Welcome to another thrilling edition of Napa Outdoor News from Sweeney's Sports and Catch Happy!
We hope you're gearing up for an action-packed weekend filled with outdoor adventures. Or maybe you just want to spend a few hours picking through your fishing gear while watching football this Sunday. Either way, our weekly newsletter is your one-stop shop for all things outdoors in Napa and beyond.
New subscribers, welcome to the family! You're in for a treat with our treasure trove of outdoor information, delivered straight to your inbox. Each week, we'll bring you:
Local Fishing Reports: Stay ahead of the catch with up-to-date reports on the hottest fishing spots and techniques.
Detailed How-to Videos: Master new skills and refine your techniques with our in-depth video tutorials.
Special Offers on Cool Gear: Unleash your inner adventurer with our exclusive discounts on the latest outdoor gear.
Long-form Podcast Interviews with Experts: Gain insights from industry experts and seasoned outdoorsmen through our engaging podcast interviews.
Latest Outdoor and Gun Shop Product Reviews: Make informed decisions about your next outdoor purchase with our comprehensive product reviews.
New Lines and New Product Announcements: Stay on top of the latest trends and innovations in the outdoor industry.
Prizes and Giveaways: Get a chance to win exciting prizes and giveaways throughout the year.
What's New in the Shop?
Our Wild Thing Lures are back in stock! If you are trolling for stripers the Wild Thing will outfish any other lure you have 9 times out of 10. Collectively, we spent 100s of hours trolling for stripers and refining these over time. We ship our Wild Things all over the US and are getting great feedback from customers. Stop by the shop, get yours, and see what the buzz is all about.
Crab Season Update
The Bay Area is home to a variety of crab species, including Dungeness crab and rock crab. The recreational crab season for Dungeness crab is open from November 4, 2023 through July 30, 2024. The daily bag limit is 10 crab, and the minimum size limit is 5¾ inches. Recreational crabbing is not allowed from vessels licensed for commercial Dungeness crab fishing. Dungeness crab may not be taken from San Francisco or San Pablo bays.
Follow this link to read up on all current fishing regulations in San Francisco Region.
The season started strong with seemingly everyone limiting out in a matter of a few hours. We are fully stocked on everything you may need to fish for Dungeness Crab.
Crab snares are now back in stock!
Black Friday is Next Week!
We are gearing up for a BIG Black Friday Sale Event hosted on Friday, November 24th. Take a break from crowds on the best shopping day of the year and plan on stopping by your favorite outdoor shop for the best deals on your favorite gear.
Shop small, save huge. We'll share all of the sale details next week.
Sweeney's Sports Striper Derby
Sweeney's Sports Striper Derby will be hosted on December 15th, 16th, 17th, 2023.
$50 Registration per adult, $25 For children under 16. The top 3 fish by weight win the following (The minimum fish size to qualify for weigh-in is 22 inches).
-1st Place - 50% of the pot.
-2nd Place - 25% of the pot.
-3rd Place - 10% of the pot.
Official weight-ins will only be conducted at the shop (Sweeney's Sports, Napa, CA), at 4pm-5pm, on December, 15th, 16th, and 17th.
The minimum fish size to qualify for the tournament is 22 inches from nose to fork. All weigh-ins must be done no later than 5 pm on each day of the tournament during the shop's official weigh-in window (4-5pm). Please have your fishing license, picture ID, and registration confirmation at the time of weigh-in. The biggest fish will be announced daily, at 5:30pm.
Derby winners will be announced on Sunday, December 17th at 5:30pm. The registration fee isn't refundable or transferable. Must Register by December 10th.
Youtube Giveaway Winner Announcement
Congrats to @icysymphony18 for winning our Striper Bait Fishing setup and @mwsimmons79" for winning our Striper Trolling setup. Please come to the shop to claim your prizes.
Live Bait Update
While supplies last. Stock up early if you are fishing this weekend. If you need to brush up on best practices to keep your bait alive for 36 hours or more, watch this video.
- Live Ghost Shrimp
- Live Grass Shrimp
- Live Bullheads/Mudsuckers are likely to come in, but still waiting on confirmation from our supplier
- Medium, Large, and XL Minnows
Catch Happy On Youtube
Ready to reel in a good time? Dive into the world of fishing, adventures, and education with Catch Happy.
Subscribe now and let's make a splash in angler's paradise!
Fishing Reports
Lake Berryessa
Lake Berryessa has been slow since last week. The lake is in the process of turning over as the warmer water on the bottom is displacing colder water on top. There is an abundance of bait in the lake and we marked hundreds of fish, but could not get them to bite. Both trout and catfish weren't interested when we went fishing last Saturday. Most customers we spoke with didn't have much luck either. Have you been catching fish in Berryessa lately? Let us know by replying to this email.
Napa River
Striper
Click here for the detailed video on Napa River Striper lures, bait, and tactics.
The fish are everywhere in the river and it's just a matter of offering them what they are hungry for. Check out our last week's video on tips for striper fishing during incoming tide.
The Wild Thing deep-diving lure that we make here at Sweeny's is still the king of the hill. Followed closely by gold-colored Spro Akuru Shad and other mulity-colered Rat-L-Traps. You'll find a full variety on offer here at the shop. Trolling speeds around 3.5-3.8 GPS MPH worked the best.
Keep changing lures until you get bit. Turn around and troll the same spot again. The fish are typically dialed in on something different every day. The weather, tides, water color, bait fish behavior, wind, pressure, lunar cycle, and a dozen other factors shift constantly. That's why we never get tired of fishing the river. It's an ever-evolving puzzle with an abundance of options and action.
Bank fishermen are doing well with live grass shrimp, pile worms, and frozen anchovies. Use the Magic Thread to keep your bait on the hook.
Sturgeon
We are getting close to the Sturgeon season here on Napa River. As the water gets colder, they will push in from the bay to feed.
Use live Grass or Ghost Shrimp, Pile Worms, Salmon roe, or Eel threaded onto a barbless hook, wrapped with magic thread (twine), and terminated with a bait button.
It's important to keep your bait on the bottom with a 4-8 ounce pyramid sinker and, ideally, a weighted leader. We now make Custom Sturgeon Leaders here at the shop. Come and check them out. $5.99 apiece.
Gun Shop Specials
Weatherby Mark V Backcountry TI 2.0
Regular Price: $3,349. This Week's Sale Only: $2,997
- Guaranteed Sub-Moa Accuracy
- Overall Weight: 6.1 lbs
- Titanium Action/ Carbon Fiber Stock
- 9-Lug Bolt design for smooth lock-up
-TriggerTech Trigger provides zero creep break/ short over travel to ensure consistent
follow up shots
-Accubrake ST muzzle device reduces felt recoil by 53%
Uberti Hardin Schofield 45LC
Regular Price: $1,699. This Week's Sale Only: $1,497
- Case Hardened
- 7" barrel
- 1875 No. 3 2nd Model Top-Break (New Manufacture)
- 6 Shot Fluted
- Simulated Buffalo Horn Grips
Benelli Lupo 6.5 Creedmor 24" bbl
Regular Price: $1,599. This Week's Sale Only: $1,457
- Sub-Moa Accuracy
-Progressive Comfort System/ Patented Comtech Cheek Pad provides greater recoil reduction
- Adjustable trigger/ Ambi top safety
- Alloy Chassis
- Advanced Ergonomics and Adjustability out the box including two raised cheek pad styles, one optional length butt pad, and various shims to allow the stock to be set in one of 36 different positions to allow the rifle to fit exactly to the shooter's needs allowing better control and overall accuracy.
As always,
We truly appreciate every time you walk through our doors. Thank you for choosing to spend your hard-earned dollars with us. It's a privilege to be of service.
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