Art,
You can never be too tall or have arms too long....
As for stripping baskets in the surf - in heavy water they
are troublesome no matter what design or configuration. I like
to use a plastic dishpan or small wastepaper basket. I stud the
bottom with heavy mono (use a glue gun ) and drill a bunch of holes
for drainage. Key here is to use a bungie cord to secure the basket.
This allows you to push the basket down on your hip or thigh (gunslinger
style) for use in shallow water or reposition the basket higher as
you wade deeper into the suds. But the most compelling reason is that
bungie will break or release if you're caught by a wave or take a
dip