Cup reuse idea #2: Leader and tippet garbage keeper

[caption id="attachment_894" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Final Product: A Sole Spikes cup leader keeper"][/caption] For all of the beauty of fly fishing, there is also a darker side to the sport like invasive species transport, river access conflicts, and one you might not think of, litter. It seems that many anglers just assume that their trashed leaders and excess tippet material will just disappear in the water, but the reality is that it is quite a nuisance for the ecosystem as a whole. One problem you encounter is just where are you going to store the leader/tippet once it is tangled beyond recognition. Wrapping it in a wad and storing it in your vest is messy and a pain. Enter this quick and easy do it yourself project. In fact there are multiple options for creating a leader receptacle from you Sole Spikes™ cup. The idea here is to create a useful tool for you in a few easy steps without requiring materials you wouldn't likely have readily available. The other cool thing about this project is there are 3 or four versions that would work depending on how much time you want to spend, but even the longest one only take about 5-10 minutes of actual hands on working time. So with that said here is what you are going to need:

• 1 empty Sole Spikes™ cup
• 1 - 10oz plastic disposable drinking cup (optional)
• 1 wide elastic or silicone band (optional)
• A drill with a smaller drill bit (I used 11/64") (optional)
• Urethane glue (Gorilla glue or other)
• A ruler and a permanent marker (optional)
• Scissors or box cutter (options)

Here is a play-by-play (see the gallery below):

1. A Sole Spikes™ cup could be used as is to hold your leader trash, but then that wouldn't be any fun and wading your leader up and stuffing it in the cup might get to be a hassle as it gets full over time (so that is your first easy out)
2. Next open your Sole Spikes™ cup and hold the base of the cup in hand. Drill 3-4 equidistant (approximately) holes around the base of the cup and clean up the shavings (here is your next easy out, you can just stop here and feed your leader through the holes, but it is kind of a pain as it has a tendency to fall out if you aren't careful)
3. Take your plastic drinking cup and mark a line around outside of cup up from the base slightly shorter than 3/4"
4. Use your scissors or box cutter to cut off the base of the disposable drinking cup so you end up with a little short cup
5. Again using your scissors, cut vertical lines from the newly cut cup base around the cup about 1/8 - 1/4" apart
6. Glue the disposable cup base to inside of the lid of the Sole Spikes™ cup like so
7. Let it sit for the recommended glue curing time and then put the Sole Spikes™ cup back together and place the rubber/silicone band around the rim of the Sole Spikes lid to add grip
8. That's it.

To use it simple thread one end of your trashed leader into a hole on the side of the Sole Spikes™ cup so that it catches in a one of the vertical slot in the inner cup. Twist the lid opposite from the base and watch the leader get magically sucked into the cup and neatly wound around the drinking cup. I hope it works for you. Enjoy! [gallery link="file" columns="4"]