1) When your plunking from the bank or anchored in a hog line and you get your plug or spin n glo hung up on the retrieve Take a water bottle or gatorade bottle and fill it almost half full with water. Then tie some string to it and attach a snap swivel. Hook this to your line and let it slide down while letting out some line so you create a bow in your line to the point the bottle is sitting back behind your plug a ways. Now give your rod a couple of jerks. and your plug should come free. If your worried about breaking your line and the bottle drifting free just attach it to the line on a spare rod.

2) another use for old detergent bottle is to get heavy weights back behind your boat when fishing places like the columbia where its not uncommon to use 32 ounces or more. Attach a downrigger clip to the old bottle then tie the bottle to an old rod with about 40lb mono. Clip the line your going to let out onto the downrigger clip and then float your weight back behind the boat. when it gets to where you want it give your float rod a big jerk to release the downrigger clip.