Fly Boxes: Slits or Pokes

[JoeBillingsley 0]

I use individual compartment boxes for bushy dries and slit foam for everything else. I just bought a couple of the new Tacky boxes with silicone instead of foam that's not supposed to tear up like foam. So far they are great. But, they are heavy.

 

Joe

[Freddo 0]

HI - I was looking at the Tacky online...they look good.

 

@Flytire - What brand are your boxes with the foam inserts? I see there are recesses where the fly body lives. Is that to avoid the materials from getting crushed during storage? FlaFly mentioned flies "remembering" and someone mentioned the flies having to be coaxed back into shape before use. I'd like to avoid that as much as possible I suppose..

 

Thanks to all for sharing your thoughts and images! I'm getting the "idea".

[Dave G. 0]

Freddo, not to interrupt but if it is the case that you want some relief for the hackles then you want the congregated style boxes I suspect, or the foam I should say. Crystal River also makes one with wedge shaped reliefs in the foam. I have some of those. You will just have to look at boxes and visualize the fly inserted into the foam.

 

And don't rule out modification. A hobby knife or razor blade can raise hell with foam LOL !!

 

And yes, wet flies in particular when drying form some memory into the hackles according to how the hackles were sitting. Not so important with parachutes and with wet flies but messes with traditional dries.

[JoeBillingsley 0]

If the materials in the flies that get crushed and misshapen are natural materials, then holding them over steam will bring them back to original condition in seconds. It's fun to hold, say, a deer hair fly that is crushed and the hair going in all directions in the steam (with forceps or tweezers - not fingers. Don't ask how I know this. Steam is hot!) and see it immediately return to its original shape. Synthetic materials will not, however.

 

Joe

[Dave G. 0]

If the materials in the flies that get crushed and misshapen are natural materials, then holding them over steam will bring them back to original condition in seconds. It's fun to hold, say, a deer hair fly that is crushed and the hair going in all directions in the steam (with forceps or tweezers - not fingers. Don't ask how I know this. Steam is hot!) and see it immediately return to its original shape. Synthetic materials will not, however.

 

Joe

Good one Joe !!

[flytire 0]

"@Flytire - What brand are your boxes with the foam inserts? I see there are recesses where the fly body lives. Is that to avoid the materials from getting crushed during storage? FlaFly mentioned flies "remembering" and someone mentioned the flies having to be coaxed back into shape before use. I'd like to avoid that as much as possible I suppose.."

 

c&F fly boxes with the foam. i wouldnt use these for dry flies but they do have boxes with foam AND compartments

 

 

 

thats why i use the dewitt fly boxes. no crushed hackle to coax back into shape

 

not a lot of steam to rejuvenate flies out on the river

[artimus001 0]

Silver, I like your plan but you use little flies.... I tend to use size 10 to 6 poppers, foam spiders, size 6 streamers, etc., so I suppose I should use thicker foam... maybe 3/8 or 1/2 inch. What's your thought? Do I just take 4 sheets of 1/8 sticky back, and stick them together to make 1/2 inch? I think Walmart has large 1/8 inch sheets.

i lost a diy box at the end of last season, that looked like the big box with the blue foam. it carries all of my big and over sized flies.

 

for that box i used 3/8" foam. i also put slits in the foam, just like the $$$ boxes. there was more than enough meat to hold my flies in place (#10-2/0). to fasten the foam to the box, i used double-sided tape, as any glue type adhesives refuse to bond to the plastic.

 

i'm still on the fence over what was the larger loss; the box or the flies.

[Freddo 0]

I "think" Feathers Emporium or somewhere mentioned steam for getting feathers to get back to normal . I wouldn't have thought to pop a fly into the steam -- *way coo idea*!! And thanks for the disclaimer Joe about not using fingers to hold the fly. I'm surprised my wife's tea kettle doesn't have "CAUTION: STEAM MAY BURN YOU" emblazoned all over it like the coffee container lids do.

 

Maybe I'll start with something in a fly box with the slits since I don't have any dry flies "YET"!

 

Tomorrow I'll throw caution to the wind at Cabela's and spend my kid's inheritance...wouldn't that be a hoot!??

 

Thanks again to all for pitching in with your invaluable experience, ideas, and wit!

 

Next thread is fly proportions ('cause there's trouble in the Freddo Tying Camp)... You guys are the best!

[Quinn NH 0]

I like the CF fly boxes for nymphs and wets.

 

Quinn

[Dave G. 0]

You will figure out the proportions Freddo, in due time.

 

Hey, wish I was riding shotgun tomorrow' wouldn't mind casting a 9 ft 4 or 5 wt myself !! Be sure to fill us in.

[FlaFly 0]

I'd rather have a fly box that doesn't mess up the flies than to have to steam them . You're not going to have a steamer out on the canoe with you. Here's an idea... why not take a few flies (one of each major kind you use) to the fly shop and try them out in various boxes to see which type prevents messup.

[Freddo 0]

Great idea to bring flies FlaFly but I don't have many yet. Nothing larger than a size 6 woolly bugger. No poppers yet and only a few foam patterns I played around tying.

 

Shotgun Dave? That would be cool to meet up. My 14 year old is all excited about the trip (but maybe not as much as I am). The rod choice is still up in the air. At $160, there's the Orvis Encounter combo; nearly double that for to $310 or so for the Orvis Clearwater combo (has high reviews across the board with "one" out of 45 complaining about the line); at about $190 is the Redington Path combo. My local fly shop guy recommends the Orvis for the money/quality. I dunno yet. I'll talk to the people at Cabela's for a better feel. If I buy an Orvis, I'll surely get it locally to support my local shop and they're in stock too. If I knew what all of you know already, and had your experience, this choice would probably be an easier one. If $310 for the Orvis Clearwater combo is totally worth it, I'd hate spending half that and being disappointed - but - how would I "know" without the experience of being a proficient fly caster and then handling these rods. Oh well - we all start somewhere. I suppose the bottom line is getting a fly to the fish 'eh? And if I "did" go for "less" $$$, maybe another size/wt is on the horizon sooner than later but that might be rushing things. I'm sure I can do a **LOT** of great fishing with a 9' 5WT so maybe as I'm typing this I feel I should go for a "better" quality combo in that size with high reviews from the start. Learn this sport well and then move on. If I keep typing I may decide before I click "Post"!

 

Any Orvis rod owners out there?

[FlaFly 0]

Steve... a 5 wt is always a good place to start. Lots of guys here would suggest starting out with something basic (i.e., comparatively inexpensive) and then you'll be in a better position to decide on what else you might like. I'm still using a rod I got in 1959 for $25. Some day I'll get Steve to make me a 3 wt. Some day.

 

If you don't have flies enough to use trying out boxes, your fly shop has lots of them.. Just use some of theirs to try out the boxes.

[Dave G. 0]

This probably belongs in your other thread, so OT here for one message :

 

Listen Freddo, I started with a floppy fiberglass South Bend fly rod, probably 1955 vintage with metal interlock that was given to me... Just enough rod to know I wanted something better but it got line on the water. Still own it it's upstairs. Anything made today has more spine and less springy rebound, the crappiest rod you could pick I bet would be magnificently better... My son Jason bought a starter outfit back around 1989, he and his brother caught their first salmon on that rod up in Maine. It was a composite blank ( probably half glass and half carbon) with very cheap soft wire guides and foam grip but it got them those fish. The guy at the place selling the rod said the blank itself was decent. Everyone has long since moved on from this gear, but that starter rod one of the boys took, stripped it and rebuilt it. He put on all new hardened and repositioned guides, a nice grip and reel seat. It's a really nice moderate action fly rod now that will go into the family archives..

 

Today's starter rods are pretty well engineered. Just as with so many things, at some place under the $200 price point you probably are paying Chinese people or Koreans to make it. An exception would be St Croix but there were rumors even they on the low end might send overseas for building the rods.

 

i would suggest as a new fly caster you probably want a forgiving rod, something not tooooo fast action. Moderate to med fast might be best. It just depends how you take to casting.

 

Good luck with the fly boxes !!

[Adam Saarinen 0]

FlaFly! I buy el cheapo fly boxes & they never mess up my flies, the FISH do! :-)