River and Reef: Tackle

In response to a thread on Surf Stripping baskets and off on another tangent from the original questions Dan Blanton Basket Thread
I decided to throw together a photo essay on Stripping Baskets. We have a few more but thought there were a few funnies in the mix already. The one below was omitted for obvious reasons!

G'day Dan,
Totally agree with you mate! Grant Hartman introduced me to Stans basket back when he first was getting into double handers. Having been converted we bought a couple direct from Stan and have used them successfully in a bunch of places including Puget Sound, Florida, Yellowstone, Mexico and lots of places in Australia. Have used them fishing for Trout, Steelhead, Roosters, Jacks, Ladyfish Queenfish,Golden Trevally and Striped Bass to name a few. Came in really handy on the last trip to the Coral Sea while fishing the sand cays for trevally and dart. Those coral chunks and pieces are brutal and snag fly line like no ones business.
BTW Kate still loves her small J W Outfitters basket but that suits her fishing style. The larger one I used kinda threw the line around too much when walking or running.
Stans Basket has been well and truly beat on and has traveled many miles in the bottom of my roller duffle and in the back of the truck where it lives now! Only recently it opened up a little down the join. I repaired that by using Loon UV Knot sense on the reef last December and that fix was still holding good while fishing yesterday.

I have quickly put together a Stripping Basket "fashion shoot" for those whom want to see this product and a few others. We have had some fun with them!

Strippin Basket Photo Essay

Best
Randall

Strip Basket?

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May 14, 2006, 13:12

Articles : Tackle

Smooth Drag Maintenance

A little while ago I was surfing through some of my favorite websites and came across Harro talking, or was it howling about a windy full moon phase.Harro I chirped in with 2 Bobs worth and asked a question about grease/oil for cork drags in fly reels. That is when Jack Erskines name was mentioned. Now Jack is an Aussie fishing legend and tackle guru. Many a person has asked me here in the states if I know him. Now when I say many it is a broad spectrum of folks some are legends themselves such as Lefty Kreh , Billy Pate , Lee Baker etc but I have also had others such as the taxidermist who walked into my booth at a Safari Show in Vegas and asked me about Mr Erskine. He claimed Jack had once sold him some Opals and laughed damn hard as he called him a "real character". So when Jack answered the post I stood up and took notice. Under his instruction and with his good will for getting me hooked up with the right gear for the job I now have some smoooth drags!!!! Read on if you want the links and information to service your cork drags.

Completed Job

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Oct 4, 2005, 22:32

Articles : Tackle

DT vs WF Which is really better?

Few fly line subjects have been discussed more than which is the better taper, double taper (DT) or weight forward (WF). The answer is, neither is inherently better, but one may be better than the other for you.

A lot of generalizations are made about these two tapers based on outdated or incorrect information. We�ve all heard that DT lines are more delicate, give better control, roll cast better, etc. In some cases some of these things are true, but not always.
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Feb 19, 2004, 21:56

Articles : Tackle

Back at Camp

A practical guide to understanding and caring for your non-fishing gear

Fishermen are gearheads, plain and simple. Being able to understand how your gear functions and how to properly take care of it helps to maximize your efficiency and enjoyment. There is no end of articles about caring for your rods, reels, lines, flies, and other fishing gear so I decided to share some information on a few of the other essential items the adventurous angler relies on.
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Nov 15, 2003, 21:11