Ive been thinking bout getting a stripping basket but have neer had one. Im not sure which one or kind would benefit me the most. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I have been using a nylon fabric basket for the past ten years and absolutely love it. It’s the type that is belted around your waist and has a strip of plastic to keep the basket looped out in the right position. Mine was made by Payette River, something like this one from LLBean http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/50077?feat=1193-GN2 I’m not sure if the one I have is still available but there are several very similar models available. I find it to be very effective in keeping my line out of the sticks and mud as I walk along a lake or pond fishing. It not only makes fishing easier, it added didtance to my casts and and extended the life of my fly lines. I wouldn’t use it for small streams but for larger rivers or lakes/ponds or certainly salt water, I wouldn’t be without it.
Jim Smith
I don’t often use them, but when I do use a stripping basket I use my William Joseph basket. I like it because it folds down to just a belt and stay out of the way until you need to use it.
Larry —sagefisher—
Here’s a couple of photos of my homegrown basket.
The dividers, here made from wirenuts, are necessary to keep the line from shifting and tangling in the basket. For my active style of fishing the two mesh baskets above would be unsuitable.
I use one like Dudley’s. 12 qt storage basket from Wally World, drill some holes for zip ties and a bungee cord belt. $5 and works well!
I have tried many of the commercially produced stripping baskets and numerous homemade devices. I have found that the best baskets have flat bottoms with spikes, pegs, posts, or other devices that keep line coils separated and prevent them from tangling, even when basket is tilted far to the side for whatever reason. Baskets with out these devices will see many more line tangles develop as do baskets that slope down to a narrow bottom that forces the line coils together. For wading the surf I prefer a basket with drain holes in the bottom. For all other applications I prefer solid bottoms, especially because they will float when wading still waters or if lashed to the side of a kayak.
Buy a Mangrove Hip Shooter!! It is the best on the market. I’ve owned and built several and none that I’ve seen compare. Stan Pleskunas on the west coast designed this and a number of other guys helped him work out the kinks… and they did a great job of it!
I use it wading, in my canoe, when walking around ponds (tanks), and I even packed it to the Caribbean to cast bones… It always worked like a charm.
Go buy one today! You’ll not regret it!
Here ia video that explains a little about the Hip Shooter:
uptownangler.com/flyfishing.../mangrove-stripping-basket.html
By the way, I don’t have any commercial connection to this product, I just liked it so much that I purchased one myself!
Bowfin47
I recently bought the William Joseph basket and so far have been pleased with it.
Wow! Thanks so much everyone for the insight on stripping baskets. I went a head with the william joseph. Although the mangrove hip shooter would be a great match for my 7 and 8 wt. But they were out of stock. I also would like to try makin my own like dudleys. I like the idea of the wire nuts to keep your line “under control”. Great stuff and thank you for all of your help!