Fish Baskets

[GRIZZ]

How many of you use fish baskets? I never have. I hate the way it shreds their fins. Makes em look awful for pictures. I think they are especially bad for fish that will be released.

[hunt4crappie]

Only when I fish in Wisconsin with my Dad. All he fishes for are bluegill. He doesn't care about pictures or releasing the fish. He just wants them to eat so he doesn't care if the basket messes up the fins.

[naildriver]

I used them alot in the past-- shore/pier fishing for lake perch on lake michigan [no boat], pothole lakes for crappie [ no livewell ] they worked great for panfish-keeping them fresh till they met the knife. they were also much quicker than stringing up the fish! nd

[matt s.]

yeah i don't use them for release fish as well,ones that go into the basket usally go home with me.

[Glowgood Jigster]

We always use baskets. They work great for our rowboat, pontoon boats, or float tube. Found out the hard way that stringers on a float tube means more punctured tubes by fish spines, and baskets keep those spines away from my tubes.
Here my wife shows off her basket full of crappie and bluegill, and one nice slab on the hook.

[DRPEPPER]

I guess the only reason I have to use mine is when I am wading. I fish a spot when the level is right on Quachita here in Arkansas in the early summer. The bream spawn on a hump about knee deep. I love to get out of my boat in the middle of the lake and wade for them and I will keep them in my basket.

I used to live near the coast in Texas. They were good for keeping the crabs from eating your catch while you were wading.
DP

[bowdenja]

Only use them to wade fish also.................. mostly in the Pearl River below the Ross Barnett Dam. We (Bubba and me) modified ours by putting a wheel barrow tire inner tube around the top and tying it off with rope or tie-wraps.

After many punctures from Ole mister whisker's fins I started filling up the tubes with that expandable foam............. it's messy but works great.

Now you can get them with styrofoam rings around them at Academy Sports............. but I like mine better:D

john

[chaunc]

I gave up on em after losing fish out the bottom. Spring seemed tight but the last 2 times i used mine the fish escaped out the bottom somehow.

[CrappieHusker]

If I go to a lake where I rent a boat without a livewell there really is no choice but to use a basket if fish are kept. On our dock if I am keeping fish I will use a wire basket to put a few fish in (unless they are too big) then transfer them to my live box that has a window swivel-type lock on it. We have a lot of raccoons and otters around and they easily get the fish out of the basket. One night my son had caught 3 really nice eating size blue cat and 4 or 5 nice crappie he was going to fillet to take home. He forgot to lock the box and poooof.....no fish when he went down the next morning.
I remember fishing several times having a snapping turtle or a snake get into a wire basket. On our dock a snake even got into my livebox. Leaned down to put a crappie into it and there was a 4 foot long water snake that had crawled in through a small hole in the wire mesh and was trying to get at the other crappies in the box.. Surprise...Surprise!

[twojigginjohn]

i like fish baskets. use them to wade also, use a wheelbarre tire tube also, as the basket fills up, it seems to attract more crappie, and it releases them unharmed on to my cuttin board