The Flexistripper is a stripping basket, at its core, but it's the best version of one you can buy. Strip away the sides and you get something that solves the problems a traditional basket never quite fixes. Nothing can turn a frustratingly windy day into a great day quite like the Flexistripper.
If you're fishing streamers in lakes, especially wading, this is the piece of kit you didn't know you needed. Running line has nowhere to go but around your ankles when you're wading, and that's exactly when a basket earns its keep. The Flexistripper keeps your line off your feet and out from underfoot, so nothing slows down or fouls your next cast.
It's just as handy in a boat or walking a shoreline. Any time you've got loose line piling up somewhere it shouldn't, this sorts it.
Wind is where it really shows its worth. Because there are no sides to catch the breeze, you can shift the Flexistripper around your hip to sit it out of a crosswind, something a rigid basket simply can't do. Less tangling, less frustration, more casts that actually go where you want them.
Why it works
The flexible silicone pegs catch your loops as you strip, then release them clean when you shoot. No snags, no line hanging up on a lip or corner. Every cast starts clean, which means every cast can be your best cast.
Placement
Right handed casters usually sit it slightly to the left, left handers slightly to the right. Wear it around the hip normally, and slide it up your torso when you're wading deeper, so it clears the water. The neoprene belt flexes enough to make that adjustment without any real fuss.
Assembly
The base plate comes with the pegs unattached.
- Cut the pegs free from the moulding with a sharp utility knife
- Push each one up through the base from underneath
- Pull through until the rounded end sits flush against the plate
- Don't glue them in, so you can replace one easily if it wears out
- Thread the belt through the two slots and adjust to length
Ready to fish.
Maintenance tip
Pegs bent out of shape? Pop the Flexistripper (belt off) into a warm oven at 90 to 100 degrees Celsius for 5 to 10 minutes, then let it cool. Straightens right up.
Features
- Includes neoprene belt and Flexistripper base
- No sides means nothing to catch the wind, and nothing bulky to store
- Flexible pegs hold loops securely, then release with almost no resistance
- Six colours available
Our take
If you fish streamers from a lake shore, wade deep water, or spend time working a shoreline or fishing from a boat, this is the stripping basket to have. It does everything a traditional basket does, without the bulk and without giving the wind something to grab onto.