A stripping basket is an annoying accoutrement:
[dropcap]I[/dropcap]t’s one more piece of equipment to stow, one more cost, a pain in the arse to wear and certainly a acquired skill to use. Avoiding the use of one or making do without one requires using the coil in-hand method. However, it’s not a bullet-proof answer. It too is an acquired skill. The act of letting the line out and casting, sometimes gets line snotted-up in a guide. Your shot at a nice snook in the surf or a cruising striper could be lost. It is a cool technique nonetheless. Check it out:
Why didn’t I think of that?
Joe avoids using of a stripping basket by using his individual fingers to make large, independent coils of fly line – then releases them in a series. The latter assures no bunched – snagged fly line at a guide.
Joe Mahler, who has contributed to Fly Life Magazine.com, is a Federation of Fly Fishers certified casting instructor, Florida casting champion, author and illustrator. His Fly Fisherman sponsored YouTube video shows how easy it is to do away with a stripping basket. It’s so damn simple too.
Watch this:
[youtube id=”Gq7i5jVTyG4″ width=”620″ height=”360″]
