ve never tried fishing through the ice, here’s some information that should be more than enough to get you “hooked” on this winter sport:

In his classic essay, entitled The Paranoid Style in American Politics, Richard Hofstadler, succinctly stated the following:“We are all sufferers from history, but the paranoid is a double sufferer, since he is afflicted not only by the real world, with the rest of us, but by his fantasies as well.”

It’s turning out to be one of those winters that isn’t very mountain bike friendly. Freezing temperatures are keeping the roads icy in town, and there is bicycle-stopping deep snow in the nearby mountains. Thankfully there is another way to enjoy our local trails if you’re willing to let go of the handlebars and grab some poles.

As I have done for many years, my last article of the current year is to present the Annual Don Q Awards for a number of different reasons.

Those reasons include such assorted things as: Outstanding, memorable, good, not so good, questionable, bad, serious, funny, dumb, head-scratching, are-you-kidding, etc.

Those annual awards are presented to all kinds of people or places or things for what has occurred throughout the year. It’s a fun way to end the year for yours truly, so without further ado, here are my 2012 winners:

The 2012 Polar Express train aboard the historic V&T Railway in Carson City has sold all of its tickets, officials said. The all-ages train ride is set for 15 different dates, Nov. 23 through Dec. 23. The V&T officially sold all 10,794 of its tickets as of Thursday, said Candy Duncan, executive director of the Carson City Convention and Visitors Bureau.

“All Aboard!” for your chance to win four tickets for your family (or friends) on the Polar Express Tuesday, Nov. 20. Enter by 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 16.

Weeks away, the 2012 Polar Express train is on the fast track Carson City countdown, with 80 percent of the coach class and nearly 99 percent of the VIP Parlor Car tickets sold. This time last year, 39 percent of tickets had been purchased.

Pre-sale tickets for the popular 2012 Polar Express™ train aboard the historic Virginia & Truckee Railroad are now available. Be sure to purchase your tickets now to this officially licensed event, as last year's 7,500 Polar Express sold out before the inaugural ride.

Aspiring young actors have two audition opportunities in Carson City and one in South Lake Tahoe beginning this weekend.

It was a night of yellow flags, red flags, restarts, darkness, and fantastic racing at Fernley 95A Speedway on Saturday, August 18. Eighty-five entries in six racing divisions were on hand, plus eight Outlaw Karts.

On Thursday morning, July 12, I went fishing at Lake Tahoe for Mackinaw (Lake) Trout with two friends, Rob Boehmer and Thomas Strong, both of whom live in Carson City.
Boehmer had booked a trip with my longtime good friend and sport fishing guide, Gene St. Denis (“Gino”) of Blue Ribbon Charters (530-544-6552) at South Lake Tahoe, Calif.
Boehmer called me several days prior to July 12 and asked if I would like to accompany him and Strong on their fishing trip with Gino.