Keeping Those Pesky Weights in Check
Okay, let’s talk about something that bugs me – drop shot weights. You know the ones. Skinny things with that little pinch-on line clip. Great for fishing, absolute pain to store. They end up tangled in your box, rolling around, or vanish into thin air, seems like.
I got fed up with digging around for the right size or finding a bird’s nest of weights and line scraps. Needed something dead simple to keep ’em organized. Looked around the garage, thinking. Didn’t want to buy another fancy plastic thing I’d probably lose anyway.
Figuring Out a Plan
Saw an old empty medicine bottle, the plastic kind with a pop top. Pretty sturdy. Then spotted some leftover foam packing material from something I ordered. Lightbulb moment. Simple. Cheap. Practical. That’s my style.
So, here’s what I grabbed:
- An old plastic pill bottle (washed it out first, obviously)
- A chunk of dense foam – packing foam works, or even a piece from one of those foam kneeling pads
- A utility knife or sharp craft knife
Putting It Together
First thing, I measured the foam against the bottle. Needed a piece that would fit snugly inside, maybe a little tall so it pressed against the lid. Took the knife and carefully cut a chunk of foam. Didn’t need to be perfect, just roughly cylindrical or square-ish to fit inside the round bottle.
Next, I jammed the foam block down into the bottle. Had to wiggle it a bit, but got it seated right at the bottom. Made sure it was tight enough not to fall out easily.
Here’s the important bit: Took the knife again. Very carefully, I cut several slits into the top surface of the foam. Not too deep, maybe half an inch or so. Wide enough to push the top swivel or eyelet of the drop shot weight into, but tight enough to hold it.
I just eyeballed the spacing, making enough slits for a decent handful of weights. Pushed a few weights in to test. The foam gripped the little metal loop part pretty well.
The Result? Simple and It Works
And that’s basically it. Took maybe five minutes. Now I just push the top loop of my drop shot weights into the foam slits. They stand upright, neat and tidy. Close the pop top, toss it in my tackle bag. No more tangles, no more hunting around.
When I need one, I just pop the top, grab the weight I want by its body, and pull it out. The foam holds it securely but lets go when you pull. It ain’t fancy, but it does the job perfectly. Kept my weights sorted all last season. Sometimes the simple fixes are the best ones.
