Take all my flies on the water?

[marty mcfly]

I'll be taking my first saltwater trip in about a month....to north andros for bonefish. As I was reading and researching i came across lots of advice to rinse my gear at the end of the day to inhibit rust, corrosion, etc. That makes sense to me but it also got me thinking about my fly box jammed with perhaps 100 or more flies. They are all tied on stainless hooks but I know from past experience with other gear that even stainless hooks will corrode or rust over time if exposed to saltwater. And I am concerned that a rinse in fresh water will not penetrate and effectively flush out the foam slits in my box if saltwater has gotten in there. Am I overthinking this or should I leave my main fly box at home and just take the dozen or so flies I really plan to use on each particular day? I'd be interested to hear what others do and if you have had trouble with hooks corroding or rusting after taking your box out on the water.

 

[karstopo]

I personally don’t like the foam slit boxes out in the saltwater environment.

Whatever you do, keep any damp or moist flies away from the rest.

I take a lot of flies out normally and don’t have too much problem with corrosion. Most of my saltwater patterns are on tin plated carbon steel hooks. I keep any flies I use that day out of the boxes and have a separate area to deal with the saltwater soaked flies. I don’t go through rinsing all of my flies every time, just the ones I use. I use plain plastic boxes with no foam. I have one foam box. Foam slits really trap moisture (and potentially salt laden corroding water with it) and hold it tight against the hook so I would be very careful with that box.

And nothing ever goes back in a box if it is even remotely damp.

 

[gpwhitejr]

When I went bonefishing in Mexico the guide provided the flies; I don't know if that is true where you are going, but it could make life simpler (and I understand it is nice to give the guide a bunch of flies along with a cash tip).

 

[marty mcfly]

When I went bonefishing in Mexico the guide provided the flies; I don't know if that is true where you are going, but it could make life simpler (and I understand it is nice to give the guide a bunch of flies along with a cash tip).

I am going for about a week and likely only 1 day will be guided, so I need my own flies. I also don't plan on burning through all my flies on this trip and would like them to be usable for my next trip - probably next year. My concern is not really whether my flies will rust during the week of my trip (I hope not!), but whether I am kidding myself by expecting to bring a box of flies out on a daily wading trip and for them to remain usable many months from now. Karstopo's advice about keeping wet flies separated and not using foam slit boxes is exactly the kind of response I was looking for. Anyone else have relevant experience, observations or tips? Have others successfully brought a box of flies out on saltwater wading trips without creating a rusty mess?

 

[mtboiler]

I use the one beer rule!!! Take anything with metal, even if it did not see the light of day...and stick it in the corner of your shower. Rod, reel, flies, forceps, pliers, everything. Turn the shower, cold water, on pointed at that corner. Go to the bar...drink a beer. Come back and turn the water off. I also carry a second fly box..empty. One has unused, the other is for flies I just used.

 

[flytie09]

Only bring on the water what you will need for the day. Leave the rest in th car or the hotel room. That way your unused flies stay that way.

I like the 1x beer rule..... except I always go way past it.

ft09

 

[Rip Tide]

I carry one single fly box that I replenish from the 5-6 Plano style boxes in my tackle bag.
I used to carry an empty 3X5 Plano box with holes drilled in it for used flies, but found that it was easier just to put the used flies in my pocket

As for the one beer rule, I'm having trouble wrapping my mind around that. :wacko:
What's "one beer" ??

I soak everything at the end of the day in fresh water in my stripping basket. Under a shower, the spray can actually force the salt into crevasses making it more difficult to wash away.
A soak and a quick scrub with an old toothbrush is more effective.

 

[pnc]

If carrying all is not a problem. If will give widest selection for unknown waters. Just don't put wet flies in box.

........ pc

 

[dakotakid]

I made my own saltwater fly box from some suggestions I saw in the forum and other web sites. I cut slots into 6 mm foam and glued it to the top of the fly box. Any fly that touches saltwater gets stuck into that foam. So they are still easily accessible if I want use them again, but also don't get mixed in with the other flies. This way I'm only taking one box.

When I get home, I rinse the used flies in hot water and let them fully dry before putting them back into the fly box. If you glue foam onto a fly box, don't worry about leaving ink or pencil lines at the edge of the slots. The ink or pencil lines make it easier to see the slots when you want to stick a fly into it.

Just noticed in your second post the reference to "wading trip". My suggestion probably won't work so well for wading. Box is too big and the foam on the top might be problematic for any small box you have to carry. However, if you in a boat, it works fine.

 

[Joey Bagels]

I used to bring my big, slit-foam box with me, but one fateful day, it dunked. Back at the camp, I rinsed everything and thought it was fine....UNTIL...a couple of weeks later, I opened said box, and most of the stainless hooks were completely or partly rusted. The bead chain eye corroded, and the flies unusable. That was in my kayak. NOW, I only bring a few flies in a ziplock bag that lives in my shirt pocket. Some backup flies in a small, Plano box that lives in my tackle bag and ONLY comes out of I need to replace a pattern that’s been used up out of my bag.

Slit foam and salt just don’t go together!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[denver1911]

"All" is a relative term. I don't take "all," but I take "enough." Id this is your first SW trip, maybe your "all" is my "enough." Anyhoo, I carry them in slit-foam boxes with the waterproof gaskets. I never put a wet fly back in the box. I put them in a pill bottle and rinse them well when I return to the lodge. I dry them overnight and, if fully dry, put them back in the box.

 

[marty mcfly]

I appreciate all the suggestions, guys. I am new to saltwater so even basic ideas like keeping your wet flies away from your other flies is
a new concept to me. Makes sense...and I am glad I asked. I think I will bring my main fly box (which is water tight) and just be very cautious about digging around in it with wet hands, etc., and I will bring a little separate, plastic snap top box to hold any wet flies until I can get home, rinse and dry them.

 

[All in]

I do a fair share of salt water fishing and never had a rust or corrosion problem. I am a little anal though when it comes to cleaning. Do not take everything with you. Leave everything in the the truck and take a seperate box with what you expect to use. Sometimes, depending on the walk I'll take a swim bag and put my main box in there with my lunch, drinks and a towel and I'll leave that sit on the beach if I'm out on the water. If I'm on a boat the swim bag works great. I like swim bags because they keep moisture out but they let moisture in the bag out as well. Plus my daughter was a swimmer and I have an over abundance of swim bags in my basement.

As others said do not put anything back in the box or in the bag. Find another place for the used stuff. When you get back rinse everything in fresh water and air dry. Take your rod, reel and line and rinse with a hose. Do not blast it. Use a gentle rinse. When you think you rinsed it well rinse it again and then again. Then take your car to the car wash.