Stripping baskets, yea or nae

[scissorbill]

I've used them before but didn't really like them but maybe that's cuz I didn't use it enough to get used to it.
Some situations they'd be an asset (less drag on your out going line) other situations (deeper wading) they'd be a bit of a hinderance.
Just looking for some opinions before I go borrow one for an upcoming trip.
(don't want to pack what I don't need)

[bronjuan]

I would say it would be beneficial if: Youre in the ocean and there is significant wave action, or, fishing sink line in a river. Both scenarios I find it super annoying as you get knots or meet resistance when you try to gather your line up and cast it back out.
I tried to make one last year...it was much too small. The bigger the better, otherwise it's like trying to thread a needle to get youre line into the darn thing and to keep it there.
B

[nebc]

Closest I come to this is the bow of my Hyde Drift boat, which has an area to catch and hold line while stripping. Works really well, however I have never bothered with a stripping basket otherwise.

[EricNotTheRed]

I've got a William-Joseph wading belt with a retractable stripping basket. There are pros and cons.

As mentioned above, baskets can be useful when standing in moving water. It also helps on surfaces with a lot of snags (rocks, ground cover, etc) or if you are moving from point to point. Even in still water it is useful, since you generally don't need as many false casts to lift the line off of the water.

The downside is that the line can tangle as it is lifted out of the basket on your cast. You can reduce this by stretching your line to minimize the curls. Larger stripping baskets help as well. I've seen some baskets that have pegs sticking up from the bottom which help to keep tangles from forming on the cast.

Varying your stripping style can also help lay the line in the basket more neatly.

The William-Joseph belt is handy since you can retract the basket, but on the downside the basket is a touch smaller than I'd like.

If you want to give one a try, here are some links on making a cheap one yourself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aypqmwLQbZU
http://www.lyndenhuggins.com/flyfish...pingbasket.htm

[btree]

I went to the dollar store and got a rectangular basket, then got some stick on velcro and some elastic strap, and voila - a stripping basket under 10 bucks. As has been noted above - wave action and sinking lines are the major concerns for me.

[whitewater_cowboy]

I don't have a need for one on the river, but, it's rare on a river to be casting a 100' of line. Fishing from my boat or on the beach, I always utilize a stripping basket of some sort. A rubber maid used for transporting things to the boat doubles as a container for the line so it doesn't blow around, catch on items, get stepped on, etc. Much like btree, I have a home-made basket from a rectangular container with about 7 'finger's fashioned from the plastic line used as a cutter on grass trimmers/edgers. I cut them about 7" long, melt the ends to create a ball and fold them in half, then pushing the 'loops through small holes drilled in the bottom of the container and epoxy them in place. Keeps the line from blowing around or sloshing around with a wave (don't forget drain-holes) and dramatically reduces tangles. You'll really love it when the coho start crashing baitfish 100m down the beach and you can run down immediately, without worrying about 100' of flyline in your hand... at your feet... 50 yards down tide with seaweed wrapped around it.

[lcampbellcutthroat]

as long as you're not wading to a depth that will partly submerge the basket, they're great. It has made a huge difference at the beach for me, especially where there is seaweed everywhere...thats my opinion but I do know when I dont take it, I usually ending up wishing I'd brought it, especially on rivers where you can't wade out from the shore. it has advantages for any length of line but do definitely get in the way a bit and can be a pain in the a$$ if the line in the basket gets tangled
Len

[TieFlier]

I am fashioning a homemade basket tonight. I'll be test driving it tomorrow. Thanks for posting the links EricNotTheRed, they confirmed how I thought I'd go about making my basket. From the beach fishing I have done so far I feel that a stripping basket would be highly beneficial. It would make moving down the beach a little easier and I can be ready to fire a decent cast towards rolling fish. Thanks for the help people!

[EricNotTheRed]

Good luck with it. Drop us a note and tell us how it works.

[TieFlier]

I haven't been able to get out like I thought I was going to be able to. I'll update when I give my basket a good field test. I'm pretty happy with how it has tuned out so far and I can't complain about the price I paid for it. All of $6 for all the materials I used.