Fly box organization

[flyminded]

I have an annual debate with myself about how best to organize trout flies in boxes ..yes I have too many flies and too many boxes.

But how do you arrange your flies ...by time of year or by fly species or by region (if you fish east and west or in between).

I tend to morph into a time of year/fly species - Caddis, midges, streamers, terrestrials, all get their own box - as do olives, these being the bugs or styles of fishing in the case of streamers I might choose to focus on during any given day on the water.

Then I have region/time of year boxes based on my “regular” trips.

But every year my brain goes into meltdown during tidyup/ new season checking/reorganization time trying to invent a new wheel.

Be interested to hear how others manage an over population of flies and fly boxes, I’m sure I’m not alone with this affliction.

 

[el jefe]

Man, does this story sound familiar. I drive myself absolutely bat-excrement crazy organizing, and re-organizing, and re-re-organizing my stuff.

I fish mostly small stuff, so my solution may not work for you. I got a Wheatley flat-foam swing-leaf fly box, and I get everything in there (with the exception of attractor and other larger dry flies, and streamers). I organize the rows by type, size, and color within size. Everything is so easy to see, and you can get thousands of flies into a single box. The simplest solution for me has been the most effective. Such a fly box may be pretty expensive (I also bought used, which made a big difference), but it is less than the cost of the boxes it replaced. Plus, you can replace the foam in the Wheatley boxes.

 

[dillon]

I have several boxes of trout flies. Most of them contain a single species or two. A pmd box, a caddis box, midge box, terrestrials, and so forth. I end up taking several boxes a stream and often fumble through my vest looking for the one i want. Last season i came up with a solution I like. I bought a small Tacky fly box called The Day Box. It holds 90 trout flies.

When I am preparing for a day on the river, perhaps while drinking my morning coffee in our Henrys fork camp, I organize my flies for the day in the day box. I take out all my boxes and put several of the flies I think I might need that day in it. So I might end up with something like some PMD emergers and duns in sz 16 and 18. A few green drakes and flav dun and emerger patterns. A few beetles and ants. Maybe a few different caddis patterns. As I run out, or need something different. I can then go into the main boxes stashed in my vest. I also keep a large box of flies in my trout trip kit and a tying vice. This system has simplified things a little bit.

 

[zjory]

Spent the last year on this. I used to carry all the flies. Then decided I would simplify, but ran into a couple occasions where I didn’t have a fly and wished I did. I think I’ve hit a happy medium. Below is a picture of current boxes I use. I change which ones I carry based on season. This time of year I carry the nymph box, the streamer box and the little box which is a mix of nymphs, emergers and dries. I change the little box based on time of year to carry the stuff I don’t use much, ie I have the top full of dries now as I like to carry a few this time of year since you never know what you’ll run into, but it would be crazy to carry a full size dry box in winter. In summer I’ll carry the dry box, hopper box, and the small box will be full of nymphs (I’ll put a few streamers in the foam bit of my hip pack). In spring runoff I’ll often head out with just the streamer box. In fall I’ll carry the streamer box and the dry box with the tiny box a mix of hoppers and terrestrials.

 

[scotty macfly]

:shocking: :wow::faint:

I am so glad I don't have this problem. I carry just a few flies at a time. The more flies I carry, the more confusion and time I spend looking into that box trying to figure out what fly to use.

I have a good friend in Buena Vista who fishes one fly, in different sizes. He taught me that presentation is the key, not so much the fly. I kind of questioned it at first, but found out on my own that he kind of knows a thing or two. He said that trying to choose what fly to use takes too much actual time from actual fishing. I like his thinking. And if the fish don't want what he offers, they can go without.

 

[satyr]

I arrange by fly type too. I use the small Myran boxes with 12 compartments and can carry around 144 flies per box. I have a parachute mayfly box, a caddis box, a hopper box, an attractor box, a nymph box, a small Tacky box of streamers and a few others. Depending on where and when I am fishing I bring the appropriate boxes. Fishing small creeks I may only bring one or two boxes. Fishing some place technical I might bring everything I own.

Then I also have a 'reject' box of those flies I no longer want to fish. This box gets given to guests so that if they lose it I don't freak out. If there is something that I know they will need that isn't in that box I will add a few so they aren't badly disadvantaged.

 

[zjory]

:shocking: :wow::faint:

I am so glad I don't have this problem. I carry just a few flies at a time. The more flies I carry, the more confusion and time I spend looking into that box trying to figure out what fly to use.

I have a good friend in Buena Vista who fishes one fly, in different sizes. He taught me that presentation is the key, not so much the fly. I kind of questioned it at first, but found out on my own that he kind of knows a thing or two. He said that trying to choose what fly to use takes too much actual time from actual fishing. I like his thinking. And if the fish don't want what he offers, they can go without.

What’s the Buena Vista secret fly?

 

[ottosmagic13]

I'm not picky about my boxes. I don't feel the need to take everything with me or have everything perfectly placed.

Roughly I have a box for bass/panfish, popper/topwater, streamers, dries, and a nymph/midge box. I have a few Plano boxes with randoms and extras of the flies that I use most often.

The nymph/midge box stays in my sling pack and the others rotate as needed.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G928A using Tapatalk

 

[tcorfey]

I change mine up all the time not only which fly's but which boxes I carry.

This year has been tough temps going up and down, no rain to speak of.

Just changed it around last week and currently carrying 2 Tacky boxes:
General box with various colors, sizes and types from 24's to 12's.
5 rows of nymphs (unweghted, beadheads and weighted)
2 rows soft hackles
6 rows of drys (parachutes, hackled, EHC, duns and emergers)
1 row Skawala imitations

2nd box
Streamers, micro streamers and large stonefly nymphs.

Both fit easily in my chest pack.

At home I have many boxes organized by fly type, size, color, etc...

Regards,

Tim C.

 

[flav]

For trout I always carry two small boxes, one with dries and one with nymphs and streamers. I add in a small salmonfly box or stillwater box when I need them. They all fit in a small chest pack with room to spare.

I also have a medium sized steelhead box, and a medium sized salwater box that I use when I'm in those situations. For warm water I have a zip lock baggie with about 6 flies that I carry in my pocket.

 

[scotty macfly]

What’s the Buena Vista secret fly?

It's no secret. The Adams. He fishes it because it doesn't really resemble anything, but using different sizes it mimics many things.

He does use different flies at times, but its the same technique using different sizes.

He's a smart man.

 

[blogflyfish]

here is the summary. I carry with me just three fly boxes: "starters" in a C&F chest patch, and two boxes filled with "back-up" flies (a magnetized panel for sizes 20 to 30 (I often fish tailwaters), and the second for size 18 and larger). I leave in the car a box of "in reserve" flies to replenish my other boxes should I run low.

 

[mikechell]

I am SOOOO glad I don't have any trout in my State. I don't have the need to carry hundreds of different patterns just to catch a 4 inch long brook trout.
About 6 different patterns, two or three different sizes ... maybe 60 flies total in my Plano compartment box.

 

[moucheur2003]

I have an annual debate with myself about how best to organize trout flies in boxes

You're not alone, especially at this time of year. In fact, you're asking exactly a year later than this thread!

https://www.theflyfishingforum.com/...-your-fly-boxes.html?highlight=organize+boxes

 

[moucheur2003]

By the way, here's the answer I gave in a similar thread a couple of years ago:

1. An all-purpose box with slit foam on one side and compartments on the other for my most frequently used dries, nymphs, wets, and terrestrials. I have a small one with only a few patterns and a larger one with a larger selection. Which one I bring depends on how much I want to carry.

When I'm packing light that might be the only box I carry. Otherwise I add some or all of

2. Box of dries

3. Box of nymphs

4. Wallet (I'm old fashioned that way) of wets

5. Wallet of streamers

6. Box of terrestrials

7. Box of fussy specific imitations for whatever I think will be hatching that day

8. Compartment box for larger dries that might get their hackles crushed in a foam slit box.

Last year I got a Sci Anglers 752 foam slit compartment box that I like a lot. It holds a ton of flies so you don't have to carry as many boxes. Will probably get one or two more soon.

I do like that 752 box, but I never did get another. I better get one while they are still around.

 

[looper34]

+1 for the 2 box method but with a twist.
I carry one compact, cigarette pack size box for dry and nymphs and another slightly bigger box to carry streamers. If nothing works that day, the third box I carry holds 2 cigars.

 

[flyminded]

You're not alone, especially at this time of year. In fact, you're asking exactly a year later than this thread!

https://www.theflyfishingforum.com/...-your-fly-boxes.html?highlight=organize+boxes

I feel like I stumbled into a fly box anonymous meeting reading thru all that, thank you

 

[gpwhitejr]

"Nature laughs at our classifications."
-Pierre Masson
Dr. Pierre Masson | Canadian Medical Hall of Fame

 

[eastfly66]

The only boxes I have that are organized , I got from Jerry aka Hairwing. Everything else I tied & bought and put into a box is pretty much a complete cluster F**k...........except for my streamer box I guess, that's all streamers but it looks like I stuffed a whole live turkey and an ostrich in a little Glad sandwich bag.

 

[mcnerney]

I have an annual debate with myself about how best to organize trout flies in boxes ..yes I have too many flies and too many boxes.

But how do you arrange your flies ...by time of year or by fly species or by region (if you fish east and west or in between).

I tend to morph into a time of year/fly species - Caddis, midges, streamers, terrestrials, all get their own box - as do olives, these being the bugs or styles of fishing in the case of streamers I might choose to focus on during any given day on the water.

Then I have region/time of year boxes based on my “regular” trips.

But every year my brain goes into meltdown during tidyup/ new season checking/reorganization time trying to invent a new wheel.

Be interested to hear how others manage an over population of flies and fly boxes, I’m sure I’m not alone with this affliction.

Looks like a lot of us go thru this same ritual every year, how best to organize our fly boxes. I have maybe 20 or more fly boxes, so now I try to fill one box for the time of year I'm fishing, it's not a perfect solution and next year I will probably change up once again. When I'm using the drift boat, it's very simple, I just load my boat box and it will have been stuffed with 10-15 fly boxes. Where it gets tricky is wading, I like to go light so that means 1-2 fly boxes tops.