I Have Converted

Surf rod and plugs have been moved to the basement.
I am dedicating 100% of this season to using a fly rod only. Picked up a 10 foot 9 weight TFO matched it with a 10/11 Scientific Anglers reel. A couple of spools, 1 loaded with 10wt sinking tip/ the other a 10 wt wf.

I am a minimalist at heart and like to carry only necessary gear.

Does a stripping basket make any sense at all? Do you guys/gals use one?

[Todd B]

Good choice on the 10' rod, will really aid in your line handling and presentation. I did the same one year, nothing but the fly rod, and was rewarded with some nice fish. As for the baskets I hate them and for the most part never use them anymore, I use a floater 95% of the time.Im more concerned with presentation than distance anyway.

Todd-

Thanks for the follow up. Do you primarily fish from shore or boat?

[FishHawk]

I like the basket helps with line control. You can keep the line coiled in you hand and forget the basket but to me I'm used to a basket. I use the LLBean basket which is no longer made. FishHawk

[Todd B]

Pretty much always fish from shore with the fly rod, Sometimes the kayak too. When I started flyfihsing I used a stripping basket,because thats what you were told to do, but I always hated it and am glad to have gotten away from it.

[Pete_G]

I feel certain spots require the basket, like fishing the West Wall for albies.

That wall is the final resting place of 2 of my fly lines. Sometimes when they go in, they never come out. In fact I'm permanently scarred by it, I haven't taken a fly rod out from shore for albies since a decade or so ago when that happened.

Some rocky spots like Newport, Narragansett and similar RI spots have also tried, sometimes successfully, to eat my fly line. So I like my basket there too.

I prefer to use a basket in high current areas as well.

[jpgrandchamp]

With a floating line, I rarely use a basket (unless it's already strapped on). However, I typically use an intermediate line and find with any current it's easy to get snarled and too often I discover the line is wrapped around my leg when a fish (a) is running away from me with my fly in its lip or (b) when I see the school feeding toward me and I rushing to get me and the cast in the right spot. I like the Orvis hard plastic stipping basket- also has a nice place to rest your rod. I think SWE carries it from time to time.