All those flies

Fly Patterns
1

Ok - so I just started tying and tying and having lots of fun. Doing my own thing, tying by the “rules/recipe”, etc.

Now, what do I do with all those flies? How do you typically store them, because I don’t have enough fly boxes/wallets to store them all.

Regards,
paff

2

lol, have to agree with you PA, I have flies in jars, cardboard boxes, plastic tubs etc.

Born to fish, forced to work.

3

I’m well past the “tying just to be tying” stage of this obsession. I do, however, participate in a number of swaps every year which brings in a ton of flies.

I have several large compartmented plastic boxes (most are made by Plano) to store those patterns I plan to copy and use myself.

REE

4

Y’all need to get one of those Dolly Parton chest packs that Ohio Tuber got last fall at Cabelas.
Brad

5

The extras I have I usually try to hand out if I’m lucky enough to tie one that works.

Mike

There is no greater fan of flyfishing than the worm.

Patrick McManus

6

I use Whitman (Russel Stovers boxes are the same size) candy boxes for storage of my excess flies, I have cardbord sections inside the box to store 4 different sizes of the same fly pattern.

The top of the box has a printed label naming the pattern, also have another label on the side, for reference when stacking the boxes on a shelf.

These boxes are great for shipping flies, for a fly swap, almost indestructable. They only cost 99 cents, and you get 4 peices of chocolate to munch on while tying flies.

~Parnelli

7

Like my wife said the other night, “Don’t you have enough flies? How many swaps are you into anyway?” Well lets see, I have about four coming in I’m hosting, plus another four or five out there I’m participating in. I have no clue what to do with everything. Thankfully I’ve moved my operation into the basement. If it were topside like before, my tying room would like go through the blasted ceiling. JGW

8

I’ll add to Parnelli’s suggestion with a tip:

When you find a decent box to store your flies in, go to the hardware store and buy a roll of the self adhesive foam weather stripping. It measures about a half inch wide, with peel & stick on one side. Cut strips to run whatever direction you desire across the bottom of your box leaving room for the next row of flies. Basically, a large version of a regulation size fly box. Then just stick the flies into the foam strips and load 'em up!

I gotta make a couple of these myself…

There’s almost nothin’ wrong with the first lie, it’s the weight of all the others holdin’ it up that gets ya’! - Tim

9

paflyfisher
I’ll gladly take all your excess fly’s and store them for you. I’ll even catalog the tree, bush, rock or log they are “Stored” in so you may retrieve them at any time!!
How can you beat a deal like that?

I feel more like I do now than I did when I got here!

Cactus

10

I use boxes from a hobby store that are intended to store cards of embroidery floss. They have about fifteen to twenty compartments that will hold up to a dozen of the more common sizes of flies. They’re quite similar to the Plano boxes but cheaper.

all leaders tangle; mine are just better at it than most. Jim

11

Give them to some cause, I worked at a camp during the summer and fly donations were always welcome. Cast for a Cure take donations in flies. There are dozens of other places. I was unable to unload around 150 dozen this past year.

Joe Fox

12

Paflyfisher, If i were you I would take em fishin this spring.
…Streamcaddis…

I was fly fishing and fly tying
before it got trendy

13

paff:

I recently switched from having my flies in those smaller plastic fly boxes that fit in your fishing vest pockets to sorting them into those larger Plano fly boxes. I use the larger boxes as my stock supply of flies and then make up the smaller vest size boxes as needed for specific trips. I use the Plano boxes that are about 71/4" by 11" and have adjustable dividers that allow you to make about 24 - 30 compartments. I think the number is Plano 3600, but once you take out the paper advertising, it is not printed on the box. You can often buy them for about $2 -3.00 per box. I have about 10 of them and have them labeled for Caddis, Stonefly Dry, Stonefly Nymphs, Mayflies Dry, Mayfly Nymphs, etc.

Dr Bob

14

Like rainbowchaser, I use the floss boxes. They’re cheaper than the Plano boxes, and for the life of me I can’t find a single difference between the two.

15

Thanks all for the advice. The flies I don’t store in the overhanging trees, I will just pick up a craft box with compratments for a buck and be done.

Thanks,
paff