Fly Box Set Up

[wildtrout2]

I can't tell you all how I appreciate all your knowledge and experiences. I think I have the right mindset. My goal is to go to the stream and "practice". Practice my casting, my drifts, the spots I think hold fish. Practice not scaring them, practice the right combo patterns. Then when the practice pays off, I have the most beautiful experience of sometimes catching a trout. Then figuring out why?

I see the importance of being good, especially in clear, small streams. I may only get one chance before the fish is spooked. I'll keep practicing this fine art.

A bit off topic, but you mention not spooking them. I think it's easily the most important aspect of fly fishing. Because, a spooked trout isn't going to strike anything. More often than not, if you can see a (wild) trout, it knows you're there.

My best advise is to always fish upstream, unless geography forces you to do otherwise. Trout almost ALWAYS face upstream, so coming from downstream keeps you out of sight. I go out of my way to access streams so that I'll be fishing it upstream. It makes all the difference. You do have the right mindset.

 

[allan_s]

For trout fishing I carry two boxes: one for nymphs and one for dries.

I skip the dry box during the winter. I fish a lot, fish a lot of different waters and mostly 'technical' waters, and do quite well on picky trout. Can't really see the need for more.

I remember seeing a truck with a sticker that said: It's not the fly. You Suck.

I think that pretty much sums it up.

 

[afishinado]

For trout fishing I carry two boxes: one for nymphs and one for dries.

I skip the dry box during the winter. I fish a lot, fish a lot of different waters and mostly 'technical' waters, and do quite well on picky trout. Can't really see the need for more.

I remember seeing a truck with a sticker that said: It's not the fly. You Suck.

I think that pretty much sums it up.

That was Mo's truck!!

 

[Thunderpole]

I got many boxes, caddis drys, mayfly drys, stimis. A terrestrial box . Nymph box iv really dumbed this box down. Chubby box. Egg box. Bugger box. Small streamer box like 3" articulated ones. Big streamers 4-7" and poppers for smallys. So that's 10-11 boxes I typically carry 4-5 I keep my drys all in small open bin style boxes not to mash the hackle or hair wings. I hate that!

 

[MD_Gene]

To keep things rather simple and efficient consider carrying 2 or 3 boxes with all the flies you will need for a day's fishing anytime or place.

A box for dries that includes mayfly, caddis, a few stoneflies, midges, terrestrial patterns, including emergers, spinner patterns as well as all of the aforementioned.....anything that floats. The idea is to have a box for fishing on top.

The second box should contain all nymphs, larva patterns, wet flies, scuds, cress bugs, etc......anything that sinks. You can add to this box streamers, but since they are larger flies and take up a lot of room, you many want to consider a separate streamer box.

Overall, instead of carrying a dozen of the same pattern, carry 3 or 4 of each to represent a large variety of insects that may be present. Generic patterns both wet and dry are great since they check the box to represent many insects.

With 2 or 3 fly boxes, you can carry a selection of flies to meet just about any situation.

One final thing. I carry three fly boxes in my sling pack as mentioned above (two are large swing leaf boxes to double the flies I can carry), but I also set up a working fly box which I load up with multiple flies and patterns for hatches or conditions I will likely face on the stream that day. That box rides with me up front. The other fly boxes stay at the ready behind me in my sling pack. This allows me to have plenty of extra flies to meet the hatch that day while my well stocked fly boxes with a wide variety of flies riding in back to meet any situation not expected that day.

Words my fishing partner will never hear from me are "Yeah, the "xyz's" were hatchin' like crazy, but I left my "xyz" box back in the truck!"

My process is similar to Afishianado. I have somewhat large boxes that I use to put the flies as I tie them one for: mayfly nymphs, caddis, terrestrials, streamers, sow bugs and such. I then have trip boxes that I load for the day or trip. I always have dry flies because you never know. When I go to my camp I take almost all of the storage boxes.

 

[PennKev]

I end up carrying way to many fly boxes but I always start the year off the same;

1 box of nymphs well stocked with flies I know I use frequently

1 mostly nymph box that I add flies to as I try to adapt to conditions, hatches, etc. (This is where my problem occurs as I add to the box until it's full then I find another empty box and start over)

1 double sided dry fly box. Most frequently used flies on one side and an empty side I add to as I do with my nymphs. (Somehow I mange to restrain myself and seldom end up carrying more that one dry fly box.)

Depending on where I fish I may also have a small box of streamers that has a few tried and true patterns but is mostly a handful of streamers that I selected specifically for that day.

I also have a collection of empty chew-can style fly pucks that some shops put flies in. I use those to carry flies that I don't typically take along but have decided to carry for whatever reason. An example would be a puck full of SJ worms on a high, muddy wild trout stream. Other examples would be extra streamers or dry flies if I think I need them but don't intend to carry those flies all the time.

Really the basis of my fly box organization relies on having a small core selection of flies with me all the time and then having a box or two of flies chosen just for a specific day of fishing, usually picked out just before I get in the water. I usually have several Plano boxes full of extra or alternate flies that come along with me and choose flies from that selection as need or situation dictates.