TL;DR: The fishing creel -- a woven basket used to keep caught fish alive and fresh -- has been in use since at least 1250 AD, when the word first entered written English, but was likely ancient long before that. By the late 1800s, imported Japanese and Korean wicker creels had become standard among American anglers, driving a cottage industry of leather reinforcement work centered in Oregon. John Burch and Arnold Morton patented a refined creel design in 1929 with a drop chute for adding fish without opening the lid. Original patent prints are available framed or unframed.
The word "creel" appears in written English records as early as 1250 AD -- and even then it was referring to something fishermen had already been using long enough that it needed a name. That makes the creel one of the older pieces of fishing equipment with any traceable history, predating most of the tackle technology that now surrounds it by centuries.
A creel is, at its most basic, a woven basket worn on the body and kept wet to preserve the fish inside. The design works on simple biology: cool, moist air circulates through the weave, slowing the deterioration of freshly caught fish. Anglers using hand lines and early rods in rivers and streams could keep fish alive or at least fresh for hours using nothing more than a basket, some moisture, and occasionally a handful of wet ferns.
The Creel in Early Fishing Culture
Creels appear throughout the fishing traditions of Europe, Asia, and the British Isles. In Scotland and Ireland, where fly fishing for trout and salmon developed early, the creel became inseparable from the image of the angler -- a wicker basket worn at the hip or shoulder, lined with damp grass or fern fronds, the accumulated weight of the morning's catch shifting as the day progressed.
The functional requirements of a good creel were specific. The weave needed to be open enough to allow airflow but tight enough that fish could not push through. The lid needed a secure closure that could be opened with one hand while holding a rod in the other. The strap needed to be comfortable enough to wear for a full day's fishing. And the whole structure needed to be lightweight -- a wet creel carrying several pounds of fish was already significant weight to carry along a riverbank.
In Europe, creel making was a skilled craft. Willow and wicker were the preferred materials: flexible enough to weave into complex shapes, light enough to carry all day, and locally abundant near the rivers and streams where fishing was done. Regional variations developed, with different basket shapes, lid configurations, and strap styles adapted to local fishing conditions and aesthetic preferences.
The American Market and the Import Trade
By the late 1800s, recreational fishing had become one of the most popular outdoor pursuits in the United States. Fly fishing for trout, in particular, was growing rapidly among urban professionals seeking outdoor recreation, and the gear market that served them was expanding accordingly.
American anglers adopted the creel enthusiastically, but American craftsmen were not producing them in quantity. The wicker and willow creels that flooded the U.S. market in the late 19th century were imported, primarily from Japan, China, and Korea. Asian craftsmen had long traditions of basket weaving and were producing creels in sufficient volume and at low enough price points to supply the American market efficiently.
The imported creels were functional and affordable, but they had a durability problem. American anglers, many of whom fished hard terrain and spent long days in the field, found that the imported wicker creels wore out quickly under sustained use. The weave would loosen at stress points, particularly around the lid hinge and the strap attachment points. After a season or two of regular fishing, a creel that had started life sturdy would become fragile and ultimately unusable.
The response to this durability problem created an industry of its own.
The Oregon Leather Creel Trade
When American anglers realized their imported creels needed reinforcement, they turned to leather as the solution. Strips of leather stitched over the stress points -- lid edges, strap attachments, hinge areas, and base corners -- dramatically extended a creel's working life. A well-leathered creel that might otherwise have lasted a season or two could be made to last a decade.
Oregon became the center of this leathered creel trade, for reasons connected to the state's existing leather industry and its proximity to the Pacific. George Lawrence Co. was one of the most prominent businesses operating in this space. The company applied high-quality leather trimming to imported wicker creels, producing a hybrid product that combined the craftsmanship of Asian basket weaving with American leather work.
The leathered creel became a premium product -- more expensive than the unmodified import but worth it to serious anglers who fished regularly and needed equipment that would last. Oregon leathered creels were sold through sporting goods dealers across the country and became associated with a certain standard of quality in the fly fishing community.
The craft involved was not trivial. Leather has to be cut to precise dimensions to fit the contours of a wicker basket, stitched with consistent tension to avoid puckering, and treated to resist the constant moisture that comes with fishing in and around water. The best creel leathers were supple enough to flex with the basket while being stiff enough to provide structural support at the points where the creel was most likely to fail.
Burch and Morton's 1929 Patent: The Drop Chute Problem
Most of the creel's long history involves incremental refinements in materials, proportions, and finishing. The patent filed by John Burch and Arnold Morton of Billings, Montana in 1929 addressed a more specific problem: how to add fish to the creel while fishing, without setting down the rod.
The traditional creel required the angler to open the lid, deposit the fish, and close the lid again. Opening the lid meant using two hands -- one to hold the lid open, one to deposit the fish. That meant setting the rod down or clamping it under an arm, fumbling with the creel latch while still in the water, and potentially losing the fish or missing another strike during the process.
Burch and Morton's design incorporated a drop chute: a separate, narrow opening on the creel that allowed a fish to be dropped in without opening the main lid at all. The chute was sized to accept a fish but small enough to prevent fish from escaping through it once inside. It could be operated with one hand while the other hand remained on the rod.
The design also included an organized interior compartment system for storing fishing tackle and equipment alongside the fish -- a recognition that anglers needed to carry hooks, line, leaders, and other small items and preferred to keep them accessible in the same piece of gear as their catch rather than distributed across multiple bags and pockets.
This was Burch and Morton's only granted patent. Two inventors from Billings, Montana, addressing a small but real inconvenience in a specific piece of fishing equipment that had been in use for centuries. The patent represents the kind of specific, practical problem-solving that fills the U.S. Patent Office's records: not a revolutionary invention, but a genuine improvement to a tool that had not changed in fundamentals for hundreds of years.
The Creel's Decline and Collectible Revival
The fishing creel gradually fell out of common use through the 20th century, displaced by two developments. The first was the rise of catch-and-release fishing, which eliminated the need to transport live or fresh fish at all. The second was the development of lightweight modern tackle bags with cooler compartments, which were more convenient for anglers who did want to keep fish.
Catch-and-release regulations, introduced by state fish and wildlife agencies beginning in the mid-20th century to protect overfished stocks, changed the fundamental purpose of the creel. If you were releasing every fish you caught, a container to hold them became unnecessary. The creel had always been a fish-keeping tool, not a fishing tool.
Today, the fishing creel occupies a different kind of space. Original antique creels -- particularly Oregon-leathered examples from the late 19th and early 20th century -- have become popular collectibles among fly fishing devotees and antique sports equipment enthusiasts. A well-preserved George Lawrence creel in good condition is a desirable object. The best examples are displayed rather than used, appreciated for their craftsmanship and their connection to a specific moment in American fishing history.
The Burch and Morton patent from 1929 represents that moment just before the creel's decline -- an inventor improving a tool at the end of its golden age, not knowing that the regulations and practices that would make it obsolete were coming.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a fishing creel?
A fishing creel is a woven basket, traditionally made from wicker or willow, worn on the body by anglers to store freshly caught fish. The open weave allows airflow to circulate, which keeps the fish cool and fresh. Anglers would line the interior with wet moss, ferns, or grass to further preserve the fish during a day of fishing. The word creel appears in written English records as early as 1250 AD.
Where were most American fishing creels made?
In the late 1800s, most fishing creels used in the United States were imported from Japan, China, and Korea. After American anglers found that the imported wicker creels wore out quickly, a trade developed around reinforcing them with leather -- primarily centered in Oregon. George Lawrence Co. was one of the most prominent businesses in this Oregon leather creel trade, producing premium leathered creels sold through sporting goods dealers across the country.
What was the Burch and Morton fishing creel patent?
In 1929, John Burch and Arnold Morton of Billings, Montana filed a U.S. patent for a fishing creel that included two specific improvements: a drop chute that allowed anglers to add fish to the creel without opening the main lid, and an organized interior compartment for storing fishing tackle. The drop chute allowed one-handed fish deposit while keeping the other hand on the rod. It was Burch and Morton's only granted patent.
Why did fishing creels fall out of use?
Fishing creels declined through the 20th century primarily because of the widespread adoption of catch-and-release fishing practices. As fish and wildlife agencies implemented catch-and-release regulations to protect overfished stocks, the creel's function -- transporting live or fresh fish -- became largely unnecessary. Modern tackle bags with cooler compartments also displaced the creel for anglers who did want to keep fish.
Are antique fishing creels collectible?
Yes. Original antique fishing creels -- particularly Oregon-leathered examples from the late 19th and early 20th century -- have become popular collectibles among fly fishing enthusiasts and antique sports equipment collectors. Well-preserved examples from prominent makers like George Lawrence Co. are especially sought after. The best examples are displayed as objects of craftsmanship rather than used for their original purpose.
Written by Rider Tuff, founder of Timeless Patents. Timeless Patents makes museum-quality patent art prints from original U.S. Patent Office documents, celebrating the inventors behind fishing, outdoor sports, and everyday tools. Every print is available framed or unframed, starting at $49.99. Shop the full fishing collection →
