Ditch the Basket?

[passiton]

Working on how to pack to prepare for most scenarios I’ll find fishing small rivers, lochs, open beaches, and rocky points where I’ll be perched on boulders casting a 7 or 8wt with a sink tip to prospect for mackerel and Pollack.  Bouncing around for two weeks in Scotland. 
 

Am I wrong to think that the only “essential” spot on a list like that for a stripping basket is likely the rock hopping environment?  The bag is filling quickly and I might want to bring silly stuff like clothes and toiletries.  I’m opting for a net for gentler handling of the small brown trout and arctic char I hope to land in some of the lochs, but I’m inclined to leave the stripping basket behind. 
 

The pic is Brother’s Point, a spot a few hundred yards from our first accommodations on Skye.  It’s the kind of place I’ll be looking for access to the water to cast. 
 

Bears mentioning that I am a complete novice.  Lots of enthusiasm, but not much skill.  I’ll be challenging myself in all of these conditions, especially considering that I anticipate the Western Isles will have serious wind almost all the time. 

Edited May 12 by passiton

[Mike Oliver]

Passiton,

 

For lochs, and ocean and especially rocks and rocky reefs if you do not have a rigid decent line tray like the Orvis one you will wish a 1000 times that you had not packed so many clothes and toiletries in preference. It’s a no brainier. Just think about where all that running line is going to go. Basically everywhere where you do not want it to. Might as well cast left handed to add to the misery if you decide against one.

 

Mike

Edited May 12 by Mike Oliver

[passiton]

On 5/12/2023 at 5:33 PM, Mike Oliver said:

Passiton,

 

For lochs, and ocean and especially rocks and rocky reefs if you do not have a rigid decent line tray like the Orvis one you will wish a 1000 times that you had not packed so many clothes and toiletries in preference. It’s a no brainier. Just think about where all that running line is going to go. Basically everywhere where you do not want it to. Might as well cast left handed to add to the misery if you decide against one.

 

Mike

Thanks Mike.  I may opt for a second checked bag then to make this all a little easier.  We have one rental car the whole time, so the bag with fishing gear can stay out once we settle in for driving. 

[Mike Oliver]

If it helps a lot of medium to large suitcases will accommodate an Orvis line tray. Obviously we can fill the line tray with stuff. I mention Orvis because I have a twenty year experience with them. No line tray is perfect but for me this is the best one. It’s tempting to go the collapsible route but that’s just what they do collapse on you. Total waste of space. To save bag space I wear my de studded wading boots when flying. As I get older I am looking to reduce my total baggage weight. Tackle always wins against clothes.  Rental houses typically have a washing machine or there is always the laundrette. After a while I find my nose starts to adapt and filter out the smell of high clothing. LOL. Hope you have a ball.

 

mike

[TopStriperAngler]

On 5/12/2023 at 2:55 PM, Mike Oliver said:

To save bag space I wear my de studded wading boots when flying.

 

Genius! What a great idea. The boots do take up a huge amount of space. 

[walpy]

I have an older KR Line Tender stripping basket that collapses down very small that I fly with. Got the little line shooter inserts I bring as well. 
 

it works well. 

[Jojer]

I made my basket on the fly, so to speak as I was driving to the beach/jetty. I bought a plastic basket, a bungee cord and some 5" zip ties at the Surf City 5&10. I poked some holes in the bottom just so and pulled the zip ties up from the out side. That gave it some "fingers " so the line layers without tangling. The only other "feature" I wish I'd foreseen, was to cut some holes through the bottom so you can see where you are stepping. Still have to slide the basket to one side or the other while walking, so you don't end up swimming or crashing.  good luck!

I'd packed into a good sized duffle for that trip. When the basket went home, I set it into the duffle and packed into it. It was about 10" deep and maybe 5X10" at the bottom.

Edited May 13 by Jojer
add'l

[puppet]

 

This is the hmh collapsible, the bottom has a cut out of a joint compound lid with some hard plastic spikes that can be removed.  zip ties would work in place of those spikes I made.  There is also an orange plastic rectangle in the mesh pocket that I made. Those plastic bits greatly reduce the compression of the basket.

 

Those additions also make it as usable as any traditional basket, but will collapse down to nothing for packing.  When assembled it really keeps its form.  Without those additions, it does sort of suck.  Usable, but there is a reason for rigid stripping baskets with shooting cones . Adding those bits are necessary.  

 

[fishstu]

I use a small plastic cheap shallow dishpan with a bungee cord - put 2 holes in the dishpan to take the bungee cord hooks. Simple, nothing fancy, does the job.  It fits in my backpack, gets filled with my essential stuff, fits under my seat. I wear extra layers, have stuff in my pockets. 

   

[Mike Oliver]

Great stuff guys. As space is at such a premium for passiton he could when he arrives just buy a wash bowl and bodge two holes for the bungy cord. He can pack the bungy one less thing to buy.

passiton to adjust the tension on the bungee cord we just tie as many overhand knots as is required. This was my first basket.

 

olie

[puppet]

Just to say it.  This planet has plenty of trash.  I have heard suggestions before in buying coolers,  cheap wading shoes,  cheap stripping baskets at the destination, then leaving it there to avoid luggage weight or space.

 

I sort of feel its our responsibility to reduce our trash footprint.  Just consider the trash we see in our waterways as a motivator to consider other options.

 

[Jojer]

Leave it behind? Toss it? Heavens no! I had the use of it for just less time than it took to make it-about a half day of fishing. Brought it home, stuck it on a shelf, moved to the new house where it still sits on a different shelf for a total of about 10 years.

[Mike Oliver]

On 5/13/2023 at 9:16 PM, puppet said:

Just to say it.  This planet has plenty of trash.  I have heard suggestions before in buying coolers,  cheap wading shoes,  cheap stripping baskets at the destination, then leaving it there to avoid luggage weight or space.

 

I sort of feel its our responsibility to reduce our trash footprint.  Just consider the trash we see in our waterways as a motivator to consider other options.

 

I should have thought of that. Thanks for the gentle reprimand. You are right. Good man.

 

mike

[puppet]

On 5/13/2023 at 5:52 PM, Mike Oliver said:

I should have thought of that. Thanks for the gentle reprimand. You are right. Good man.

 

mike

 

I am far from perfect Mike, and personally so often feel hypocritical.  I buy more than I need and waste so much.  It is American to do so, and such a tough habit to break.

 

On a trout fishing adventure to Colorado, i bought a soft sided AO cooler that met carryon dimensions and use it as luggage and tgen later as a cooler .  We were camping and it kept ice for 2 days in the bear box in 85 degree heat.  Such a great investment and use it all the time on my fishing adventures. We could have bought stryrofoam or cheap plastic coolers in colorado, but we would have left them there.

 

Gotta use some creativity and try to hit a couple birds with one stone.

 

That HMH stripping basket is another.  I bought it and rigged it up in the bahamas. Now it is my prefered basket for the kayak too, because it flexes just enough to allow me to sit and stand without it digging into me. Pretty awesone!!!

Edited May 13 by puppet

[theshadow]

Just put it in your bag and place items in it.The only space it takes up is the thickness of the plastic itself. It actually protected reels ,spools,toiletries,etc.