3D Printing Rod Repairs, Showroom Reveal & the Return of Live Minnows
- alexosen
- Oct 16
- 3 min read
Updated: Oct 16
Hello friends,
In this edition, we'll be covering:
3D-Printing a Fix for Missing Rod Inserts - Want to Test It Yourself? (Free)
Check Out Our New Showroom!
Live Minnows Strike Again — How to Catch Stripers the Old-School Way
Sell us Your Used Fishing Gear
3D-Printing a Fix for Missing Rod Inserts
What do you do when one of your rod guides loses its insert? Most people set the rod aside in hopes that they will have time to track down and glue the missing insert eventually. The rod ends up sitting and collecting dust.
We had to turn away a lot of you looking for this type of repair over the years.
Until now.
We decided to experiment with custom 3D printing the inserts in hopes we can easily and economically fix the rod for you.
If you must know how we did it, watch the video:
The result? A smooth-spinning, secure insert that looks and performs like the real deal. The fit was tight, the line glided cleanly, and the layered surface even helped the parts grip each other naturally.
Want to Test It Yourself? (Free)
We’re looking for 3 anglers who fish multiple times per week willing to test our 3D-printed rod ring inserts and report back. If your rod is missing an insert and you’d like a free experimental fix, reply to this email or stop by the shop and drop off your rod.
Check Out Our New Showroom!
As a small business, we wear a lot of hats — and sometimes, that means rolling up our sleeves and doing the work ourselves. This month, we finally took on something that’s been sitting on our to-do list for over a year: remodeling our front showroom to showcase Salty Crew and Mr. Sweeney's premium apparel.
What started as a cluttered “we’ll-deal-with-it-later” corner is now a clean, open, and organized space built completely in-house — patched, sanded, painted, and merchandised by our team.
Live Minnows Strike Again — How to Catch Stripers the Old-School Way
When the tides slow down and the bite gets finicky, there’s one bait that still gets the job done: live minnows.
In our latest Mr. Sweeney’s video, we hit the water to show exactly how we rig and fish them for striped bass — Napa River style.
Here’s the setup we use:
Main line going into a 3-way swivel. 18 Inch Leader with Gamakatsu wire hook (Fluorocarbon 25 lbs) for the minnow, and 12 inch (12 lbs mono line) leader to the 3oz ball. Live Minnow (XL from Sweeney’s Sports)
Essentially a modified Halibut rig.
Drop your rig straight down, let the bait do the work, and hold tight. We’ve found that staying anchored in one productive zone often beats drifting — stripers tend to cycle back through the same channel edges.
This trip proved it again: three solid fish in the boat and a few break-offs that kept things exciting. The hits were clean, the fight was strong, and nothing beats seeing that rod tip bounce when a striper takes off.
Give Your Unused Fishing Gear a Second Cast
Got rods, reels, or tackle collecting dust? Bring them to Sweeney’s Sports and turn them into store credit or cash!
Our Second Cast Program helps local anglers recycle quality gear so someone else can keep it on the water — not in the garage. Clean out your tackle box, drop by the shop, and we’ll make you an offer.
🎣 Trade it → Upgrade it → Catch Happy.
Stop by this week and give your old gear a second cast!
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.
