split shot

noun

plural split shot

: a small ball-shaped sinker of malleable metal having a slit for the insertion of a fishing line

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Add a few split shot above the hook and a piece of garden worm and get after it. —Joe Cermele, Field & Stream, 20 Feb. 2023

Very productive is a stick float, a leader that will allow bait to tickle the rocky river bottom, split shot or a 1/64- or 1/32-ounce jig and small spawn bags made with pink, chartreuse, orange, white or yellow mesh. —D'arcy Egan, cleveland, 2 Dec. 2022

There’s a flip-out pocket sewn into the bib that can hold spools of tippet, a bag of split shot, and even a retractor to leash a hemostat. —Kelly Bastone, Outside Online, 7 Sep. 2018

An extra split shot or two can help with casting distance and pulling the rigs through the slip float. —Bill May, Baltimore Sun, 7 Nov. 2022

Attached to the fishing line is a buoy, which helps an angler know when a fish is nibbling; a split shot weight, which helps adjust the water depth of the fly; then the fly itself, independent of the other two parts. —New York Times, 10 Nov. 2021

Make sure baits are ticking the river bottom, often weighted with small split shot pinched on about a foot, or two, above the bait. —cleveland, 9 Dec. 2021

The buoy and split shot work in tandem to offer more forgiveness when the fly is cast into a stream or river. —New York Times, 10 Nov. 2021

Finally, the changing nature of the river during the drift called for constant changing of the amount of split shot and location of the strike indicator. —Bill May, baltimoresun.com/maryland/carroll, 24 Oct. 2021

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Word History

First Known Use

1889, in the meaning defined above