Arizona Wanderings | 2/51 | ...fishing, hunting, and roaming the SouthwestArizona Wanderings

Rambling Review – Linekurv Stripping Basket

April 24th, 2013

8 Comments

Rambling Review – Linekurv Stripping Basket

Why:

This year, I had the opportunity to do a bit of pike fishing along with a trip to Pyramid Lake. Several people I talked to recommended a stripping basket for both occasions and it was not until I went that I really understood why. Stripping baskets help to keep line from tangling while hand stripping fly line. I found out that a quality stripping basket is worth it’s weight in gold. Here are my thoughts on the Linekurv Stripping Basket. The Linekurv baskets are made in Denmark where “linekurv” means stripping basket.

First impressions:

Solid - The Linekurv stripping basket is built rock solid. There is nothing fragile about the basket or the heavy duty nylon belt.

The fit and feel - Right out of the box, I tried the Linekurv basket on, and with a simple cinch of the belt it snugged right around my waist. There is a slight curve on the backside of the basket which allows it to hug your body. Some of the homemade stripping baskets I’ve seen are almost too boxy and look uncomfortable. Not so with the Linekurv

Field Use:

Although I needed a stripping basket for Pyramid Lake, I had the opportunity to try out the Linekurv stripping basket on a bit of pike fishing in Northern Arizona. I debated on even taking a basket along, but I at least wanted to practice with it before getting on the water at Pyramid Lake. When I showed up at Upper Lake Mary, I was more than happy to have the basket along. Fly fishing for pike involves heaving big flies tied with rabbit strips and then stripping line as fast as you can to shore. The banks of the lake were muddy and nasty, but instead of line being piled up at my feet and getting stepped on, line was coiling neatly in the stripping basket. I truly learned the value of having a stripping basket for keeping your line clean.

The main reason that I even looked into stripping baskets was for fly fishing Pyramid Lake. Pyramid is a windy lake in Nevada known for holding big Lahontan cutthroat. One of the main ways to fly fish the lake is with a heavy sink tip shooting head and lots of running line. Large amounts of running line, piled up at your feet is a recipe for disaster.

The cones at the bottom of the basket keep the running line from tangling. So as you are casting the shooting head, the rest of the running line zips through the guides without knotting up and ruining the distance on your cast. The smooth design also cuts down on any line snags on the basket. I was using a 200 grain shooting head and with a bit of a tailwind, I was laying down casts farther then I have ever cast line before. I believe much of that comes from using a stripping basket.

The Linekurv also has two notches cut into each side which hold your fly rod perfectly when you need your hands free. On Pyramid Lake, I had to fight the urge to start stripping my flies in before they had sunk to the bottom of the lake. What I liked to do was to cast out my heavy sinking line, lay my fly rod in the Linekurv, put my hands in my coat and count to 30.

As I mentioned in several posts on fly fishing Pyramid Lake, Landon, the Pyramid veteran of our group, stayed on the ladder longer than any of us. While I was taking a break, he asked to give the Linekurv a try. This was probably a mistake, because he almost did not want to give it back.

The one thing that I went back and forth with on the Linekurv basket was the lack of holes for draining water. While pike fishing, it did not matter, as I usually was not more than knee deep in the water. At Pyramid, we waded out to chest deep before putting our ladders down and climbing up. Often times, when landing fish, we were wading in water up to our bellies and water filled up part of the Linekurv, making it awkward to move around and necessary to drain. After doing quite a bit of reading, I think that it is a matter of preference for the fishermen. Some guys like to have drainage for their baskets for a rogue wave, while others who do more deep water fishing prefer to have a basket that floats on the water. The jury is still out for me. It did not take much effort at all to give the basket a quick flip to drain water, but I think it would be cool to have two drain plugs that you could open and close depending on the situation you are fishing in.

Pros:

Lightweight

Durable material designed to be rugged in very cold and warm conditions

Nine cones in the bottom of the basket to minimize line tangles

Comfortable

Built in rod holder

Sleek design that reduces protruding edges

Cons:

No drainage holes

Prognosis: The Linekurv stripping basket is a top of the line choice if you are looking for a high quality, well designed stripping basket. The Linekurv is an excellent tool for adding some serious distance to your cast.

* Disclaimer:

The reviews at Arizona Wanderings are my honest opinion. Arizona Wanderings is not sponsored by or associated with any of the stated companies and is accepting no compensation, monetary or otherwise, in exchange for this review. The Linekurv stripping basket was provided for the purpose of this review. My independent status may change in the future but, as of the date of publication, no relationship other than described above has been pursued or established.

Fly Fishing Pyramid Lake – Day 3

April 22nd, 2013

2 Comments

By our third day of fly fishing Pyramid Lake, we were settling into a rhythm. We woke early and were the first ones on our beach. With headlamps on we waded out chest deep and set our ladders in hopes of tying into one of the really big 10+ pound fish. Although we landed several nice fish along with many other regular Pyramid Lake Lahontans, the big ones proved elusive.

Around 10 we pulled our ladders in order to check out of Crosby’s, and after a quick bite to eat, we scoped out several more beaches before landing on one that had very few fishermen on it. With the day coming to a close we continued to bring fish to the net. With the daylight fading, we called it a day and broke down our fly rods. As we drove away, I realized why all the “Pyramid guys” talk the way they do. The lake is something pretty special and I cannot wait to get back up there and plop my ladder back down in the sand and start stripping flies for big cutthroats.

2 - Kyle Fish — Pyramid Lake Lahontan Cutthroat

3 - Kyle Fish — Pyramid Lake Lahontan Cutthroat

5 - Lahontan — Pyramid Lake Lahontan Cutthroat

18 - No Fishing — Fly Fishing Pyramid Lake

6 - Kyle Fish — Pyramid Lake Lahontan Cutthroat

20 - Ladder Line — Ladders as far as the eye can see

28 - Black Beetle — Can you tell which one they liked?

30 - Splash — Pyramid Lake Lahontan Cutthroat

31 - Jake Fish — Pyramid Lake Lahontan Cutthroat

33 - Kyle Fish — Pyramid Lake Lahontan Cutthroat

1 - Pelican Beach Fish — Pyramid Lake Lahontan Cutthroat

Fly Fishing Pyramid Lake – Day 2

April 18th, 2013

15 Comments

1 - Early Morning Fish — Pyramid Lake Lahontan Cutthroat

Day 2 of fly fishing Pyramid Lake came very early. Based on what we had seen and experienced the first day, we headed out really early to get a spot on the beach. Ultimately, we found ourselves in the center of the action and began hooking up at first light. We found that during our time at Pyramid, stripping flies on heavy sinking lines was the ticket for consistant action. Fly fishing Pyramid Lake was unlike anything I had ever done before. I had worried on the way up that my small-stream-ADD-mentality would make the monotony of lake fishing unbearable, but hooking up on big, hard fighting Lahontan cutthroats was extremely rewarding.

We were able to hold some very respectable fish and left the water happy and satisfied.

2 - Ladder Line — Pyramid Lake Ladder Line

7 - Landon Fish — Pyramid Lake Lahontan Cutthroat

8 - Black Bugger — Pyramid Lake Lahontan Cutthroat on a Black Bugger

10 - Lahontan — Pyramid Lake Lahontan Cutthroat

12 - Kyle Lahontan — Pyramid Lake Lahontan Cutthroat

13 - Kyle Fish — Pyramid Lake Lahontan Cutthroat

14 - Popcorn Beetle — Another Lahontan falls for the Popcorn Beetle

15 - Black Bugger — Pyramid Lake Lahontan Cutthroat

3 - Hooked Up — Fly Fishing Pyramid Lake

18 - Black Beetle — Pyramid Lake Lahontan Cutthroat

Fly Fishing Pyramid Lake – Day 1

April 16th, 2013

8 Comments

A few months back, my good buddy Kyle, who writes over at Sleep When You’re Dead, started putting the word out about a possible fly fishing trip together for Pyramid Lake. When everything finally shook out and the final preperations were made, the trip consisted of Kyle, Landon, Jake, and myself. We loaded up my Tundra with ladders, gear, and a healthy dose of optimism and left the Valley of the Sun around 6 PM. We drove steadily through the night, talking about the places we fished and the places we hoped to fish, and arrived at Pyramid Lake just as the sun was rising over the mountains. The growing sunlight exposed the dramatic landscape, and we quickly donned waders and layers of clothing to keep out the cold. We quickly rigged our fly rods and soon casting our lines into this monstrous lake.

Unbelievably, my indicator was the first to dip and pretty soon I was holding one of the beautiful Lahontan cutthroat trout that grow in Pyramid Lake. At first, we focused on drifting big flashy nymphs under indicators, but we soon found that stripping flies on heavy sinking lines to be more productive (and less boring).

We fought fatigue from our all night drive and after switching beaches, we were all on the board with multiple fish brought to hand. Although the goal at Pyramid Lake is to catch a fish over 10 pounds (all the way upwards of 20), we were exctatic to be pulling fish in the 20-27″ range.

We called it a day as the sun dipped behind the mountains, and after a dinner of corndogs and french fries, we crashed for the night in preperation for an early morning on the water.

Pyramid Lake Fly Fishing

April 15th, 2013

6 Comments

We just rolled in last night from a 4 day road trip to Pyramid Lake. It was an awesome trip with tons of photos to sort through. Should have a thorough post up in the next few days.

Smith Creek New Zealand Products

April 11th, 2013

0 Comments

One of the coolest products that I have is the Smith Creek Net Holster. I did a review on it a while back and it’s one of those pieces of gear that has stood the test of time and abuse on the water.

Smith Creek New Zealand is always looking to fill a nitch or void in the fly fishing market and has come out with two new products this season that are pretty handy.

The Rod Clip - For those times when you are waist deep in the river and juggling your fly rod, flies, tippet and more, the rod clip seems to be the ticket.

The Trash Fish - No more tossing spent tippet and leaders in your pockets or streamside. Trash fish is the answer.

Arizona Fly Fishing: Scouting for Brown Trout

April 8th, 2013

10 Comments

I called Zach up earlier in the week to see if he could squeeze away for a day to run up north and do a bit of exploring on one of the creeks. I am always interested in new country figured with the weather holding steady for the past week or two, trout would be eager for streamers.

I missed a fish in the first pool and after that the day slowed to a crawl as we worked high off, off color water. Our hopes were not high for the day, but all of that changed when around two o’clock, Zach’s fly rod doubled over. With a few headshakes, one of the biggest brown trout I have seen in Arizona, slid into the net, and the canyon was filled with exclamations of joy and congratulations. After a few pictures and a quick tape, the giant 23″ brown trout slid back into the deep pool, to see another day.

An hour later, as I worked a different pool, a brightly colored brown of my own came to the net making the day complete. Both fish came on streamers and both fish were in excellent condition from the winter. It is exciting to see what this new season has in store.

Zach runs a real nice site and wrote up his story here. I imagine with his recent drawing of a 23N trophey elk rifle tag, we should be seeing some good stories coming out of him.

The Grand Canyon: Hiking the Bright Angel Trail

April 4th, 2013

2 Comments

36 - Getting ready to hike out — Silver Bridge

As I had written before, my wife and I had hiked down the South Kaibab trail and stayed two nights at Bright Angel Campground. After a wonderful day fly fishing Bright Angel Creek, we woke early to prepare for our hike out of the Grand Canyon. After a hearty breakfast, we broke camp and started to ascend the Bright Angel Trail. Although the Bright Angel Trail is longer than the South Kaibab Trail, there is water at the Indian Garden Campground which is roughly the halfway mark. We started early and hiked most of the day in the shade of the surrounding canyon walls. We burned through the first 6 miles of the trail rather quickly, but the last three miles of Bright Angel Trail is mostly switchbacks. We were forced to slow and take our time, pausing often to rest and drink plenty of water. Below is a photo journey of the sites along the trail. Bright Angel Trail is very beautiful and I was happy that we were able to see both South Kaibab and Bright Angel Trails on our trip.

As I did with the South Kaibab Trail, I took notes of our times and stops along the way (although the last three miles were filled with many stops.