Abstract:
An improved stripping basket for fly fishing is disclosed. The stripping basket is easily compacted for stowing while on board a boat, or for packing the stripping basket in a suitcase for travel to a fishing destination. The basket comprises multiple removable line separators and drainage holes in a base plate. The base plate folds towards the front wall of the stripping basket. The front wall has multiple slits that correspond to the arrangement of the line separators. With the line separators still attached to the base plate, the stripping basket can be quickly unfolded for use. This is convenient when on board a boat, awaiting a turn to fish. For longer term storage, such when packing in a suitcase for travel, the line separators can be removed for maximum portability.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to fishing equipment. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a stripping basket which is suitable for use during fly fishing. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    In the sport of fly fishing and fly casting, the user (fisherman) attempts to place a hook, disguised or dressed with colorful lightweight natural or synthetic materials, in a particular location where it will hopefully attract the attention, and incite the strike of a fish. The fly itself usually has very little weight and it, together with its camouflaged hook, are attached to the free end of a length of light test line, such as light monofilament line which is then attached to a heavier line usually specially designed for fly casting. The fly line is initially stored on a reel which is located at the butt end of a light weight fly casting rod. The sport of fly casting and fly fishing is not similar to other types of fishing, such as surf casting in which a single cast is sufficient to propel a hook and a sinker or a lure away from the fisherman and to pull the attached line off its reel. In fly casting, the fly, hook and its associated line is positioned aloft by a series of movements of the fly casting rod in a somewhat back and forth or whip-like fashion which energizes and casts the line. As is well known in the art of fly casting and fly fishing, the force of the fly being cast is not sufficient to propel the line in a cast or to pull it off the reel upon which it is stored. 
         [0003]    A fly fisherman typically pulls a length of line off the reel of his fly casting rod and deposits this pulled or stripped line either directly onto the surface of the body of water in which he is wading, or more typically into or onto some type of line support that he has attached to himself. Fly fishermen do not generally use the reel to move the line or fly. The line and fly are pulled or moved manually by the fly fisherman. The retrieved line is then either held in the fisherman&#39;s hand or deposited on the water or on the floor of a boat awaiting the next cast. Many fly casters have constructed crude stripped line receiving devices from plastic dish pans or other similar generally shallow plastic receptacles. A variety of stripping baskets are available today. However, they all have shortcomings that detract from the enjoyment and pleasure that would otherwise be derived from the sport. These shortcomings may include allowing for a limited range of motion while “stripping” the line, as well as ease of storage for travel. Furthermore, since fly fishing from a boat may involve working in a confined and crowded area, it is desirable to have a basket that is conducive for use in such an environment. Therefore, it is desirable to have an improved stripping basket to overcome the shortcomings of the currently available stripping baskets. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    The present invention provides an improved stripping basket for fly fishing. The stripping basket is easily compacted for stowing while on board a boat, or for packing the stripping basket in a suitcase for travel to a fishing destination. The basket comprises a plurality of removable line separators and drainage holes in a base plate. The base plate folds towards the front wall of the stripping basket. The front wall has a plurality of slits that correspond to the arrangement of the line separators. In the compact configuration, the stripping basket folds, and the line separators traverse the slits to allow for considerable reduction in the amount of space taken up by the basket. With the line separators still attached to the base plate, the stripping basket can be quickly unfolded for use. This is convenient when on board a boat, awaiting a turn to fish. For longer term storage, such when packing in a suitcase for travel, the line separators can be removed for maximum portability. 
         [0005]    In addition to the portability advantages, various other advantages are provided by the stripping basket of the present invention. Since fly fishing involves considerable technique, it is desirable to maximize the range of motion allowed when pulling the line in (stripping). The present invention provides a convenient means for wearing the stripping basket below waist level, with adjustable height and angles. This allows a user to establish a comfortable position for the stripping basket. Quick release fasteners (such as hook-and-loop fasteners, snaps, and buttons, for example) allow the basket to be quickly removed or attached from a waist belt that is worn by the user. Furthermore, a rod holding strap may be optionally included in the stripping basket. This provides further convenience during fly fishing, as it is often necessary to make adjustments to lines or lures that require both hands. These and other advantages will become more apparent by reading the detailed description that follows. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0006]      FIG. 1  shows a top-down perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0007]      FIG. 2  shows an additional top-down perspective view of the embodiment of  FIG. 1 , with the base plate removed. 
           [0008]      FIG. 3  shows a front perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0009]      FIG. 4  shows a perspective view of a stripping basket in accordance with the present invention being worn by a user. 
           [0010]      FIG. 5  shows a detailed view of the harness used with a stripping basket in accordance with the present invention. 
           [0011]      FIG. 6  shows a side cutaway view of a stripping basket in accordance with the present invention during preparation for stowing. 
           [0012]      FIG. 7  shows a top-down view of a stripping basket in accordance with the present invention during preparation for stowing. 
           [0013]      FIG. 8  shows a side view of a stripping basket in accordance with the present invention in a stowed configuration. 
           [0014]      FIG. 9  shows a side view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0015]      FIG. 1  shows a top-down perspective view of a stripping basket  100  in accordance with the present invention. The stripping basket  100  comprises a box structure comprised of front wall  120 , two side walls  116 A and  116 B, and rear wall  124 . In one embodiment, the front wall  120  is made of a sturdy plastic, and the side walls  116 A and  116 B, and rear wall  124  are comprised of nylon-covered panels. Side walls  116 A and  116 B are foldable. The base plate  104  serves as the bottom of the interior of basket  100 . The base plate  104  has a plurality of line separators, indicated generally as  108 . Note that for the sake of clarity, not all of the line separators in  FIG. 1  are indicated with a reference number. The base plate  104  also has a plurality of drainage holes  112 . Note that for the sake of clarity, not all of the drainage holes in  FIG. 1  are indicated with a reference number. 
         [0016]    In this embodiment, each line separator  108  is a “loop” structure that extends from base plate  104 , and loops back to base plate  104 . Hence, line separator  108  is referred to as a loop line separator. The purpose of the line separators  108  is to reduce the risk of entanglement of the fishing line as it is placed into the basket  100 . In one embodiment, each line separator  108  is formed of heavy-duty nylon line, such as that used in a line trimmer for trimming weeds. The line separators  108  are preferably held in place via a friction fit, and are removable for storage, or to configure the basket  100  with the desired number and arrangement, per user preference. In  FIG. 1 , the line separators  108  are arranged in two rows. However, other configurations are possible, and within the scope of the present invention. 
         [0017]      FIG. 2  shows an additional top-down perspective view of the embodiment of  FIG. 1 , with the base plate  104  removed. The base plate  104  is removable to facilitate compact storage. The base plate  104  is supported by a mesh  128  that is connected to the bottom of the front wall  120 , rear wall  124 , and side walls  116 A and  116 B. The mesh  128  is pliable, and may be formed by nylon straps. 
         [0018]      FIG. 3  shows a front perspective view of the embodiment of  FIG. 1 . In this view, the front wall  120  is shown to have a plurality of slits  132 , and two fasteners,  136 A and  136 B. The purpose of the slits  132  is to facilitate quick and convenient collapsing of the stripping basket  100 . Note that for the sake of clarity, not all of the slits in  FIG. 3  are indicated with a reference number. 
         [0019]      FIG. 3  also illustrates the use of the optional rod holder  144 , which fastens around a fishing rod  140 , in order to help support the rod  140  on basket  100 . Rod holder  144  may be implemented as a nylon strap that is attached (e.g. sewn) to basket  100 , and has fastening means such as a snap, button, or hook-and-loop fastener, to attach a corresponding fastener on the interior side of the rear wall  124  of the basket  100 , thereby securing the fishing rod  140  in place. This feature may be used to free the user&#39;s hands. This can be useful during fly fishing to prepare fishing lures, for example. Fasteners  136 A and  136 B may be hook-and-loop fasteners, such as VELCRO. Alternatively, snaps, buttons, or other fasteners may be used, without departing from the scope of the present invention. 
         [0020]      FIG. 4  shows a perspective view of a stripping basket  100  in accordance with the present invention being worn by a user  148 . To wear the basket  100 , the user  148  wears a belt  152  around the waist. Attached to waist belt  152  are height adjustment straps,  156 A and  156 B. The length of straps  156 A and  156 B are adjustable by the user. The basket  100  is connected to the adjustment straps  156 A and  156 B, such that front wall  120  is facing away from user  148 . By varying the length of the straps  156 A and  156 B, it is possible to achieve a wide variety of height and angle combinations. In  FIG. 4 , strap  156 A is adjusted to be longer than strap  156 B. This creates a forward-facing angle for basket  100 . The straps  156 A and  156 B also allow the basket  100  to be worn lower on the body. The forward-facing angle, combined with the lower position of the basket  100 , provide for an improved range of motion for the user  148  during the stripping of fishing line. Note that while the illustrated embodiment uses two adjustment straps, it is possible to have more than two adjustment straps, without departing from the scope of the present invention. 
         [0021]      FIG. 5  shows a detailed view of the belt  152  used with a stripping basket in accordance with the present invention. Attached to belt  152  are two height adjustment straps,  156 A and  156 B. The length of straps  156 A and  156 B are adjustable by the user via standard adjustment loops (not shown). Strap  156 A has male fastener  160 A, and strap  156 B has female fastener  160 B. During normal use, strap  156 A and strap  156 B are fastened to a stripping basket. However, there are situations where it is desirable to remove the stripping basket, such as on a crowded boat, while awaiting a turn to fish. By having complimentary fasteners, strap  156 A may be fastened to strap  156 B when the stripping basket is removed, keeping the straps  156 A and  156 B from dangling, and possibly getting caught on something, while on a boat. 
         [0022]      FIG. 6  shows a side cutaway view of a stripping basket  100  in accordance with the present invention during preparation for stowing. Base plate  104  is folded towards front wall  120  (as indicated by arrow). The line separators  108  are configured to fit through slits  132  ( FIG. 3 ) to provide optimal compactness during stowing. In one embodiment, base plate  104  is removable, and is simply placed against front wall  120  for storage. In another embodiment, the base plate  104  is foldable. In this embodiment, the base plate  104  is attached to stripping basket  100  at pivot point  123 , thereby allowing the base plate  104  to be folded in to position against front wall  120 . 
         [0023]      FIG. 7  shows a top-down view of a stripping basket  100  in accordance with the present invention during preparation for stowing. After base plate  104  is folded against front wall  120 , with line separators  108  protruding through slits  132  ( FIG. 3 ), the side walls  116 A and  116 B are collapsed to compact the basket  100 . In this figure, basket straps  163 A and  163 B are visible, and are attached to rear wall  124  of basket  100 . During use, strap  163 A attaches to strap  156 A ( FIG. 4 ), and strap  163 B attaches to strap  156 B ( FIG. 4 ). Straps  164 A and  164 B comprise fasteners  168 A and  168 B, respectively, which fasten to fasteners  136 A and  136 B, respectively, when the basket  100  is stowed. In one embodiment, the fastening means comprises hook-and-loop fasteners. However, another fastening means, including, but not limited to, snaps, buttons, or clips, may be used, without departing from the scope of the present invention. 
         [0024]      FIG. 8  shows a side view of a stripping basket  100  in accordance with the present invention in a stowed configuration. In this configuration, rear wall  124  is placed against front wall  120 , with line separators  108  protruding through front wall  120 . The rear wall  124  is held to the front wall  120  via straps  164 A and  164 B ( 164 B is not visible in this view). 
         [0025]      FIG. 9  shows a side view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention. Stripping basket  200  has line separators  208 , which are relatively straight, as opposed to the “loop” line separator  108  shown in the previous figures. Hence, line separator  208  is referred to as a straight line separator. Stripping basket  200  further comprises storage compartment  217 , which is convenient for storing additional line separators  208 , or other fly fishing apparatus. 
         [0026]    It will be understood that the present invention may have various other embodiments. Furthermore, while the form of the invention herein shown and described constitutes a preferred embodiment of the invention, it is not intended to illustrate all possible forms thereof. It will also be understood that the words used are words of description rather than limitation, and that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention disclosed. Thus, the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents, rather than solely by the examples given.