Home made stripping baskets.

[Guest1]

I have three stipping baskets. One I paid a bunch for, and two I made myself. The one I paid a bunch for is my least favorite. The one I use the most is a basket from the dollar store with weed whacker line loops and an aluminum finger splint to hook it to my belt. I got more inventive ( and costly ) with my last one, but it works better with a spey rod where I'm stripping in over 100' feet of line most of the time.

How many of you made your own, and how did you make them?

My home made hip shooter basket.

 

[Rip Tide]

I've made 6 or 7
Never could bring myself to pay cashmoney for something so easily made

Probably the simplest was one that I made on a trip to FLA
I had a bungie cord with me and at a dollar store I bought a plastic mesh basket and some zip-ties.... two bucks and it worked fine
I've never been a fan of the weedwacker/zip-tie fingers and loops though
I've had my line tie itself around the loops and you can't carry or store gear in your basket on top of them
So I've settled on a design using wire nuts as the 'fingers'
I picked up the largest ones they had at the home store and attached them with stainless screws through the bottom, along with washers and a little Goop to keep the springs from rusting.
I use the white Rubbermaid tub because it's very solid and white is the best background for tying knots in the dark

 

[randyflycaster]

I used many stripping baskets. My favorite is the Orvis. It has nine thick cones. It has cutouts so I can put my rod down. It's not too wide, so I don't have to worry about hitting my hand during my downward haul. I can''t imagine I can build a better one, so I don't regret spending the fifty bucks for the Orvis, but different strokes for different folks. It's certainly gratifying to use our own creations. When I retire I'll take up fly tying.

Your basket look fine, I must say.

Randy

 

[FISHN50]

# 1: I picked up one of those collapsable mesh ones & the first time I used it in the surf, every time a wave came in it would lift the line out & tangle it up. # 2: was also a rubbermaid basket but I got a few of those plastic Easter Eggs & drilled a small hole throu the tip of the longer end, I got some weedwacker line & melted & flattened one end & put that down thru the egg half. I drilled 5 holes in the basket & put each string thru & backed it with a small washer, I pulled them tight & tied an overhand knot in the end, I bent them over & put RTV & used that magic handyman,s tool Duct tape, over the ends. I doubled up a bungee cord for the strap. I've had it a few years & it's still holding up but I have only used it a dozen times or so.

 

[Guest1]

# 1: I picked up one of those collapsable mesh ones & the first time I used it in the surf, every time a wave came in it would lift the line out & tangle it up.

I was not going to say bad things about a specific product, but that collapsable basket is the one I bought and my least favorite.

 

[Rip Tide]

The collapsable baskets are worthless unless you use a cone inset (sold separately )

I've used one of those canvas nail aprons that you get from a hardware store
It's a little tricky folding your line into it, but once you get the hang of it, it works pretty well . On the plus side they take up little space. You can carry one in your pocket and just pull it out when you need it.

 

[tonysav]

just like the one i have great choice.

 

[BigCliff]

I use a homemade one made from a washtub on occasion, and wanted to throw out a tip based on experience- for surf use, make sure to put lots of drain holes in the thing. Its distracting to say the least to be standing there trying to fish and repeatedly have a wave crash into your basket and thus pull down with 18lbs of weight. Make the holes small so line wont drop through, but make lots so you're not getting jerked around as much.

This was one fault of the one strapped to me during my "Paddling the Jersey Shore" experience, and it sure didn't help the situation.

 

[jpbfly]

Great tip Dan and Ripthanks for sharing.

 

[Rip Tide]

I use a homemade one made from a washtub on occasion, and wanted to throw out a tip based on experience- for surf use, make sure to put lots of drain holes in the thing. Its distracting to say the least to be standing there trying to fish and repeatedly have a wave crash into your basket and thus pull down with 18lbs of weight. Make the holes small so line wont drop through, but make lots so you're not getting jerked around as much.

This was one fault of the one strapped to me during my "Paddling the Jersey Shore" experience, and it sure didn't help the situation.

I use to carry two baskets, one perforated for the surf, and a solid one for deep wading.
That got to be too much and I settled on just the solid.
I fish in some pretty heavy surf sometimes and often I'll tip the basket up, bottom toward the wave as protection :faint: It saves me from getting too soaked
I do like to use a bungie cord as a belt however. When the basket fills with a wave, it comes off rather than drags you down.
Small perforations would make no difference in a case like this.

I think you'd find that most people here in the northeast have solid baskets.
Water seeping in from the bottom while wading will tangle the line before you know it, making carrying a basket useless

 

[peregrines]

Yup I use the same as Rip- just a Rubbermaid wash tub and bungee cord, I didn't drill holes in it or add cones or stiff mono. What does help a lot to minimize tangles is to give your fly line a good stretch before using.

The bungee cord makes it easy to just tip the tub to empty any water, and (also to flip the tub up to your belly so you can see where you're walking)

And as an added benefit because it doesn't have holes, I can throw wet and sandy stuff into it in the truck.