10 Best Fly Boxes For Fly Fishing

Durability

Fly boxes are abused. I’ve sat on them, stepped on them, and thrown them into rivers. I’ve thrown them in the back of pickup trucks, wedged them under luggage, spilled drinks and food on them, smashed them with coolers, and even melted one when I set it too close to a campfire by accident.

No matter how light they are, Wimpy, soft-sided fly boxes simply cannot withstand repeated abuse. So, while I appreciate lightness, I value sturdiness and durability more.
At Fly Fishing Fix, we have an adage that we live by: buy it nice or buy it twice. Keep this in mind when shopping for your next fly box.

Well Designed

Regarding important fly box features, look for attributes that make your fly fishing day easier, in addition to the ones I discuss in greater detail here. Rounded corners make it easier to pull your fly box out and stuff it back into your vest or pack.

We prefer two-sided fly leaves with numerous slots on both sides. I also look for boxes with removable leaves that can be replaced with another with a different selection of flies. When it’s windy, I appreciate trinkets like corner magnets on each leaf so I don’t have to hold it down with my thumb.

We prefer a solid and dependable closing clamp and plenty of interior clearance for flies with large hackles. That kind of thing is important to me, and it’s usually the little things that count the most.

Size & Color Selection

Since I’m reorganizing anyway, I’ve decided to get all my new fly boxes from the same company. I wanted them to be different sizes for different types of flies, but I also wanted them to be the same shape, design, and color. I’d had it with the overwhelming number of boxes in my possession.
Yes, I knew what fly grouping each of my various boxes contained in general, but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve had to open each one before every trip to remind myself of what’s inside. Maddening.
While you can follow the advice above, you may want to use different fly box colors to make it easier to identify boxes with different fly groups. That is entirely up to you. Once I’ve arranged my new boxes the way I want them, I intend to use our label maker.

Transparent/See Through

You may not need a label maker if you buy see-through fly boxes. And, assuming you now require two-sided interior leaves, your fly boxes should be see-through on both sides.
Some perfectly good fly boxes have fixed, two-sided interior fly-slot panels with two independently opening covers on each side rather than one opening side. We also like this design, but this type of box is slightly thicker — a minor disadvantage.

Plenty of Storage

Many good fly boxes have rows of foam ridges but no actual slots. These boxes have served me well over the years, but when you’re repeatedly poking your flies into and yanking them out of the foam, they tend to get pretty chewed up.
As a result, I’ve gravitated toward fly boxes with pre-programmed slots. Pre-slotted fly boxes allow for more frequent fly-hook insertions and removals and a more uniform arrangement of your valuable fly collection. What person wouldn’t want that?

Firm/Tight Fly Slots

Let’s face it: the only place you’ll find loose slots is in a casino.
I have several fly boxes with pre-slotted fly panels (which is great), but most of them have a foam material that doesn’t hold my flies tightly enough (bad). What is the result of open fly slots? Two or three of your good flies have escaped when you open your box. You can say goodbye to them if it’s a windy day.
Modern fly box construction uses better materials that keep your flies more securely in place, reducing annoyances such as seeing one of your prized artificial flies take real flight out of your faulty fly box.
Because design responds to need, I’m not the only one who cares about crooked slots and stray flies.

Waterproof

I’ve been hearing the raging debate about whether something is truly waterproof or water-resistant since I got my first Timex watch. Some people get a little too militant about this mostly pointless debate. Yes, okay, you’re right, no fly box can claim to be completely waterproof. With that out of the way, look for a waterproof fly box when shopping for a new one. That is waterproof when closed, but I’m hoping you already knew that.
Another thing I hope you’ve also realized that fishing is an inherently wet activity. You will almost always be standing in water, and you will almost certainly be rained on, splashed on, or take an unintentional swim. Even if you close the box, your expensive fly collection will get wet if you keep it in a poor fly box. And, among the annoyances we’ve already mentioned, opening your fly box to find that all of your little lovelies are wet and, in some cases, rusted is certainly among the top five most vexing.

Another advantage of a waterproof fly box is that it will float when dropped into the water when closed. Reread that sentence. The keywords are “float” and “when” because the question is not whether you will drop your fly box but when you will. And when you do, you’ll want it to float down the river as you chase it.

They have a waterproof gasket and a 100% recycled plastic outer shell.

It is really quite simple, all that you have to do to get your fly into a tacky fly box is take it and push the bend of the hook not the point but the band into the material and it will hold your fly.