Posted this up a couple of other places to get 'more input.' Use of stripping baskets is quite common with single hander casting (especially for salt water beach fishing), but I've only run into one reference/guy who regularly uses one with a 2hander. Anyone given this a try? Fred
No, but have considered it. I think that holding 3-4 large coils in my left hand will tangle less than putting all of that running line in a basket.
Using a two handed cast but stripping retrieves- beach fishing -a basket worn off the side of my hip/thigh works ok.
I've tried it but it always seems to get in the way an hamper the rotation of my torso when I cast a two hander. I use it all the time from the beach to kepp the line out of the sea weed.
The body rotation part was also my thought Steve. Most 2hander casts require at least a 90 degree rotation, some a bit more than that. Sounds fiddly to me.
Not to downplay WW's point of view, but Bob Strobel is the only two-hand caster I know who carried over his stripping basket habit from single hand to two-handed casting and fishing. Sg
Not saying it doesn't work. It just doesn't for me because it hampers my movements and my lower hand sometimes gets hung up on the basket.
Overhead casting with a two hander on the beach, the stripping basket is the way to go. But for spey type casting a two hander, for me the basket is in the way.
WW....please advise where I can procure one of those "leggy" things to hold my line. I think you are onto something there!!!
I've tried this & the "esthetic value" is first-rate. However, I'm OLD and said assistant soon lost interest, and there I was, fishing alone again, as my assistant was instead frolicking along the shoreline & playing with Hank . . . oh well . . . one out of two being entertained ain't bad. Later that evening, Hank gave me the "get one of these, Boss" look. I had to tell him that I no longer had the right rod to catch these . . . and Orvis doesn't offer that model . . .
If I'm spey casting I just rotate the basket to the hip that's away from the cast and it works just fine. With these high tides there's been a lot of crap in the water so a stripping basket is a big help.
That is, if you use a spey rod in the salt. That being said, if I use a spey rod or a switch rod in the salt, I almost always am overhead casting and it doesn't get in the way of an overhead cast. Normally I use a single hand rod from the beach.
Late chiming in, but in addition to the rotation issue I would not want to wade moving water with something obstructing my view of my feet. Even if it is moved to the side I'd still be leary given the risk if you fall in.
Fred, I've used my stripping basket many many times when DH fishing on freshwater lakes in a boat or on shore, on saltwater beaches, and when wading in weedy areas. Longest rod I've used with it is 12'6" though, and use a very compact stroke. Easy as all get out with a switch; I usually rotate the basket around to the port quarter, where my strips will coil right in and my view is unobstructed for wading. Makes a dandy place to put all the garbage you pick up the way back to the truck too.
