How I made a lobster Creel

I was given  4 lobster pots by Davy Bell however as my father was a fisherman and had taught me how to knit nets I decided to make my own

The traditional way to make a lobster pot in the Belfast lough was slated wooden base with hazel whips. It is logical to use what is available and in this area they use heavy solid plastic piping and bend it  into  the shape of  bows using the vice as a lever. I made the base from oak on larch for sturdiness, however  pallet wood could serve the purpose. The larch timber was cut into 28"x19" lengths.

Once I was happy with the frame I drilled out the slots for the bows to slot into. Then I had a frame to strengthen up further.

A lot of pots round here are made with machine net and it is fine but I decided to knit my own. I used 3 mm netting twine and netting needle to make the half hitch knots.

 I stretched each loop to 1 1/2 "  slowly building up the net until I had enough to cover the frame.

The next stage was to stretch the net and make it firm to the sides of the frame.I used clouts to attach it to the base and drew the ends together with twine.

I cut the trap entrance, sealed the ends with heat and then I was ready to work on to the funnel which is completed with a hard eye.



I cut an entrance to be able to bait the creel and retrieve the catch!

The creel was nearly ready but as this coastline in the North Sea you have to prepare your creel for the weather so I roped it before adding the connector line.

Before any of these pots can be fished they need to be registered with Northumberland Fisheries and allocated  tags to identify the owner and comply with the Fisheries Laws.