How is your week going?
It is a mixed bag for us here at the shop.
Late Sunday night we had a break-in attempt by an individual who attempted to break our gun shop door with a rock. Over the last few months, this person kept coming into the shop with a large backpack, disrupting our operation as we had to watch him and put up with his extremely unpleasant odor. He would spend 30 minutes plus in the shop at a time and we put up with it, being polite and tolerant.
As a token of gratitude, he and his lookouts decided to break our window and attempt to rob us at night, when seemingly no one was watching.
Wrong move.
Napa Police are the finest. The suspect was arrested the next morning and he is in custody. We applaud Napa Police for their amazing work protecting local businesses. Thank you!
Now it's up to the courts to hold the line.
It's hard enough to run a small business these days. The financial and emotional burden of dealing with thuggish drug addicts and transients looking to steal and rob businesses is becoming a serious problem.
Hopefully, this person won't bother anyone else for a long while.
Moving on to good news.
Our team worked hard this week to receive and merchandise a few giant orders of lures, rods, combos, and other fishing gear. You'll see our pegs and rod racks full of the products that are proven to work here locally.
Waterfowl Update
Many of you have been asking for hunting and fishing waders. We are expecting a large shipment of Caddis and Waterfowl Wading Systems waders next week. We've carried this brand for years and their products proved to be a great value at a very reasonable price. Stay tuned for an update on Facebook/Instagram and next week's newsletter.
Ammo in stock today:
Winchester 12ga 3” 1-1/8oz #3
Winchester 12ga 3” 1-1/8oz #2
We also have your Federal Duck Stamps here at the shop (while supplies last).
September Best Catch Contest Winner
You've voted on Instagram and the winner emerged.
Congratulations to: Isiah West
Nice catch! Please come in and collect your well-earned $30 Gift Card.
Show off your catches as we are renewing the contest for October. Tag your Instagram catch pictures @sweeneys_sports for a chance to win bragging rights and a $30 Sweeney's gift card.
Live Bait in Stock
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.
Today we have
- Live Grass Shrimp
- Live Bullheads
- Live Mudsuckers
- Medium, Large, and XL Minnows
Pile worms are coming in on Friday.
New Classes on the Menu
Learn to fish for Bass.
Fishing Reports
Lake Berryessa
Lake Berryessa continues to be on fire when it comes to the trout bite. But don't take our word for it, here is what our customers Carlos and James had to say:
"On September 22nd, my nephew and I fished at Lake Berryessa and caught two limits of trout. We got the fishing information from one of your staff members, who told us what lures to use and the approximate depth to fish at. He was correct, and we had a great time. The biggest fish was 20 inches. Thanks for the information, Carlos and James."
Way to go guys! Thank you kindly for writing back and sharing your success with us.
We now stock a complete line of Speedy Shiners and Optimizer lures that work so well on Berryessa trout.
The one key ingredient to your success on Lake Berryessa is to be on the water at first light. The bite is really good until around 8am, and then it slows down considerably. You can still find the trout, but you'll have to cover a lot water.
In terms of where to fish, look for the bait balls in the deepest parts of the lake and start fishing. These bait balls are full of plankton and threadfin shad. They will show up on your sonar as a line with a fairly dense composition about 35-40 ft deep and around 3-5ft thick.
Watch the video for detailed instructions. The trout swims in and out of these bait balls to feed. Troll fairly fast through them using speedy shiners and watch your rods bend.
Napa River
I went out with a couple of buddies to troll Napa River Saturday morning. We launched around 8am on the slack-to-incoming tide. The bite didn't open up on the slack, but once the incoming flows intensified, we started getting bites trolling the sloughs AGAINST the tide using red and cold pattern Rat-L-Traps and the Wild Things we custom make here at the shop. We ended up going 2 for 5 in 3 hours with a 17" and 22" boated. Trolling at 4.8-4.5 GPS MPH against the tide produced all of our bites on the day.
It was a quick, fun, and productive morning trip. We marked a lot of fish stationed outside the cuts and at slough's mouths. Our first bit was inside the slough, the second a few minutes trolling past the exit to the main channel.
I can't wait to go night fishing on the river using live bait.
Up for a 4-day Tuna trip in Socal starting this Sunday?
Up for a 4-day SocCall Tuna next week? This post is on behalf of our friend Brian Lowery.
Available due to 2 cancellations! A 4-day tuna trip on the Vagabond. Leaves this Sunday 10/8 out of Point Loma in San Diego. Reservations for processing have already been made. The cost is $1,850, which includes all meals and non-alcoholic drinks. Fishing has been great! Contact Brian for more details. 707-287-2328. A California fishing license and passport are needed.
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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