For decades, I’ve just kept them in the original package (remember the old Mustad boxes?) I admit that recently I’ve toyed with the idea of getting a little better organized and dumping them into a “bead” box – fourteen individual compartments per box, curved bottom, individually latching lids. I’m thinking size 10 - 22 standard dry fly hooks on one side, scud/emerger hooks on the other. Then another box for nymph and “specialty” hooks.
Anyone else do that or anything like that?
Any thoughts, pluses or minuses?
One thing I’ve done for size 14 and smaller is that I’ve shifted over to the “big eye” hooks - both straight eye and down eye. I imagine that I’d just be mixing these together in the same size, but I might hold one of them out as “specialty” hooks or just leave them in the original packaging.
I purchased a hook box that is distributed by Umpqua. I also cut up strips of magnetics to place on the bottom. Truth be told, some of the hooks are still in the orginal packaging that I just stuffed into the purchased hook box.
If you look at the craft stores either Michaels or Hobby Lobby, you’ll find a box that has 14 individual locking compartments; 7 on each side. It is used for beading and has a rounded bottom, but the big advantage is the locking mechanism and the fact that each compartment has it’s own lid. You have to push a rod at the end of the box, then open the compartment you want to access. That way if you accidently drop the box, only the open compartment will dump the hooks. Still a bit of a mess, but a LOT less hassel than 14 compartments of similar size/model hooks scattering out on the rug and you have to find them a sort them. These boxes are cheap so you can get one for each kind of hook, (i.e. dry fly, scud, etc).
A lot of them stay in the original packaging. I do have a couple of hook boxes, and I have learned the hard way that there MUST be a magnet for each compartment, for I WILL drop it on the floor. I also tend to take identical hooks from mulitple packages and stick them in one package. You can put a lot of #18 hooks on two square inches of magnet.
Now, don’t ask me to FIND a particular size and style…
I don’t tye much but when I do I’m in no hurry so all my hooks are in their original packages and all those are just tossed into the bottom half of a big candy box and that in turn is inside
my totally portable tying station, i.e. a bigger wooden box.
Finding materials is relaxing to me…kind of like
resting fish. Gives me a moment to take a breath, look around at all the things I should be doing then getting a smile as I silently say, ‘uh, no’…then begin tying something or other.
So basically, my hooks aren’t sorted, just a big wad of hook boxes in increasingly bigger boxes.
Jim - that’s the exact box that I have. Right now it has bead heads, cone heads, and the like in it. I was looking for a couple more for hooks.
All - I hadn’t thought about the magnets. Makes sense. Do you put the magnet in the bottom of the compartment or would it work to glue it on to the bottom on the outside? I have a magnetic strip mounted on my tying table next to my vice where I’ll lay out six, eight, ten, or twelve hooks for my “production” tying.
Ducksterman - I like the peg board and split rings. I’m not quite at that stage yet, but I like it. Something to work towards!
I can definitely see your point. What motivated me was that I sat down to tie a batch of size 14 and size 16 biot body BWOs and found that I was down to two size 14 standard dry hooks and 4 size 16 standard hooks. I figured that if they were in the clear bead box I’d have a quick reference for what I was running low on. The nearest fly shop of any consequence is about 45 minutes away.
Ah, ok Vulture…well true, you’d know when you’re about to run out.
I got crazy once…well…prolly more than once…but in the
case of fly hooks, I dropped a bunch of money on them when
Cabela’s had a free shipping moment and I prolly won’t run out of
anything anytime soon unless it’s #4 streamer hooks or #4 Mustad salmon/steelhead hooks. Otherwise I’m way caught up !
Looks like you got great advice and ideas from all…
Here is what I use and where I got it. I really like it because I have the stick on labels on each container telling what is in it, manufactures name, size, color, etc. I keep my dubbing, hooks and beads in their own container. That way I just have the container with the size hooks I am using and a container with whatever dubbing I am using opened and setting on my fly tying table. It is on a lazy susan type base and all I have to do is turn it to get to my hooks or dubbing.
For beads and hooks, I use pill boxes from wallyworld. They cost a buck or so each, have curved bottoms, and individual compartments. Cheap, very useable, and multiple colors to help organization.
Years ago when Thomas & Thomas had a regular mail order catalog, they used sell these little plastic interlocking hook storage boxes. They were little drawers, sort of like the old Mustad hook boxes, and interlocked on four sides with dovetail joints. They were pretty cheap, as I recall, and I bought 60 of them for less than 10 bucks. I epoxied them all together after getting the arrangement I wanted. To make the drawers easier to open, I added little handles made of screw eyes that I got from a lure parts supplier. That’s what I’ve been using for close to 30 years.
You should never have posted that link because now I am going to have to get a hold of some of the carousel type as they will have a small footprint on my already crowded desk!
Nice idea and a pity that we don’t have suppliers of similar for the same price over here.
Vulture6 great idea of yours to ask B-4 ya made a move on this… I should have, lol but I learned the harder way, I tried a number of ways, but have found collectively all the advice you just got is good advice, now for me I just leave them in there Original packet’s and keep them in a plastic storage container with a lid that seals. I just look threw them when i need a hook, maybe not the best way but all the original info is still on the packedge and so I don’t have any question about the hook I’m using…
That’s exactly what I’m doing now. I use a lot of Orvis hooks (they host a warehouse clearance sale here about every 4 months so I can stock up at a decent discount, although selection is sometimes limited), and the way their packets are set up, you can’t necessarily tell at a glance whether there are a lot or a few hooks in the pack. Also, my plastic “shoe box” is getting pretty full, so there’s always a lot of shuffling and sorting to find what I’m after.
My wife would probably say that it is a sign that I have too many hooks / too many different kinds of hooks – but that can’t possibly be it!
I’ve been using the 20 compartment boxes like these http://www.jsflyfishing.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?category=81000&item=OF-900980-0020 for several years now. Hooks don’t shift compartments on their own, even when dropped from a moderate (waist height) distance. Only problem is, I now use 6 boxes and just ordered some new hooks (Grip and Partridge) and need a couple more boxes.
Those lazy susan thingys that were posted by WarrenP look mighty good and three should take care of my hook needs rather well.