I’m sure it gets discussed from time to time, but I couldn’t get the search feature to turn up anything. I’m looking for suggestions for some new boxes. I’ve currently got a bunch of different boxes from different makers and I’m hoping to find one to get a bunch of to make organizing and packing things up easier. I usually carry a backpack when I shore fish and all the different sized boxes don’t work well for this so I want to find one or two brands/modesl, in hopefully only two different sizes and just label the boxes on the outside so I know what’s in them.
First priority is price, I’ve got a bunch of flies to box and I add to my collection much faster than I lose them for the most part so I’ll need quite a few boxes. Second is foam quality. Some of the boxes are much better than others at this. It’s never fun opening one up and having all the flies falling out and tangled up with each other.
I’m sure asking for one type that can handle big bass/pike/muskie/saltwater patterns (up to 8/0 and 8-10 inches) just as well as handling 18-22 panfish/trout flies is asking too much, so I’m expecting different suggestions for each but hopefully I can find a better system than the half dozen plus different types and sized boxes I have now.
I have been making fly boxes out of the zippered note books.I cut out the insides and cut out the right size boat patch,ripple foam to fit.I usually leave one or two of the slots in the pack for leaders and such.Works great for me.I usually use large small mouth flies.
Plano 3600 or 3700 boxes. These have configurable dividers. Lay the big flies or flies with weedguards in loosely or put into plastic sleeves before putting into box. Buy strips of flat or ripple foam to hold the small and cut to fit compartments in box. Glue in or use velcro for greater flexibility.
I have a couple of dozen of these boxes that I use for bulk storage (no foam). I have carried a box or two with flies for the day in a backpack. Today, I actually use worm or spinnerbait binders like the conventional bass anglers use for most of my bass flies and streamers. These take up less space than a box but do not work well for crushable dry flies. However I can slide a Tach-It magenetic fly box or two into the plastic sleeves in the binder.
Danbob a member on FAOL, makes and sells a cool little flybox that has some of those super magnets in each compartment. The effect of the magnet is to hold all the flies in any one compartment in a circle. It seperates them automatically making them easy to lift out. No wind that ever blew can manage to break those flies loose so you never ever lose one. Nor will dropping the flybox while its open cause any flies to come loose and be lost. I have a couple of those boxes and I love them. I don’t know if Dan makes a larger box or not. Mine hold all my #22 up to #12’s . Cost $10.00 each at the Fish in.
I prerer standard clear complartment boxes such as Dewitt boxes for all trout flies. For streamers and larger flies, I prefer the saltwater-sized Cabelas double-ripple foam boxes.