Best Type of Fly Box For Dry Flies

[Randyflycaster 0]

Might be a bit off topic. Someone told me that he uses only compartment-type fly

boxes for all his flies. He said that by using the other kind, the hackles of mydry flies get crushed and bent out of shape.

 

This makes sense to me. What kind of boxes do you folks use for dry flies?

 

Thanks,

 

Randy

[flytire 0]

dewitt compartment boxes as shown in next post

[flytire 0]

[Jaydub 0]

I like the Myran compartment boxes.

[cheech 0]

I use a slotted foam box, and I'm transitioning all my dries to a Tacky box. I don't like compartment boxes because they can be disastrous in the wind, or if you stumble... When arranging your flies in slots, just tilt the fly upward, and traditional hackle can be kept nice. This being said, I fish very few traditionally hackled dry flies.

[whatfly 0]

Mixture of C&F fly boxes (i.e. slit foam) and a few comparment style boxes (the softer plastic kind, the hard plastic ones break too easily). As Cheech mentioned, the compartment boxes a disaster waiting to happen, but the slit foam boxes can crush down hackle, especially on fully hackled flies. It is less of a problem for emergers, parachutes, and thorax ties.

[planettrout 0]

DeWitt, Myran and ...

 

 

 

 

PT/TB

[McGnat 0]

Ditto on the Wheatley. Pricey. Bought mine many years ago. They will outlast me, so I don't regret it.

[utyer 0]

I have through the years picked up a dozen or more compartment boxes. Some are Myran (4 smaller boxes,) one 6 compartment Cortland box, 6 Orvis green compartment boxes for larger drys, and one that has slots for really big dries. Then I have several Plano 6 compartment boxes that I picked up at Wall-Mart. These last ones were less than 2.00 and they work just fine. In 40 + years I haven't ever broken one of these. Lost one or gave one away at times, but never dropped one.

 

Yes on occasion, I may drop a fly but never the whole box while open. I once dumped a canoe, and had a dozen or so boxes floating away down the river along with a reel, and fly vest. I lost a rod in the water, which I retrieved first, then bailed out the canoe, and took off after my gear. Got every box, but one (it was in an impossible place to get to.) My fly reel was floating along in its shearling lined case, and my vest was suspended by the foam in the shoulders. Not one box opened, and after drying out, everything was fine.

 

I have found one problem with the slit foam boxes. If you put wet flies away, in a closed box the hooks will rust. I usually try to lay out all my boxes open at the end of a trip until everything is fully dried out.

[Ed Gallop 0]

I keep most nymphs, including beaded, in 4 Dewitts. Have to be careful not to spill them. It is a risk with any one lid over all compartments box. They hold a lot and fit together nicely in vest pockets though. I have an old Wheatley compartment box I use for terrestrials. But my favorite boxes are the slit foam C&F (have 8, 2 are large). All have threaders. I mainly use threaders with smaller dries, even emergers. The large one (not compartments) holds a lot of dries in the slots. The large compartment box is nice too and good for heavily hackled or palmered flies and wooly worms. But, as with any compartment box, you may have to separate the fly hooks or possibly loose flies, especially after 4 or 5 beers. That's okay because I don't drink while fishing. Lids do break on compartments, and fly hooks can tangle with side by side threaders, but I haven't had much of a problem with either. I like the C&F compartment as much as the old Wheatley. However, the C&F with the single flimsy magnetic lid covering all compartments is my least favorite. The magnet grabs the flies and if the box slips in your hand you may see several clumps of flies floating down river. I don't like the spring or metal clip boxes either. The C&F threaders work great, especially when it gets dark and I can't see well. You can slide the flies on the threader at the vise after the floatant dries and slide them on the tippet as needed. I like the little red ones best. They are shorter and thinner. I also have a couple boxes with neck loops (I think are Myran), and a couple boxes in my pockets (don't know the brand) that I use fighting brush while fishing small mountain spring creeks for native brookies. I don't usually wear my vest then. Been wanting to try the chest pack but it looks too cumbersome. I forgot, I never put wet flies in any box, slit or not. That is what I use the wool patch for.

[Randyflycaster 0]

Folks,

Thanks again for all your help.

I've been looking at the Dewitt and Myran fly boxes. I guess the problem I see is that

they're not waterproof. Don't know how big of an issue that should be.

Randy

[Bryon Anderson 0]

For traditional collar-hackled dries I like the all-foam fly boxes made by Morell or Fly Case. I love their light weight, magnetic closures and the fact that they float high and dry if you drop one.

 

For parachute and no-hackle dries (which comprise the vast majority of my dry flies), I like the slit-foam boxes. I picked up one with a "swing leaf" at Cabelas this summer for $8, and it holds my entire season's worth of dries, nymphs and soft hackles. It's also waterproof. Flytire is correct that freshwater hooks will eventually rust if placed back in a closed box wet. I solve this problem by sticking used flies in my hat band when I change flies. They're always dry by the time I get back to my car, and no rust.

 

My problems with compartment boxes are the aforementioned spillage issues related to wind and/or stumbles; also, whenever I've tried to extract a single fly from a compartment, it wants to link hooks with every other fly in the compartment so that they all come trailing up like the monkeys in the "Barrel 0' Monkeys" game we played with as kids.

[vicrider 0]

I have several small boxes with magnet pads in the compartments. Thought that was a good enough idea that I've taken those fridge magnets so many places send you and trimmed them to fit in other compartment boxes. Much depends on size and type tho. I only use the magnet based compartments for small flies. Say from 18 on down to 32. For bigger sizes and parachutes a slot box works fine. I have found the slot boxes with the triangle cut in front of the slot works nice. I also have some ripple boxes I cut a slot in and use that way. I also have glued 5mm foam in the lids of some boxes and cut long slit in them to put flies in. Some day my wife will have a great sale on boxes of flies that never saw water.

[Jaydub 0]

The Orvis adjustable boxes have a gasket to help keep water out. They are not comletely waterproof though. Being adjustable, you can have different sized compartments in one box.

[the.atmos 0]

I have to put my vote in for Cliff's Bugboxes. His Super Day's Worth and Day's Worth boxes are the best investments I've made in fly fishing outside of my reel.