How Many Fly Boxes Do You Carry?

[Fishscape]

The poll on how people carry their gear has got me thinking as to whether to check out a chest pack, maybe with a detachable backpack. So I started going through the gear I consider essential, and just with fishing gear (hemostats, net, leaders, tippet, corkies, split shot and soft weight, flotant, clippers, and fly boxes) it comes to a fair amount, without even water, a few snack bars, maybe a camera and a rain jacket or gloves on cold days.

 

I have 3 SA System X fly boxes (1 for Mayflies/Caddis emergers, duns, spinners, 1 for terrestrials and stones, 1 for streamers) and then about 3 small plastic boxes for nymphs (my river box, my lake box, and a miscellaneous box).

 

That's 6 boxes in total, although I may leave 1 or 2 behind for a day on the river.

 

Just curious as to what other people are carrying out there and how they organize it.

[Guest JayVee]

Good question! I carry two C&F flyboxes, one for nymphs and one for streamers. My "secret weapon" however are these dropper rigs from Orvis. I absolutely love these and I wouldn't be without them, they are such a time saver. Every single minute you spend rigging up double or triple fly rigs is time not spent fishing. I ditched the cheapo plastic box with the poorly designed hinges (lid kept coming off) and now just throw the inserts in my pack.

[Teck71]

I ussually carry 4 boxes, a dry, nymph, Terrestrial and Streamer box. fits my vest well. and simple to locate what i need

 

[nick]

3

1. dry flies (half stones/terrestrials, half match the hatch stuff)

2. nymphs and streamers

3. wet flies

 

on lakes I swap boxes and lose the nymph one, and replace it with a specialty lake box.

 

I also have a 4th with really, really small stuff (no bigger thna a #20) for those days when I think I'll need it. But it is a very small box.

[trailhead]

I usually only carry two. Nymphs and dries, or nymphs and streamers. Sometimes I have three.

[agbff]

Ive got one fly box, backpack with food gloves and a net, less is more when your dragging it around all day....

[admin]

I ussually carry 4 boxes, a dry, nymph, Terrestrial and Streamer box. fits my vest well. and simple to locate what i need

 

Ditto

[seanbritt]

It depends what water I'm fishing and what time of year. This time of year on the bow I'll carry my nymphs and streamers in 2-4 boxes. Summer, I'll add dry. Upper headwaters of the Oldman, I'll take mostly dry and some nymph. All in all though, its usually about 2-4 regular size SA system x and 1-2 smaller boxes (likely with flies I just tied the night before and don't have time to put into the box).

 

Good question though, as I too am thinking of changing from a vest to a pack this year.

[adc]

Way too many!!.......... :)

[FlashGordon]

one little box but it has 4 sections to it and i have a tackle tamer thingy that can hold 12 3-fly rigs already tied up (same idea as a dropper holder)most days i don't even open my fly box and only having to tie one knot to attach a complete rig which is good when it's cold

 

I'll add that i pretty much only nymph i have a cpl Griffiths Gnats and 6 or 8 streamers with me but the rest is nymphs,I'm sure when dries and hoppers start on i'll throw in a cpl more boxes

[Din]

2 med c&f boxes for nymphs and dries, 1 large clear plastic for attractor/terrestrials, 2 large plano boxes for streamers, and few other larger clear ones to hold some more nymphs and streamers...don't want to not have the fly that I need!

[seanbritt]

2 med c&f boxes for nymphs and dries, 1 large clear plastic for attractor/terrestrials, 2 large plano boxes for streamers, and few other larger clear ones to hold some more nymphs and streamers...don't want to not have the fly that I need!

 

 

You make a good point about "not wanting to have that fly I need!" Despite all the homework we do, there is often that time when there is that one fly that would work, but we just don't have it. For example, I made it out for about an hour yesterday and went really light, I mean maybe 6 flies total...based on what worked for me last and what I had been reading. Of course, it seems like the blood worm was the magic fly yesterday and I left all my worms at home. I guess that shows my still young age on the bow though (2 years) as I guess I should always have a SJW or variation thereof with me.

[birchy]

Three.

 

Nymphs

Dries

Streamers

[Keith]

It depends on where I'm going as well, and what sort of fishing I'm planning on. If I'm hiking a long ways and I know what's hatching then probably just one for dries and one for nymphs. If I'm fishing on accessible water, close to my vehicle, then I might have five boxes.

[alhuger]

Good question! I carry two C&F flyboxes, one for nymphs and one for streamers. My "secret weapon" however are these dropper rigs from Orvis. I absolutely love these and I wouldn't be without them, they are such a time saver. Every single minute you spend rigging up double or triple fly rigs is time not spent fishing. I ditched the cheapo plastic box with the poorly designed hinges (lid kept coming off) and now just throw the inserts in my pack.

 

 

Weird, that's pretty much exactly what I carry as well. Those Orvis boxes are life savers in terms of time.

[bigalcal]

I usually fish cutthroat streams and my Fishpond Wasatch vest has two big fly boxes built in which is enough. I have a big "suitcase" fly box in the truck if I need to replace or add flies.

[thefisherking]

Those dropper rig boxes look stellar? Can you buy them in town?

[TerryH]

When I'm on the river in warm months, three boxes: 1. nymphs, 2. big dries, 3. small dries. In cold months, one box: nymphs. When I'm in the pontoon on stillwater, four boxes: 1. nymphs, 2. chironomids, 3. buggers, 4. leeches, damsels, dragons, scuds. Terry

[Guest JayVee]

Those dropper rig boxes look stellar? Can you buy them in town?

 

Country Pleasures carries them.

 

[acurrie]

I carry 2 mostly: one that is a Mix of everything and a streamer/ stone's box which i Rarely use (but will try and use more). And when summer hits I'll carry a box of dries, especially on the cutty streams

[darrinhurst]

My chest pack carries a variety of flies for easy access, multiple dries, nymphs and streamers, but I have two extras boxes in the pouch on the back "just in case".

[headscan]

I'm in the "depends on the time of year and river" group. Since I carry a backpack most of the time I tend to carry more fly boxes. Right now my dry fly boxes stay at home and usually when I get to where I'm fishing I might leave a box or two in the car if I don't think I'll need what's in them. Generally it's one small nymph box (GRHE, PT, CJ, princes, etc) one big nymph box (SJW, big stones, etc), one terrestrial and big dry box, one mayfly dry box, one caddis dry box, and two big streamer boxes.

[SilverDoctor]

I'm also in the "depends on the time of year and river" bunch. I actually have about 6 boxes filled with various flies for not only rivers and lakes but also different provinces and species (Steelhead and different trout) some loaded in separate vests. I normally carry 1 to 3 boxes (wets & nymphs dries and streamers). Also have boxes that key on season. Talk about anal.

[Tungsten]

I think i have 4 in my vest, like 600 flys its crazy.

[Jayhad]

I right now I carry 1 nymph and 1 streamer box. During summer I may carry both streamer boxes, teh nymphs and then teh drys.

 

I am partial to the >$10 big Caddis boxes. They are cheap the foam is cheap but they hold up well and they are under $10