Happy Thursday Friends,
The weekend is upon us and we have a lot to cover to help you get the most out of your next fishing trip.
Let's start with night fishing on Berryessa.
Last weekend we had an overnight fishing trip with the boys on Lake Berryessa. We were after catfish and carp. Here is a quick clip on how it went:
We parked and launched at Markley Cove and cast about looking for a nice fishy cove to nose in and spend the night. After metering around with the sonar for an hour or so, we settled on a small cove that opened up to a larger inlet. We marked a lot of fish there. The cove was tucked in from the wind, calm, and deep. We nosed in and secured the boat with an anchor dug into the bank. This way, we had the whole width of the cove open to fish. Casting 30-40ft from the boat gave us around 30ft of fishing depth. Perfect.
We ended up with a mix of species, including 4 catfish, 1 slab of a bluegill, and multiple largemouth bass. The best bait was garlic-marinated chicken liver, worms, and a cornmeal-based custom dough mix that my friend Vlad perfected. Unfortunately, it's still a bit too cold for carp to become active. I was really hoping to fight giant carp, but we'll have to wait for the water temperature to get closer to 70 degrees. Maybe another week or two.
Apparently, Catch Happy HQ (North River Seahawk 20ft) sleeps 3 fairly comfortably.
Throughout the night we were constantly interrupted by bite bells going off and ended up boating 4 catfish during the night. It was very cold at night. Even fully dressed and wrapped in a sleeping bag, I felt the cold creeping in. Bring a thick sleeping pad if you are doing this in April/May. You are welcome :)
Next, we dive into a brand-new product.
I met Kawika, founder of Katch Hook Keeper during a Sacramento fishing show a few months back and have been using his innovative hook keeper product on a couple of my rods since.
I liked this gizmo so much, that I've decided to outfit all my rods and bring it to the shop and our online store. This simple and inexpensive product will make your fishing adventures more enjoyable. Here is how.
Watch the full review:
Grab one for yourself. Once you use it on one of your rods, you'll want it on all your rods.
The trolling season is here.
It's prime time to start chasing both striper and trout. Dust off your trolling rig and let's get after it.
If you are trolling for trout, king salmon (landlocked), and kokanee salmon you owe it to yourself to use the best downrigger release on the market. Conventional releases are extremely frustrating. You either get constant fake strikes or your release is so tight that you end up missing bites. Either way, you are wasting too much time and energy fighting your downrigger release instead of fish.
I've been using Chamberlain Releases for over 2 years. Recently, one of them broke, as the downrigger ball accidentally rolled over it. I ended up using conventional release on one of my downriggers. It was a frustrating experience and I immediately started looking for a replacement Chamberlain. I reached out directly to Chamberlain Releases and met Keith, who is the company owner and inventor of the product.
We ended up sitting down for a quick dive into his downrigger technology and I brought the product to Sweeney's Sports and CatchHappy.co
Let's Go Fishing
Need help with equipment and lures for striper trolling?
Let's start with our custom rod/reel/line kits.
Remember, you can use these Striper Trolling Kits for Halibut, Steelhead, and Salmon fishing as well. Support our work and buy online. Our prices are great and we are always willing to help with advice and education.
Best:
Budget-Friendly:
Striper Trolling Lures
We have a huge selection of the best striper trolling lures on the market today. Click below to find your next favorite striper trolling lure:
Live Bait and Bank Fishing Combo
Buy online or visit our shop in Napa to get custom outfitted for your next trip.
Catch Happy!
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