I was practicing my throwing the last week and did something i believe is a cardinal no-no... I stepped on the line after it went through my target crotch but still had some upward momentum... In the past I've thrown the weight a little too hard and it's gone sailing through my tree AND my neighbors tree... wanted to not let that happen again... this abrupt stop essentially sprung the weight in an off direction and it proceeded to wrap itself a small limb/twig a few times... No amount of anything I can try will get it down. Last time this happened to me (the first time i was trying to ever place a line), i was graced by the tree gods and the weight got untangled on its own... No luck this time around...

So for the past week or so (don't have another throw weight lying around) i was waiting and hoping that the weight would fall. After i got fed up waiting, i decided to look around for an alternative throw weight. I still had the other end of my 200' throw line available and might be able to place a line in a higher crotch so that I could go over (first limb walk?) and untangle my first mess...

I at first was going to just use a sock filled with rocks... but I wasn't too sure on a real good way to attach the throwline (couldn't find a missing pair sock... the first time ever... usually that's all i can find...) Then i just took 3 walmart bags, filled a corner with rocks (probably weighed about 1 lb), took a lil bit of paracord and double constrictor knotted the handles to form a loop. I attached this to the other end of my stuck throw line and was successfully able to hit my target crotch... The plastic bags broke on the way up from catching on the bark of the tree and started to spill rocks everywhere (had fun cleaning that up so that I wouldn't hit them with the lawn mower). This wasn't a great solution but it worked for what I needed it to do. Now that I have a line placed, I can actually go up there and get my first limb walk going (hopefully tonight if the timing works out).

What are some other things that others have used for a throw weight in a pinch? I'm thinking about having my wife (or maybe I'll learn how to) crochet up a small lil pouch out of some plastic yarn to make a homemade throw weight/ball...

After this lil circus, I've placed an order for another throw weight... having just one wasn't very helpful...

Some ham radio operators use a small water bottle as a throw weight to get their antennas into the trees. I have not tried this yet but I know for a fact that they are on the air every weekend in the park!

Benefits of this approach is you can vary the weight of the throw weight and you'll have an extra little source of drinking water (or other) too.

Bob

A potato has worked well for me.
-AJ

You will soon learn you need at least three bags and lines. The third one will be used to go retrieve the first two that get stuck.

Yeah, what bstewart said. Either that, or climb with somebody else who has three throwlines and weights!

+1 on that = been there, done that!

Dietley,
I got a throwline hung in a way I've never seen it happen before. The little girl next door want to 'help' me shoot my slingshoot. We got a good shot but the throw bag only came about half way down. So I did the usual flicking, pulling etc and it would not budge. I used another throwline and throw bag to reach a much lower and conservative setting, climbed up to there and pitched on up to where the throwline was hung.

In this case, the throw bag and line had gone over some upper limbs just fine and the throw bag had started down the other side, but somehow as the line trailed upward it doubled, wrapped around a limb, and the loop exactly fell over a nub on top of the limb. I've never seen anything like that before!

I've used 4 oz fishing weights and 0.062" weed eater line - that works pretty good. You can always use more than one weight if you need it. The 4 oz was the largest I could find around here.

I have Improvised with 4oz. fishing weights in the past they work pretty well. If you get the disc shaped ones they will also shoot well out of a slingshot.

Interesting.

I've only used the pear shaped weight with the metal ring at the top of the small end - they work really well.

Is there any river fishing in your area? If so you can get lead fishing weights up to 16oz. A friend of mine casts his own but 8oz is the biggest mold he has. I've got to save money where I can, and they work well enough I can't justify buying a "factory" throwball. Wish I could talk him into getting a 12oz or 14oz mold.

You mentioned your wife crocheting...if she's got a sewing machine...and you've got some 2" webbing: A $1.00 ring with some lead shot/pebbles/BB and you've got a DIY bag that gives up nothing to a "factory" ball.

I quit using the solid fishing weights once I got a couple of throw bags. I was always a uneasy that a solid weight could do some real harm if it came back and struck me. The 'soft' bags are bad enough to get hit with! Ask me how I know.

Ouch is right, i have been hit a couple of times by soft bags, once in the shoulder, once on the helmet, i would not want to take a hit from a solid lead weight. Besides that, and more critically for throwing success, the soft bags don't bounce as far when they hit tree parts, a hard surface weight is going to really bounce when it deflects off a limb or the trunk.
-AJ

I couldn't get her to make one for me, but she did force me to learn how to crochet (something about teaching a man to fish blah blah blah, i use that saying on her all the time regarding learning computer stuff.... so serves me right ) As a result, I actually did learn how to crochet from my wife this past weekend (only took 30 mins... it turns out that simple crocheting is very easy for a knothead like myself... )

I made something that more resembles a throwball than a throw weight... haven't filled it with gravel yet to try (too loose for bb shot, will have to try again tighter if this doesn't work out).



The misses was surprised that i was working without a 'plan' or diagram on how to make something and just free forming (though following stitch instructions on how to make a circle properly (circle, double each one, double every 2nd, double every 3rd, etc...) ) I'm not exactly the artistic type but apparently thats something that she's only seen artsy type people do...


I'll report back after I've had a chance to try it out I'll also post new pics once its full and has a loop at the top for attachment.