Jim Bithell from Brookings holds a nice 16-pound steelhead he caught while plunking a Spin-N-Go on the Chetco Tuesday. The Pilot/Larry Ellis

Last Tuesday, Jim Bithell from Charthouse Sportfishing was plunking a Spin-N-Glo upriver from Social Security Bar when a 16-pound chrome-bright steelhead hammered his winged bobber on its way up the Chetco River. I have no doubt that it weighed every bit of 16 pounds. Here’s why.

Jim is not stiff-arming the fish, a deceptive trick where a photographer asks the fish-holder to hold a fish out as far as he can in order to make the fish look larger than it actually is.

The dead giveaway of a stiff-armed pose is when a person’s knuckles look larger than his head.

Junior Chandler Dodd, 22, rises to the challenge and blocks the shot as senior Cade Freels attempts a layup during the boys basketball Blue and Gold game on Monday night. The Pilot/Jef Hatch

It all begins Thursday. The hopes, the dreams, the desires and the goals will begin to become reality as the winter sports season begins Thursday afternoon. A wrestling match at Illinois Valley for the BHHS grapplers and the opening games of the Yreka basketball tournament for the boys and girls basketball teams will show whether all the pre-season hard work will pay off.

Rich Heap from Oregon South Coast Fishermen takes scale samples from one of many spent Chinook carcass that he, Ken Range and Larry Ellis searched for in the upper Chetco last Friday. Scale sampling and other data provide invaluable data to ODFW about age class, gender and origin that could result in an additional 50,000 summer Chinook smolts that may eventually be released in the Chetco. The Pilot/Larry Ellis

I was looking for a catchy phrase that would encapsulate all things water-ish, a heading that would cover fishing opportunities in freshwater lakes and rivers, as well as the numerous saltwater fishing challenges that deep-sea buffs have available to them.

Far West League All-League award recipients are from left: Hannah Baron, Karlie Gonzalez, Crystal Rodriguez, Brenna Clarke and Sonja Haro. (not pictured: Gemma Cowan and Iva Hart.) The Pilot/Jef Hatch

The grass will finally have a chance to grow on the soccer and football fields – where it had been team-trampled into near death – now that the fall sports season has ended.

With the end of the season comes awards and the Far West League (FWL) has released their list of All-League award winners for the 2012 fall sports season.

Don Waler of Eugene was fishing the Chetco on Wednesday with Joe Whaley of Joe Whaley’s Guide Service when he caught this 44-pound, 4-ounce Chinook. The Pilot/Larry Ellis

Fishing report for November 9-15

November has typically been a classic month for catching the last of the fresh incoming Chinook on the Chetco – always has, and always will be. But this month has got a lot of people scratching their heads.

Last week’s fishing was considered to be a little on the slow side, but knowing that the second and third weeks of November can often offer lights-out fishing, I still remain optimistic for a late run of kings. My reasoning has to do with this week’s weather forecast. But for now, let’s step back and take a look at last week’s action.

Brookings resident Marianne Anderson Padilla intently focused on keeping one foot on the ground at all times and keeping form while racewalking 1,500 meters and 5,000 meters in October at the 2012 Huntsman World Senior Games. 

Her efforts paid off: shortly after completing the 5,000, Padilla, 62, was informed that she had won the bronze medal in her age division, 60-64. 

“You have got to be kidding me! I was shocked,” Padilla said. “I had just wanted to finish.”

Members of Brookings-Harbor High School and Azalea Middle School basketball programs clean the bleachers in the CFCU Pavilion. The Pilot/Jef Hatch

“The general idea is this year we had Monday off from school and we had the opportunity to do something fun for the kids,” Schofield said. “Something different. Something to get the parents and community involved.”