Fly Box for Clouser Minnows

[jmg158]

Hi All,

I've been lurking for a first time, but this is my first post. Please excuse my silence.

I'm preparing for an upcoming trip the Outer Banks, and all the information I've found has recommended clouser minnows in various sizes and weights. I'm now trying to squeeze all these clousers in my box, but the dumbbell eyes are colliding.

Is there a fly-box anyone would recommend that allows storage of adjacent clousers? I'd really like to minimize the number of unused fly slots.

Thanks,
John

 

[Bocianka1]

I picked up a Streamer fly box for about $10 from amazon.

It's a little big at 7 1/2" x 4 1/2" x 1.3/4", but it still fits in my large pockets on my vest. The slots run the entire length of the box which makes it really easy to hold lots of assorted size streamers, wooly buggers, clousers, etc. You can move them and arrange them in whatever manner best suits you. It's also deep enough that it's not squashing the feathers and wings of the larger flies.

I find it useful to place them alternating in direction in the box so that the eyes of one fly are next to the tail of the next adjacent fly. This avoids the large eyes banging into each other.

New Phase Salmon Fly Box (for streamers) by Kingfisher.

For $10, and it's waterproof. I've been happy with mine. Hope this helps.

 

[jacob]

My suggestion would be to forget about slotted boxes and store your streamers in compartment boxes like a spin guy would store his Rapalas. You can carry a lot more with you in the same amount of space.

You can get hardware boxes at Home Depot for under 5$ a piece.

 

[ColdBore]

"My suggestion would be to forget about slotted boxes and store your streamers in compartment boxes like a spin guy would store his Rapalas. "

A buddy (and now me, after seeing his) took that one step further.

We cut pieces of thin closed cell foam to fit the bottom and sides of each compartment, then use contact cement to hold them in place. We do the same for the bottom side of the lid.

The foam helps to cushion and protect the paint on the barbell "eyes". Limit yourself to just two or possibly three flies max in each compartment. Keep them all running in the same direction, and then put the box in your vest pocket or your pack "head down" to prevent smashing the hair extending back past the bend of the hook.

It's only a little bit of work upfront, carries Clouser nicely, and keeps them looking good.

 

[Dave_W]

jmg158 wrote:
Hi All,

I've been lurking for a first time, but this is my first post. Please excuse my silence.

I'm preparing for an upcoming trip the Outer Banks, and all the information I've found has recommended clouser minnows in various sizes and weights. I'm now trying to squeeze all these clousers in my box, but the dumbbell eyes are colliding.

Is there a fly-box anyone would recommend that allows storage of adjacent clousers? I'd really like to minimize the number of unused fly slots.

Thanks,
John

Hi John,
Welcome to our online FFing community - glad to have you move up from lurker to participant.

I'll second those who have recommended the slot style boxes. Think about how and where you will carry this box and don't get something too big - I'd suggest one of the versions with a clear lid and the other half of the box with foam slots. Like all your fly boxes, don't forget to put your name and some sort of contact info on the box.
Good luck with your trip to the OBX.

 

[poopdeck]

I'm with Jacob. Forget the slotted, foam or whatever fly boxes. I carry mine in a small six compartment Plano stowaway 3400. I'm guessing I have 35 to 50 clousers in there. I have no problem with them bouncing around and chipping paint off the eyes in the box. Keeping the eyes from chipping when bouncing off rocks is the real problem with chipped eyes. I just make sure the box is stored in my pack with the eyes down.

 

[Fredrick]

I have been digging the Sushi roll from fishpond lately
Sushi Roll

 

[jacob]

Oooooh! That sushi roll looks guuud!

I am a huge fan of fishpond. They have some seriously awesome and well built stuff.

 

[afishinado]

Fredrick wrote:
I have been digging the Sushi roll from fishpond lately
Sushi Roll

^Yeah, cool beans...never saw one.

Does the small sushi roll that can fit in my sling pack hold as many big flies as a good sized doubled sided fly box?

 

[Fredrick]

afishinado wrote:

Fredrick wrote:
I have been digging the Sushi roll from fishpond lately
Sushi Roll

^Yeah, cool beans...never saw one.

Does the small sushi roll that can fit in my sling pack hold as many big flies as a good sized doubled sided fly box?

I use the large size and it fits in my sling pack, allot more size to it than your typical bugger barn .

 

[TrtnBux]

Umpqua Double Wide for the win.

 

[jacob]

I might need to get one of those sushi rolls - I hate carrying my double sided in my sling, it works but just a little too clunky getting it in and out

 

[Fly-Swatter]

Frederick: I really like the idea (and the name) of the sushi roll. I have 2 concerns: 1. crushed flies; 2. rust.

What has been your experience with these?

 

[poopdeck]

Maybe it's just me but the sushi roll does not look the least bit compact or spatially efficient for carrying clousers or anything else for that matter. Im thinking wading though, perhaps it works for kayak fishing.

 

[Fredrick]

Fly-Swatter wrote:
Frederick: I really like the idea (and the name) of the sushi roll. I have 2 concerns: 1. crushed flies; 2. rust.

What has been your experience with these?

I find the gap given with the foam spacers to be better than a bugger barn

 

[Fredrick]

poopdeck wrote:
Maybe it's just me but the sushi roll does not look the least bit compact or spatially efficient for carrying clousers or anything else for that matter. Im thinking wading though, perhaps it works for kayak fishing.

If you are using a normal vest no unless your vest has a back pack on it , but fits great in sling packs, boats and yaks.

 

[fter]

It might be unorthodox, but if you don't want to worry about buying anything, I often throw my saltwater flies into a ziplock bag. Assuming you tied your flies with buck tail, that stuff will straighten right out in the water and look fine, even if it doesn't when you pull it from the bag.

 

[JakesLeakyWaders]

http://www.paflyfish.com/modules/xforum/viewtopic.php?topic_id=44697&forum=7&post_id=652289#forumpost652289

 

[wbranch]

You can use any ripple style fly box. I alter them to hold my Clousers by taking a single edge razor blade and slicing through the foam vertically about every 1/2". Then I can insert a fly in the slit and reuse it over and over and the foam doesn't get all buggered up from constantly removing and re-inserting the larger hooks. Here is a big streamer box great for storage or on a boat. It is one box with two sets of hinges.