Friday, April 6, 2007

Stripping baskets

Stripping baskets come in a variety of shapes and sizes. They are made of a myriad of materials. Users debate points like the need for drainage, belt type, cone configuration and collapsible qualities. Debates aside, the humble origins of this tool come from the dish pan. Saltwater anglers have really come to rely on these baskets. Freshwater anglers are using them too for certain waters. What are your experiences, ideas and comments about stripping baskets?
Photo by Dave Skok, Copyright 2007

14 comments:

adipose said...

Fantastic pic!

El Pescador said...

That's a compliment to Mr. Skok.

Bert said...

My saltwater experience is very limited but for rivers, beaches, boat decks, etc. I sure like the William Joseph Stripping Basket. The built-in net pops out from a wading belt so it's always handy but out of the way when you are not using it.

Those hard plastic laundry baskets as in the picture are probably better for line management and shooting distance.

El Pescador said...

Good points Bert. I have seen the mesh styles fail when it comes to surly surf and waves. The molded plastic variety seem to be preferred by the salty crowd. I know I like mine for it's rigidity and flotation. I've resisted drilling holes in it for this reason. Without holes it can sit on the water's surface. Regarding the "out of the way" need, when a plastic basket isn't in use it's swung to the side or behind you. It takes getting used too.

jared said...

Invaluable. Beach, rocks, or boat. Plastic.

PowderSeeker said...

Hmm. I have one I have never used. It's a gift sitting on a shelf in my basement somewhere. Not really sure why I never used it. Since one of my hard core fishing friends never used one when I fished with him, I guess I thought that it was uncool. Some sort of real striper anglers don't need 'em kind of thing. Now that I see him with one, perhaps I should go and dig it out.

El Pescador said...

Definitely give it a try. My view now is friends shouldn't let friends fish without one.

Unknown said...

I must've missed this the first time around- I use a basket 100% of the time in the salt, and my freshwater usage has been going up lately.

I have a Bean's and an Orvis basket and prefer the Bean's, I think the rounder shape just works better for the way I strip.

Regardless of which basket I'm wearing though, I use the elastic waistband from a pair of old Watermaster waders in place of the stock belt for the basket. It makes it a lot easier to dump a full basket, not to mention repositioning the basket on your side for a 1 handed strip.

-Matt
www.mattboutet.com

El Pescador said...

Thanks for the beta Matt. Note that the Patagonia Stretch Wading Belt will be offered separately (July) so basket users can switch out their rigid belts for a one that'll give and take....without having to buy the whole wader.

Anonymous said...

stripping baskets are key to keeping seaweed off your line when fishing the puget sound. Also with a strong tidal change your line, when piled on top of the water, will be tossed about in the waves and cause a serious headache as it tangles around you. I use my basket at all times when fishing for cutthroat and coho.

Unknown said...

El Pescador,

One note on the belt when using it with a basket: The adjustment buckle on the belt doesn't seem like it was designed to hold under the stress of a basket bouncing around on it.

I do most of my fishing from the rocks, so I'm jumping around a lot. The bouncing of the basket causes the belt to loosen up considerably over the course of an outing.

A slightly beefier adjustment mechanism would be a bonus.

-Matt

www.mattboutet.com

El Pescador said...

Anon., what kind of basket do you use?

Matt, clarify that you are using the Patagonia Stretch Wading Belt on the Orvis or Bean molded stripping basket.

Unknown said...

El Pescador,

I'm using the stretch wading belt with the Bean basket.

I always start out with the belt as tight as I can get it (constrained by the slots in the basket) and usually have to stop and re-tighten after hopping around on the rocks for a bit.

El Pescador said...

Thanks for the follow up Matt. I'm investigating alternative belt materials for an added style as well as buckle/clip options. The Stretch Wading Belt is excellent for waders and lighter weight baskets but when you are dealing with ocean environments, heavier molded baskets and water weight I find that a more rigid material can be more stable. Keep thinking and sharing ideas on this topic.