How to Clean a Fish Creel

Fish creels are popular with fly fishermen. Creels, an innovation of the 1800s, allowed the angler to catch and store fish while keeping his hands free for fishing. The creel was most commonly a long, strapped, woven basket with a hole in the top or a hinged lid to drop fish into. A typical creel was 13 to 16 inches wide at the base and up to 12 inches tall. Creels need occasional cleaning, especially if they are used to hold fish.

Things You'll Need

  • Basket creel
  • Water
  • Hose
  • Mild soap
  • Nylon scrub brush
  • ½ cup chlorine bleach
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Instructions

    • 1

      Rinse the dusty creel with a hose, outside. This should be adequate to remove dust buildup. Let the basket dry thoroughly in the sun to avoid mold growth.

    • 2

      Wash a creel that has a fishy smell by filling a sink with warm water and a few drops of mild soap. Gently scrub the basket with a nylon brush while soaking it in the water. Rinse it thoroughly and allow it to dry in the sun to avoid mold growth.

    • 3

      Scrub a moldy creel by mixing ½ cup of chlorine bleach in a sink full of warm water. Scrub the creel by dipping a nylon scrub brush in the mixture and gently rubbing the moldy areas. Do not submerge the basket in the bleach water. Rinse thoroughly with clean water and allow it to dry in the sun before storing to avoid further mold growth.