Carrying Flies

[tbear]

How do you guys carry your flies. Right now I have one holder for dries, one for streamers, and one for nymphs. There not all full and was just wondering if I should condense and just put a few of each in one holder. It just seems that would be a lot of switching around depending on where I was fishing.

 

[jayL]

You will spend the rest of your living years trying to improve your fly box system, is all I can say. Right now I carry two boxes, one side ripple foam and one side flat. Dries and nymphs go on the ripple foam and streamers on the flat side. I keep boxes at home and try to top them off with what I need every time. I do this since I don't wear a vest so I can only carry a few flies at a time. I just have a small chest pack and it doesn't fit much.

 

[fly_flinger]

I generally carry only 1 box with both nymphs and drys. It's the CF Design Bonefish I think. I carry 2 or 3 buggers in too but no other streamers. Since I usually only fish streamers when the water is high or off color, I keep them in another box which I throw in a pocket when needed. I'm somewhat of a minimalist and try to limit the amount of stuff I carry.

 

[JackM]

I carry too much in my vest, but everything has been used at least once and when it got used, I would have been disappointed if I didn't have it. The result of this is that despite being a svelte 160 lbs, I look like I'm at least 230 with my vest on. :-o

I carry three boxes: one is about 6" x 4" and contains all of my streamers and wet patterns (except specialty Steelhead flies). I try to keep my hands out of that box as much as possible. The other two are small, maybe 5" x 3" compartment boxes sold at Wal-Mart. I tuck the dry flies I think I will need in here. I keep other dries at home in plastic lure boxes and as the hatches change, I will swap flies into the boxes I keep in my vest.

 

[beeber2]

In addition to my specialty boxes, I always carry one cross-pollinated box that has dries, wets, nymphs, terrestrials and streamers. That way if I loose a box that contains just dries, I will still be able to fish. Just a thought.

beeber

 

[jayL]

I also would suggest reading one of our "if you could only have X flies" threads. Make a general purpose box that you can throw in a pocket with a pack of hemostats attached and go fish.

 

[shipnfish2006]

I have 3 boxes that I take along every time. One for nymphs, one for dries, and one for streamers and eggs. Now when I mountain fish I carry just 2 boxes, nymphs and a small box that I put all of my attractor dries in. Like Jack I also have lure containers that I keep extra flies in that I don't always carry in my boxes, along with the flies that I mass tie because I use them so much.

 

[thedude1534]

Whatever setup you choose, make sure you become very anal retentive about always keeping your fly box's zippered, buttoned, velcro'ed, etc inside your vest. They like to jump out from time to time, I've learned this the hard way.....

 

[ryanh]

I used to be really good at keeping things seperate, then I gave in to the laws of thermodynamics. Now I just use a big box w/ compartments in it. I have 3 notecard boxes with 4 or 5 sheets of foam in each that i put flies on when i tie. So before an outing i will go through all of my boxes and throw anything that looks half decent into the box i keepin my vest.

works for me.

 

[jayL]

thedude1534 wrote:
Whatever setup you choose, make sure you become very anal retentive about always keeping your fly box's zippered, buttoned, velcro'ed, etc inside your vest. They like to jump out from time to time, I've learned this the hard way.....

Yes, I did that at the jam. Boyer and I had to walk past that damn bear's hideout for the THIRD and FOURTH time because of my inability to keep a fly box in my chestpack. I'm sure Mr. Bear was not too happy with us.

 

[JoeE]

I fish with a chest box (normally 3 compartments) if it doesn’t fit, I don’t bring it. I change the inserts or boxes. I change out the foam pads or switch boxes depending on the season or stream/hatch etc.).

Joe E.

 

[Coughlin]

Like Jack, I carry a lot of stuff and look more like I'm going into battle than fishing. Still, as Jack noted, I do use it all, just not all the time. I carry 1 large box for streamers & buggers and the four small boxes for dries, nymphs, caddis, and soft hackle. I think often about consolidating but then I break into a cold sweat. :-D
Coughlin

 

[AugustWest]

C & F Fly boxes. The best ever IMO. You back the flies in, and it holds them. Several different designs. Great for dries - does not mat the hackle. One for nymphs and streamers also. Has shortened my lifetime of continuing to try to be organized.

 

[dryflyguy]

Except for the few times of year tht I'm fishing for steelhead, I only carry dry flies. That simplifies things a lot for me, although I can still be pretty loaded down with boxes during the month of may, when you'll liable to see anythign hatching.
But i move flies in and out of my boxes according to the season . In april, I have all my blue quill, quill gordon, hendrickson, and grannoms etc. First of week of may, most of them go, and are replaced with march brown, gray fox, sulpher, and green drake
Now, i'm ready to move most of them out, although I carry sulphers year round - I've even seen them hatching in fall.
Besides several boxes for mayfly duns, I have a whole box with nothing but spinners, and another with caddis only.
Also separate boxes for terrestials and small stuff - flies under #20.
As for box type, I use just a standard, 8 compartment clear box - no ripple foam. I've found that keeping dries in these type of boxes messes up the hackle - after a while it gets bowed out.
I tried the chest boxes when i first started fly fishing 25 years ago - didn't like them. They just seem to be in the way - especially when landing and releasing fish.