Sports

Portola natives, Nick Gonzales (left) and Jimmy Reynolds sit around a small fire on the ice. The ice was more than 11 inches thick, making it a solid enough surface, even for a fire. Photo by Carolyn Carter

Carolyn Carter

  More than 160 adventurous people caught fish and a good time at John Pato Sr’s third-annual Ice Fishing Derby at Lake Davis on Saturday, Feb. 2.

  The derby required the competitors to brave the frozen lake in hopes of catching the lake’s largest trout.

  All of the proceeds from the tournament go to the American Cancer Society. Pato said his middle son and mother both suffered from cancer.

  “Its one of those things that affects everybody,” he said, “It really is a good cause.”

Triploid fish

  Question: A friend told me state Fish and Wildlife fish hatcheries are now producing and stocking triploid fish. Is this true?

—Anonymous

    Answer: Yes! These vivacious, catchable, sterilized rainbow trout are produced by California Department of Fish and Wildlife fish hatcheries. Triploid fish have an extra set of chromosomes (3N) as a result of pressure treatment, combined with carefully monitored temperature and time precision during egg fertilization. The resulting fish are sterile, making them a more ecologically sound option for recreational fishing in many waters across the state. The fish perform for anglers like a diploid (fertile) fish, many grow larger than the fertile diploids and they are increasingly being produced in other states for recreational stocking throughout the country.

    In fact, new legislation that went into effect Jan. 1 requires the CDFW to sterilize nearly all fish planted for recreational purposes. This sterilization practice has been in place for decades and requires no manipulation of the cell genomes — no genes are modified or transferred in this process. The carefully applied pressure during fertilization simply encourages the retention of an extra set of chromosomes normally in the egg but later discarded. Polyploidy (more than two sets of chromosomes) is common in the animal kingdom.

Quincy’s Keston Pilgrim and Portola’s Ricky Lowdermilk go toe to toe for the ball during the Jan. 22 showdown between the Trojans and the Tigers at Portola High School. The game had everyone in attendance on the edge of their seats as Portola staged a remarkable comeback to win the game. Photo by James Wilson

James Wilson

  Quincy’s basketball players thought they had the game in the bag. Quincy started hot and kept a lead through nearly the entire game. Portola’s tenacity overcame, however, and Portola’s boys team took down the Trojans 59-55 last Tuesday, Jan. 22.

  The two teams played twice this season before the last game; Portola won the first game and Quincy the second. The rivals hold nothing back whenever they face each other, which was apparent watching the game.

  Quincy’s offense started tougher than it has all season, scoring nine points before Portola made a single shot. Portola’s coach, Tim Brubaker, called a timeout to make some much-needed adjustments.

  “When we got down 9-0, I reminded my team there was a lot of ballgame left,” said Brubaker. “I told them to pick up the intensity defensively. The team worked hard and it paid off for us.”

Che Rubalcava-Cunan demonstrates his form while turning during the giant slalom races at Northstar on Jan. 21. Photo by Lisa Kelly

James Wilson

  The Quincy High School ski team returned to Northstar on Jan. 21 to compete in the team’s third set of races this season. With three races down, the team’s season is now halfway over.

  The race at Northstar marked the final giant slalom race. For the final half of the season the team’s forms will truly be tested with regular slalom racing.

  “It was a beautiful day at Northstar,” said Quincy’s coach, Katy Dyrr. “It was nice and warm and luckily we didn’t have any timing problems this time. It was a very smooth day.”