HOME SALES UP - PRICES HIGHER

On Wednesday, the Commerce Department reported that new home sales have jumped 27.1% over this time last year. On a month-to-month basis, September sales of new homes increased 5.7% over August to reach an annualized rate of 389,000 units, the highest level since April 2010 when sales were boosted by a first-time homebuyer tax credit.

In addition, the median price of a new home has risen 11.7% from a year ago. Overall, U.S. home prices have jumped 4.6%  compared to a year ago, the biggest increase in six years. Home prices are also up 0.3% from last month, topping six straight months of gain.

Sounds great, right? But, wait, there’s still more positive economic news:

• Consumer confidence, another key economic benchmark, is at its highest in 5 years. Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan’s October consumer sentiment index increased to 83.1, the peak level since before the Great recession started.
• Not only are sales and prices up, but Bloomberg reports that U.S. home values also increased 1.3% in Q3, the biggest gain since 2006.
• Builders are responding to the uptick in housing by breaking ground on single-family homes and apartments at the most rapid pace in four years. Home construction companies are also requesting the most building permits in four years, an indication of their confidence in housing recovery – and a sign that another unemployment drop might be around the corner. Each completed home creates an average of three jobs for a year and generates about $90,000 in tax revenue, according to the National Association of Home Builders.

BEAR RIVER JUNIOR BRUINS PLAYOFF SCHEDULE

The Bear River Junior Bruins will host four first round games on Saturday (Oct. 27, 2012) at Bear River High School, one of which is their own PeeWee team who will play the Division's top Seeded Franklin.

The day's action is listed below.

Game 1 - Junior PeeWee, game time 1:30 P.M.  Teams - Placer 3rd seed vs Capital Christian the 4th seed.

Game 2 - PeeWee, game time 3:30 P.M.  Teams - Franklin 1st seed vs Bear River the 2nd seed.

Game 3 - Junior Midget, game time 5:30 P.M.  Teams - Franklin 3rd seed vs Roseville the 4th seed.

Game 4 - Midget, game time 7:30 P.M.  Teams - Franklin 3rd seed vs Placer the 4th seed.

Good luck BR!

FALL BASEBALL TOURNAMENT PREDICTION

While there are five team entering into the Little League Fall Ball fall classic which begins tomorrow there are two clear standouts.

Bear River is a front runner while the Sierra Foothill team can not be counted out. Both will enter the post season tournament with only one regular season loss which was delivered by each other. BR and SF enter the contest with older and more experienced teams which will benefit their clubs as the games get tight.

The age limit for the Little League field (46 foot pitching rubber and 60 foot bases) is for players who will be no more than 12 prior to May 1st 2012. Which allows players to play in the Little League Division of Majors in the spring of 2013.

Players who are 13 or older by that same date should play in the Juniors division which plays on a full sized baseball field.

Nevada City, Grass Valley and Penn Valley leagues have been competitive with each other all season.

I see the older teams doing well as Saturday's final closes in with Sierra Foothill or Bear River winning in the end.

I will do my best to keep you up to date as to the results of the contests. Please contact me with results so we can share the excitement.

TORNADO VIDEO CLIP - GRASS VALLEY CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 2012

While many of us heard about the tornado which landed in the Lake of the Pines area of Grass Valley California, a local resident Erika Daley caught it on video.

The timing could not have been worse as the twister knocked out power to many homes which did not make San Francisco Giants fans, debate enthusiasts or Monday Night Football fans to happy.

LITTLE LEAGUE FALL BALL 2012 TOURNEY SCHEDULE

While the Tigers and Giants play in the MLB World Series, Grass Valley, Bear River, Nevada City, Sierra Foothill and Penn Valley's Little League Fall-Ball teams will participate in a double elimination post season tournament which also gets underway on Wednesday on a diamond near you.

The schedule is as follows...

Game 1 - 10/24 530 @ BR,  Nevada City vs Bear River
Game 2 - 10/24 530 @ PV, Sierra Foothill vs Penn Valley

Game 3 - 10/25 500 @ GV, Grass Valley vs Winner Game 1
Game 4 - 10/25 730 @ GV, Loser game 1 vs Loser game 2

Game 5 - 10/26 500 @ GV, Winner Game 2 vs Winner Game 3

Game 6 - 10/26 730 @ GV, Winner Game 4 vs Loser Game 3

Game 7 - 10/27 1200 @ GV, Winner Game 6 vs Loser Game 5
Game 8 - 10/27 300 @ GV, Winner Game 5 vs Winner Game 7

Game 9 - If Needed - TDB

LITTLE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT RULES APPLY WITH THE EXCEPTION OF MANDATORY PLAYING TIME. THAT INCLUDES PITCHING RULES.

MAGNOLIA 8TH GRADE WINS CHAMPIONSHIP

The 8th Grade Magnolia Lady Rattlers claimed the 2012 Nevada County Tournament Championship in a come from behind victory over the Lyman Gilmore Bombers 32-28. 

 After trailing by as much as 14 points early in the third quarter, the Rattlers turned up the heat defensively which turned into points on the offensive end. The Bombers were focused on stopping offensive leaders Ashley Albee and Summer Brown, but Grace Sypnicki, 6 points, Kaylee Guerra 6 points, and Kaity Nat, 5 points, stepped up big and knocked down key baskets throughout the game. 

 The Rattlers caught the Bombers with about 3 minutes to go in the game when Sypnicki knocked down 2 huge free throws and a key basket, followed by Guerra hitting the next clutch basket to provide the separation the Rattlers needed for the win. 

Vivian Hamilton played a big role providing energy and defense late in the game. Albee led the Rattler offense with 9 points, 3 of which were 4th quarter free throws and tough defense throughout the game. 

Brown scored six points and grabbed some key rebounds. Alyssa Pulkinghorn scored 2 points to round out the scoring. Other team members in the tournament championship drive were Claire Boller, Sarah Brennan, Katie Edie, Ellie McCrea, and Brittany Mouck.

YUBA FEATHER RIVERS ON THE RISE

Get ready, the fall rains are not that far off.

With the advent of the winter rains, all rivers begin to rise and head downhill to the ocean.

When a river’s CFS (cubic feet per second) flow is moving up, it is a great time to put your rain coat to the test.

You better move in quick or you may just miss the best opportunity to hook a nice steelhead.  Once the river is blown out (the river is too fast to fish)  you may need to wait weeks before the river begins to fall to a fishable level.

Here is a link to Dreamflows, where you can track your favorite river’s flow; http://www.dreamflows.com/.

I have found through trial and error, that steelhead feed more aggressively when its home begins to flood rather than wane.

When  I’m going to do some serious steelhead fishing, I look for rain. Not just a sprinkle, but a real hard gully washing rain. I prefer the first winter storm of the season, but the theory holds true most of the time.  When your favorite steelhead river is moving from low and clear to off color and rising, a few things happen.

Most larger food sources (larger bugs and small fish) are dislodged from cover (rocks or wood) and pushed out into the open by the ever increasing flow, thus creating easy opportunities for the rivers larger fish to attach.

The larger fish will not just move out into the open to feed just because it sees a dislodged meal. The Steelie needs the rain to break up the waters surface, thus creating a ceiling for which to hide from birds, bears and fisherman.

The off colored (dirty) river creates a lowered visibility which gives an advantage to the larger fish who can move about in the elevated current in search of food.

When a river is transitioning from slow to fast, the river’s flow is changing and many of the traditional holding areas will not hold fish. So you will need to step back and recall what the river’s edge looked like prior to it being engulfed. Look to fish the softest water (slower) with structure you can find.

You may need to visualize what the river looked like back in August; where were those large rocks that were sticking out of the water when the river was low or that group of willows that used to line the bank. A rivers structure will slow the water down a little when the current around it is moving quickly. The combination of slower water along with a hiding spot for bait fish is what steelhead as well as fisherman are looking for.

It is true that the rains bring new fish to the system as the rivers swell. This is the main reason many fisherman fish post rain. The term new fish also implies fresher fish, but I’m a catch and releases fisherman so it is irrelevant to me how fresh they are, I’m looking for a hook up.

If your goal is to get hooked up, fish the river as it is going up, not down. If you are not at the river’s edge and fishing within the first few hours of the hard rain, the water could become too fast and dirty, thus severely limiting your success.

The window of opportunity is very small, so make sure you check the weather often and go to Bass Pro Shops for a new rain coat, you will need it. This will ensure that you will at least stay dry as you watch the waters rise and become off color.

When fishing a rising river stay out of the water, and never underestimate it‘s power. As no fish is worth dying for.