I have many fly boxes. Some for different occasions, others for different flies, some can be worn round my neck for quick access others store top secret flies for competitions.
Over the years I have trialled several different fly boxes from various manufacturers. No matter, which fly box manufacturer you go with, there are several key characteristics a good fly box should have. You may be asking yourself how to choose a fly box?
As fly fishermen, we spend lots of time researching the best and latest equipment to up our fly fishing game. However, the fly box is something we often overlook. In this article I will go over my top tips for what you should look for in a new fly box.
By adding a few of these features to your next fly box you will help make your fly fishing session much easier.
Fly Boxes Should be Durable
It is important for your fly box to be durable. Most fly boxes will come under a lot of stress. They may be dropped on rocks or into water. You may accidentally drop heavy items on them, step on them or, even drive over them.
There are endless situations your fly box may have to withstand. Therefore, it is crucial that your fly box is durable and can withstand any situation it may come up against.
The durability of a fly box is one of the first features I look at in choosing a fly box. If you do not get a fly box that is durable, it is likely you will end up buying a replacement fly box soon.
Choose a Waterproof Fly Box
As fly fishermen, our sport is done at the edge of the water if not in the water itself.
With one hand holding onto a fishing rod, taking a fly box out your fly fishing waistcoat pocket can be a risky task. It is all to easy to drop your fly box into the water. When fly fishing, you will also get rained on, you may get splashed or even fall into the water.
As a result, it is important for you to choose a water resistant or waterproof fly box to keep your flies dry in case you accidentally drop your fly box in the water.
The cost of fly fishing flies soon add up or, if you tie your own flies, you will have spent hours of time making them. If you keep your arsenal of flies in a poor-quality fly box, you are likely to eventually find your flies wet or rusted.
Waterproof boxes float, this will make it easy for you to retrieve your fly box from the water when it inevitably falls. When you fly fish for long enough, you will drop your box in the water.
A fly box that sinks will be more difficult to retrieve and you will get wet when you do pull it of the water. If you fly fish from a boat, you may never get your dropped fly box back.
Make life easier on yourself and choose a waterproof fly box.
Choosing Your Fly Box Size and Color
Fly boxes come in various sizes and colors, this can make choosing the right fly box for fishing difficult.
If you fly fish from a boat, you can take large fly boxes housing lots of flies with you. However, if you are fishing from the bank and you must walk long distances you will likely prefer small and portable fly boxes.
Decide which size of fly box you need and how you want to organize your fly boxes. The most common way to organize your fly boxes is by whether the wet or dry fly.
If you have enough flies in your collection, you can further organize your flies by fly type such as lures and streamers, nymphs, emergers, shrimp, and midge flies.
You could also organize your flies by color: black, olive, brown or white.
Choose Clear Fly Boxes
As the fly collection of a fly fisherman grows, so too does the number of fly boxes.
When you have several fly boxes to choose from at home or while fishing, it can be difficult to keep track of which fly box is contains which flies. This is where a label maker comes in.
However, if you do not wish to label your fly boxes, I recommend choosing a fly box with a clear cover.
A fly box with a transparent cover will allow you to see at a glance, what flies are contained in the fly box. This will make your life much easier when fishing and if you fish competitions will result in more time spent fishing rather than trying to find the fly you want to fish.
Choose Fly Boxes with Lots of Slots
Many fly boxes have rows of foam in which you stab your fly into to fix the fly in place. Over time, the barb of the hook and the continued pulling out and putting back in of the fly will begin to wear out and damage the foam.
Other fly boxes have a complete foam backing. With these fly boxes, there are no rows of foam. Instead, you sink the fly into the foam and create your own row of flies. Again, the removing and putting back of the fly will cause damage. Additionally, since these boxes do not have premade rows of foam, the arrangement of the flies will be less uniform.
I recommend choosing a fly box with premade slots in the foam. With premade slots, you will cause less damage to the foam as you frequently remove and re-insert the fly into the box.
Choose Fly Boxes with Tight Slots
Let’s continue the topic of slotted fly boxes. It is important for the slotted foam panel in fly boxes to have tight slots.
The downside of foam panels with premade slots is that they can eventually become loose. As they become loose, your flies may begin to fall out of the slots resulting in lost flies when you go to open your box. On a windy day, your flies can fly out of the slot.
Nowadays, most fly box manufacturers use high quality materials in the making of the slots. These materials should keep a tight hold of your flies.
Choosing Fly Boxes by Design
There are several different fly box designs. When choosing your fly box, carefully consider the features of the box and whether it would make your fly fishing easier.
Fly boxes with rounded edges, will be easier to pull out your pocket.
Do you want a fly box with leaves that you can swap out for another leaf of other flies?
Think about the closing mechanism of the fly box, is it sturdy or liable to break?
Consider the size and thickness of the box as well as how many flies it could store. All of these points could be important when it comes to picking out a new fly box for yourself.