Fly Fishing Creel – Keep Your Catch Fresh

One of the most iconic items in all of fly fishing is the fly fishing creel. Images of old time fly fishing are brought to mind when thinking of the creel. A vintage fly fishing creel will add a lot of character to your setup, and there is nothing like a decorative fly fishing creel for sprucing up your living room or fly tying bench. Below, we will discuss the types of fly fishing creels, and why you might want to add one to your fly fishing arsenal.

Wicker Fly Fishing Creel

The most common type of fly fishing creel is made of wicker. These fly fishing creel baskets are lightweight to carry. The purpose of a creel is to keep the fish you catch fresh during the rest of your fishing day. You won’t always be able to clean your fish and throw the fillets in a cooler, especially if you are on foot in a remote area. Imagine you are fly fishing on a remote river in Alaska’s backcountry. You plan on eating some of the fish you catch. While you are wading and walking along the river, the best way to store and transport your fish is by using a fly fishing creel.

Newer Fly Fishing Creel Options

Older wicker creels were lined with moss to help keep the fish cool. They usually come without the moss, so you can add fresh moss when you get to your fishing hole. The cracks in the wicker allow air to flow through to keep the fish as fresh as possible. Now a days, there are fly fishing creel bags that do basically the same thing, but have a few advantages. They are lighter (made of plastic), fold up very small, and can be integrated with different ice packs to form sort of a cooler.

Whether you like the vintage look of a wicker creel, or the newer technology of plastic creel bags, look for a good deal on a fly fishing creel for sale today, so you will be able to keep your catch fresh while you continue to fish. Happy fishing!