Gear Geek Alert: Stripping basket worth checking out

As a seasoned fly fisher, I think I speak for all of us when I say that when we prepare to head out for a full day of fishing, we relish the idea of packing as much gear as possible into our vests, wading jacket, shirt pockets and pants. The more the merrier, we feel. Especially if we know we'll be on the water for a long time (and subconsciously know we'll be carrying around all that weight for hours on end).

That is why I take it upon myself to search out even more gear for each and every one of us to add to our list of essentials. I believe I've found something that most of us probably didn't even realize we can't live without. For that reason, I present to you the William Joseph Retractable Stripping Basket.

The description, taken directly from the company website, says "Our Retractable Stripping Basket acts as a wading belt and a utility belt (holds tools, water, etc.) plus when it is time to fish, simply give it a yank and out pops the basket, ready to catch your line."

There are times when using a stripping basket is an obvious advantage. In a canoe or boat, in order to prevent the line from tangling on other gear... when fishing the flats for stripers... or on fast flowing rivers that will carry your line away as quickly as you bring it in. However, my fishing is practically never done in those conditions. I prefer small streams and slower gin-clear pocket water that is prevalent in the midwest. As long as I keep my line out of the streamside weeds or the occasional half-submerged log, I should be fine. Of course that's much easier said than done, but for reasons we don't need to go into right now.

Still, a stripping basket has been on my wish list for years now. I live about two hours from the closest decent trout water, so when I am able to make a day of it, I'm usually looking at 4 hours of combined driving. For that reason, if no other, I try to maximize my time on the water, often spending 6 hours standing in the drink. That means my fly line is in the water for the 5 hours that it isn't hung up in tree branches and the aforementioned weeds. No matter how clean my line is before heading out, and how diligent I try to be about cleaning it throughout the day, the fact is that the longer it stays in the water, the quicker it starts to lose its bouyancy. And the one thing I can't stand is having my leader being dragged under the surface by a floating line that refuses to float. It makes sense that stripping it into a basket would be better than dropping it by my side, often in weeds or mud. And maybe I'm the only one who takes a step upstream while casting, only to find the line wrapped nice and tight around my leg. I doubt the fish are impressed by my less than graceful maneuver of lifting one boot up high enough to pull the line off my gravel guard, and then put the same foot down with a splash that sounds like a gunshot to a brookie. It sure would be nice to have something to stop me from looking like a drunk clown in waders. Even if it amuses the fish.

Which brings us back to the John Williams stripping basket. it's little more than a heavy-duty wading belt, with a webbed pouch that pulls out when you need it. From what I can see, it also has loops to attach a few zingers, tools, water bottle holders, et cetera. Think of it as a waist-level lanyard and wading belt in one.

Now I imagine some of you might be wondering what John Williams is paying me for this endorsement. I'm kinda wondering that, too. I would suggest an all-expense paid guided trip to New Zealand, if they're reading this. The fact is that I have yet to see this wading basket/belt in person so I'll have to get back to this when the weather warms up and I find one to try out. But I have to admit that the possibility of summertime wet wading in a pair of shorts, sandals and this belt is making me wish spring would hurry up and kick in. As if I needed another reason to want that.