How Do You Organize Your Flies?

[HookEmHorns]

I'm sure I'm not the only one on here that is completely Obsessive Compulsive. lol So how do you organize your flies?
Sorry if this isn't very good. Never started a poll before....

1. By hook size
2. Water you will be fishing in (Freshwater, Saltwater, Streams, Lakes, You get the idea)
3. By fish you go for
4. By season
5. Other (Please specify)

Just trying to get some ideas. Thanks guys.

 

[Troutwhisperer]

I out all of my flies in my boxes bye the type they are like all the nymphs have their own box, all my dries, and my streamers have their own boxes.

Inside i organize them by type like cadis and parachute and then i go by the flys name.

After that i go bye size from left being the biggest to right being the smallest

Confusing but thats how i organize it.

 

[Shane Stroud]

I do it more or less by species, but with a bit of difference. I have three fly boxes that I carry. One has all my dries, soft hackles, nymphs, scuds, and such. It's split between the sides, with wets on one side and dries on the other. The second is all bass poppers, big streamers, and bass flies. And the third is all buggers in various sizes and colors.

All my boxes are organized in truly organized OCD fashion though.

 

[Joni]

I set mine to what type of fly like already mentioned, but on streamers, I have one box with RABBIT streamers, one box with SOFTHACKLES (like Gartside) and one box with WOOLLIES
etc. then the box with Chronomids, one for Small Dries, one for LARGE foam dries, Nymps, etc.

I then have one small box that I keep empty, and load it with what flies I think I will need for whatever water I am fishing.

 

[Ard]

I use both the species and the season when grabbing some flies for the pocket or boat bag. Even if fishing for King Salmon I'll always have a few dry flies and featherwings along in case I find more trout & char than salmon.

 

[BigCliff]

I haven't put this system fully into place yet, but I plan on setting up some boxes based on rod usage. I've been tying up some bigger and heavier flies that won't throw well on my 3 or 4wt that I normally fish. That said, it doesn't make sense to crowd those boxes with flies only castable on 6+ wt rods, or to frustrate myself by having the perfect fly looking at me with the wrong rod in my hand to throw it. So I think my new BuggerBarn will have quite a few larger floating flies as well, as they and the larger streamers will be attached to a 6wt.

 

[FISHN50]

Organize !!!! Your supposed to organize them ????
I'm of the " I think I put that fly in here " mentality. But I might just do that... What a concept.

 

[Rip Tide]

I fish a lot of different water so I have a separate vest or bag for each type of fishing. Each 'system' has their own fly boxes, reels, and other necessary equipment needed for what I'll be doing
That way I can just grab and go.
For instance, in my trout tote bag, there's my loaded vest, boxes of extra flies, reels with different weight lines, my wading staff, extra sun glasses, reading glassed, extra tippet spools..etc.
And I have a similar set-up for salt, salt-kayak, warmwater-canoe, trout-canoe, and summer stream smallies.
:frogdance

 

[glassroddr]

By species: boxes for trout, another for bass and finally another for pike/gar. The atlantic salmon flies have their own fly wallet. I like to be able to take off on a moments notice, especially for trout.:icon_wink

 

[jclampwork88]

type of fly/bug they represent. ex caddis, streamer, dry, etc.

John

 

[Cooler00]

So far I've been sorting by type. Nymphs and emergers in one box, dries and terrestrials in another, buggers where they can fit in around the others.

Scott

 

[gjcordray]

Pretty standard stuff for me. I have six fly boxes now, all small enough to fit at least four into my vest. Since I tie probably 75% of my own flies, I usually only carry 6-12 of each specific pattern at any one time unless I am going on a long trip.

1. Dries
2. Mayfly and Caddis nymphs
3. Midges
4. Streamers
5. Terrestrials
6. Lake or species specific

Insie they are organized by pattern and size. I am kind of a boy scout when it comes to organizing all my fly fishing gear.

 

[Flyfisher for men]

My attempts at organization inevitable disintegrate into this: Put one on the end of the leader. Put the rest somewhere else in the vest.

Every once in awhile, I'll organize flies, normally before a big vacation trip. It ends up being by type.

 

[Pocono]

Here's a "trout only " answer from a person who fishes mostly trout.

Dries on the left; by the season (little black stones, blue quills, hendricksons/red quills, quill gordons, march browns, sulfurs, green drakes, slate drakes, yellow sallies, caddis, attractors (humpies, wulffs, stims). Soft hackles at the bottom on the left side (partridge and almost anything, Leisenring/Hiddy patterns).

Nymphs on the right (pheasant tails, hare's ears, princes, chironomids, worm patterns). Small selection of terrestrials (ants, chernobyl ants, hoppers, crickets), buggers/streamers at the bottom on the right side.

That's box #1! It's a good sized box! :smile:

 

[HuronRiverDan]

I am of the species specific mode for my boxes...Steelies I have my nymph box and my egg box and a box for streamers. For stream trout, I do the same, dry box and wet box. For my Hex fishing at night, hex patterns and a few mice thrown in. Smallies pretty much the same program... But in all my boxes I may have a few of the other type; just in case...lol

Dan

 

[Frank Whiton]

Hi to all,

I have my Alaska boxes, San Juan boxes, Saltwater boxes, Bass box and a dry fly box. I generally carry the flies I plan to use for the day in one or two small boxes. My San Juan boxes should really be called my Tail-water boxes.

Frank

 

[Softouch333]

Three boxes: Big, medium, and small.

Big: streamers, buggers, muddlers, poppers, taratulas. (This doubles as my smallmouth box.)
Medium: Mix of dries, wets, terrestrials, and nymphs size 10-16. This is typically the only back country box I'll carry though I might throw in a few buggers.
Small: Midges and tiny dries. Keep em handy for tail-water and clear water solutions.

I have one extra 16 compartment double side fly box, that is strictly for reloading and doesn't go to the water. Dries in compartments and others on felt.

My problem is taking too many flies, and this set-up limits me a little.

 

[Steelhead Junkie]

I "organize" them by type. I use boxes with ripple foam on one side and flat on the other. On the foam, I start at the "top" of the box with dries, and after I got 'em in the box I go on to wets, then nymphs. On the flat side I start at the "bottom" and put the flies in by type so that the eyes of the hooks on the ripple side are facing the opposite direction of the ones on the flat side. Then I start off with streamers, and sort them by type, Bucktails, Buggers, Featherwings, Marabou, ect. Then I toss the rest in at the bottom. The rest includes bass bugs, poppers,ect.

 

[axle27]

I usually organize them by type, then by size. Grouping things together: streamers, tricos, midges, etc. The only exception is my terrestrials. I have a few in each box, usually in the lid. They are larger than most anything else I carry and my Morel boxes are not the largest. But, I try to keep the same types together like ants, hoppers, crickets....

 

[troutdoorsman]

Do the little plastic cups from the fly shops count? Just throw them all in there and call it good! He he. 2 boxes for nymphs, one box for dries, small box for wet flies, a midge box and one for streamers.