How do You Organize Your Fly Boxes?

[Letort]

Or maybe, do you organize your fly boxes?
ra
I mainly fish blue lines, spring creeks and free stones, which of course have different hatches / needs.

Right now, I have a Simms guide vest loaded down with everything I would ever need. However, I have two other vests, both Fishpond, one of which I would set up for blue lines and the other for spring.

So, how do you set up your fly box? By hatches, by attractor vs. mayfly stone, etc., by stream, time of year, etc?

I've been flyfishing for over 40 years, so I think I should of figured it out by now 🙂

 

[Dave_W]

My fly box system is pretty chaotic and I carry a lot of flies when fishing. Short version:

-Chest box with nymphs in front tray, dries in middle tray, and dries and junk flies in back tray.
-Terrestrial box
-Midge box
-Streamer box
-Scuds,cressbugs, sculpins box

-Two separate boxes for bass flies.
-Large box for musky flies with a smaller box that fits in my vest pockets that can hold three or four muskie flies for when I'm wading.

(Have many more boxes for species/places that I visit less often.)

 

[BrookieChaser]

I use George Daniel's "working box" system. I have a small box with flies I expect to use that day/time of year. All my other boxes are separated by nymphs, dries, streamers, bass, carp, general salt, redfish and tarpon.

 

[Acristickid]

I use two small clear 4-6 compartment boxes.

They are like 3 by 4 inches. Nymphs in one box, dries in the other.

Compared to most I am totally unorganized but I can find a fly I’m looking for in 10 seconds or so , not a big deal for me.

I much prefer not having to carry a lot of the items- if I have my jacket tippet, boxes go there. Water goes in small of my back held up by my wading belt. Phone, keys, nipper, hemos go in waders pocket.

Unless I’m gone most of the day- needing food and more water I’ll take a sling pack. But honestly these days that’s gonna be pretty rare. I no longer go out for 8-12 hours.

 

[Bamboozle]

First off, I discovered years ago that I didn’t need a dozen of every fly with me everywhere I fish. I now only carry a few with extras back at the car. I also use generic patterns to cover everything that for the most part, vary only in color & size. Doing these two things has cut down on the number of flies I need DRAMATICALLY!!

When I fish “blue lines” I am using a shoulder bag and one 4” 12 compartment Wheatley box with about 3 or so of each fly. In there is a little bit of everything except midges, which I almost never fish on small wild trout streams and major hatch patterns for the same reason.

Everywhere else where patterns seem to matter, I am using a Richardson chest box that I modified to be able to swap or add trays which makes it analogous to fly boxes. The same thing goes quantity-wise with the chest box, there are just more patterns, hence the need for more fly “boxes.”

One tray is all nymphs/wets/streamers that I have with me all the time with a couple of seasonal inserts that I add or subtract accordingly. Another tray is flies that work all year like caddis and midges along with a third tray with BWO’s, terrestrials and some generic light & dark flies.

Other trays I can add or subtract as needed are set up by season or time of the year so I have an early spring tray with early season mayflies, one for mid-season mayflies, and one for late season. If I think there may be some overlap, I will either leave a tray in longer, add it sooner or put a couple of the overlap flies into the adjacent “season” box.

This system has worked for me for a LONG time fishing all over PA, especially close to home. Three trays or four trays max, with three being the norm most of the time and one fly box when fishing little creeks. There are also times on bigger streams I know well where two trays is fine.

The only time I get a little crazy is when I head to North-central PA during prime hatch time when I see Green Drakes on trickles and flies I just didn’t expect. On those trips, I tend to have most trays attached to my Richardson, just in case.

I have a totally different set-up for warmwater and usually carry a couple of boxes with wets and another with dries & poppers all the time.

 

[PABigFishHunter]

Great thread as this is something I struggle with as well. Right now I have a nymph box, egg pattern box, dry box, and streamer box. They're all small and I've really taken to the Tacky boxes. I'm kind of a neat freak and like seeing everything lined up nicely.

Beyond what you carry to the stream, how do you deal with extra flies at home? I really love tying and have a dream of tying a bunch up and having full boxes at home that I can just pull from. Does anyone else do that? I figure I'll fill my carry boxes first and then load up some common plastic storage cases.

 

[Swattie87]

I think everybody struggles with this to some degree. There’s pros and cons to any set up. I think the first thing to do is prioritize…What’s most important to you in terms of a setup? Organization? Being able to carry everything and be prepared for anything? Reducing carrying weight in your pack?

Once you land on what your priorities are, you can devise a setup around that. For me, I like my pack a lot. It’s a backpack with a couple small pockets on the front straps that have enough space for me to carry one fly box and a few other essentials “up front” where I don’t have to get into the backpack to access them. But with the traditional backpack, I can do all day outings away from the vehicle that require lunch, water, layering options, etc. Based on this, I didn’t want to have to carry more than one fly box at a time, so I landed on a 3 box setup based on the type of stream I’m fishing, and just carry one of them at a time:

Each of these has some of the same common basics in it that I fish a lot…Woolly Buggers, Slumpbusters, Adams, EHC’s, Wulff’s, basic BH Nymphs…And then specifics for the kind of fishing I’m doing:

1. General Trout Box (Medium Size w/Swing Leaf) – This has the most variety. Kind of a little bit of everything, but it covers the major PA hatches I fish the most…BWO’s, Grannoms, Quills/Hendricksons, Sulphurs, MB’s, GD’s, SD’s. Has more nymph varieties and some junk patterns too. Has a sparse bit of terrestrials.

2. Brookie/Small Stream (Medium Size Box) – Mostly attractor dries, a few small streamers, and a few BH nymphs. Also has a few big “night-time” poppers/gurglers and streamers for night fishing, as this is the box I take backpack camping with me.

3. Bass/WW (Medium Size Box) – Mostly bigger streamers for Bass. Some poppers. Whiteflies.

It helps too to go through your fly boxes once in a while and pare down what you don’t need or use. If you haven’t been in a situation in a few years where you’d consider using a pattern, ditch it, at least from your primary boxes. I bought one of those Plano multi-compartment tackle storage boxes, and put all my bulk spare commonly used flies, and flies I don’t plan on using often in there, and resupply my primary boxes from that as needed.

 

[Tigereye]

I have 5 boxes and usually carry 3 or less.

Mayfly box (dry), Caddis/stonefly box (dry), Nymph/Wet , Streamers, Summer/Terrestrials.

I am not much for streamers so I keep them in a small lunch box in truck with spare spool, insect repellent, 1st aid kit, extra leaders, suspenders, etc, unless conditions warrant.

Terrestrials don't get fished until late June or so, when the caddis, stones and May flies are about done. Then, I will leave those boxes behind and take the terrestrials.

I find that I really dont need all that many flies. I always find myself going back to the same dozen or so. The more you carry, the more you are tempted to change when things get tough, whereas "water time" with what you have tied on, is much more effective.

 

[Bamboozle]

While the OP isn't a beginner, many beginners focus too much on what they read and too little on what they see.

Case in point: when I started out I had flies (and fly boxes) for every bug on the "Eastern" hatch chart. The trouble was, I was fishing at Ridley and Darby Creek where the only Gordon I ever saw was an empty bottle of Gordon's Gin...

Since those days, if I don't see it, I don't tie it and I don't carry it!!

 

[troutpoop]

I carry one Umpqua Weekender fly box in a Goertzen chest thingy as my working box. I have plenty of what I need but also backfill every night, and sometimes during lunch if needed.
I end up organizing daily as a result. I have a large Umpqua bug locker and large Dewitt boxes for my backfill boxes.

 

[wbranch]

I have many fly boxes and at least a dozen of them are hatch specific. One box for Hendrickson's/RedQuills/Para leps. Another for BWO's #14 - #16, another for #18 - #20. Ditto for Sulphurs, Green & Brown Drakes, Tricos. Then one box for various generic nymphs #8 - #14, another nymph box #16 - #22, one streamer box of Clousers.

But I only bring the box of dries that I expect to be emerging at a specific period. I seldom have more than three fly boxes in my vest.

 

[Prospector]

When I do the blue line thing, I carry one box. A Perrine #91 in a shoulder sling. In the compartments I stock up on mostly Caddis (different sizes and body colors), but also Humpy, Royal Wulff, Adams. I fill the coils with natural nymph pattern and inch worms. On the clips I attach natural and attractor wets and a few small streamers. It’s a great box for a diverse group of flies.

As far as my vest for larger streams. I carry too many boxes, but I like to have all of my flies on me. If I run out of room I retire some and tie replacements. These are my separate boxes
Caddis Dry box
Mayfly Dry box
Nymph box
Wet fly box
Woolly Bugger box
Streamer Wallet
Small midge box
2 small spinner boxes
also a Perrine #91 that contains attractor dry fly patterns, cork bugs and terrestrials, plus large sinking inchworms, sucker spawn, mayfly emergers and a few oddball nymphs.

So based on the size of the water I’m either minimalist or a hoarder.

 

[Bamboozle]

PABigFishHunter wrote:
Beyond what you carry to the stream, how do you deal with extra flies at home? I really love tying and have a dream of tying a bunch up and having full boxes at home that I can just pull from. Does anyone else do that? I figure I'll fill my carry boxes first and then load up some common plastic storage cases.

I use Dewitt Lightweight Line plastic boxes and have been using them forever because they last forever and don't crack.

I have one Velcro-ed to my tying desk that I fill as I tie and then those flies are transferred to multiple boxes I carry in a gear bag that has other "extra" stuff in it, that is there if I need it.

If I need extra flies or anything else, all I have to do is go back to my "portable fly shop" in the trunk of my car...

...which also offers cold beer!!

 

[Jessed]

1 big nymph box. One side is mayflies and the other is caddis.
1 big dry fly box. Same as the nymph box.
1 box full of squirmys and a few eggs and streamers thrown in ( don't fish them much)
1 midge box. I have them loaded with zebra midges in different colors and variations. I also store my midge emerges in that box also. I store my dry fly midges in the mayfly Section of my dry box.

I have other boxes and flies that I have stored at my house that ill load up depending on the situation or where I'm fishing.

 

[SteveG]

I've slimmed down my fly selection quite a bit the past few years, and finally got more organized and minimal with my boxes and tying. My fishing is a mix of limestoners and freestoners. The boxes I always carry, regardless of location (for trout) are:
Tacky- nymphs down to size 16
Umpqua midge box- midge dries and emergers on the smaller side, and size 16 and up parachutes, cdc dries/emergers, and attractor dries
Couple very small 6 compartment boxes- midge larvae, frenchies, nymphs 18 and smaller
Streamer box
Cliff Days Worth- bwo/baetis emergers and dries
Slim 18 comp magnetic box- wet flies and softhackles

Not carried everyday:
Terrestrial box
Hatch box for larger sizes or where a closer imitation is needed- drakes, sulphurs, white flies, october caddis, etc

Storage at home consists of Myran compartment boxes.

I feel the "right" answer, is one which directly complements your fishing style. If I had the flexibility/desire to really target and time specific hatches, I'd have a whole collection of the smaller Day's Worth boxes in my closet, one for each hatch.

 

[dryflyguy]

Carrying only dries makes this pretty simple for me.
I use only compartment boxes - mostly the Dewitt 8 compartment.

I have one box of BWO's and Blue Quills, which I carry all year.
Another smaller box of midges - all year too.
Can see all of these hatching at any time of year.

Also carry an 18 compartment box of caddis's in various sizes and colors all the time too.

Two more boxes - 1 with spinners, 1 with terrestrials. Carried all year too.

Then a few of what I call "seasonal" boxes:

One has nothing but quill gordons and hendricksons for early season - now.
By may, I swap it out for a box of march browns, gray fox, and sulphers.
When those hatches are done, I swap it out for a box of slate drakes, white flies, and tricos - carried the rest of the year

Since green drakes are so big, I have one larger box for them that I carry only during their hatch period - late may, early june

 

[Millsertime]

small box - nymphs/wets
medium box - dries
medium/large - streamers

Seems like the only box I have added flies in the past 2-3 years is my streamer box. I fish streamers and dries the most and they are obviously also the flies I tie the most.

Most years I fish Colorado, UK, Alaska, Oklahoma, and Nebraska for trout and I don't ever change my fly boxes. I feel a well presented dry fly that has some kind of resemblance to the natural will entice a trout to strike no matter where you're fishing. Rarely do I fish a stream and "wish I had that fly".