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Fly storage

Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2019 11:29 am
by CheeseburgerFly
Forum has been quiet - so figured I'd post a question to get some conversation going.

For those that tie their own flies - how do you store them? I have found it difficult to find cheap flambeau like boxes where each storage compartment is the same size. It drives the OCD in me nuts.

Re: Fly storage

Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2019 12:02 pm
by Rusty Spinner
CheeseburgerFly wrote:
Tue Aug 13, 2019 11:29 am
Forum has been quiet - so figured I'd post a question to get some conversation going.

For those that tie their own flies - how do you store them? I have found it difficult to find cheap flambeau like boxes where each storage compartment is the same size. It drives the OCD in me nuts.
Welcome to the summer doldrums which are nearly over, thankfully. Looks like another hot week next week, but summer is breaking slowly already.

I only tie to fill my own boxes, not to store some for later. So I just bang out what I need and when I need them and place them into the appropriate box as I go. But then again, I'm whatever the opposite of OCD is :D

Re: Fly storage

Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2019 12:19 pm
by Jaybird
Try Michael's, Walmart or Hobby lobby normally have decent boxes that are deep and won't crush hackle , I think in the beading section ... There are a few mega guide boxes you can buy and fill but it's kind of a waste. You could just sink them into large sheets of foam , but something bad is bound to happen that way . .

Re: Fly storage

Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2019 12:45 pm
by NJpatbee
I also store them in my fly boxes of which I have five that are jam packed early Spring.

Re: Fly storage

Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2019 1:29 pm
by barkeater
I use the multicompartment Plano boxes or equivalent which besides the stores noted are also carried by Dicks in their tackle section. I'm not a fan of Dicks but they do carry them. Some have uniform size compartments and some don't. I find that if I keep dry flies in my dry fly box the hackle gets smashed over time so I try to just put in what I need. I tie 2 dozen nymphs or 1 dozen dries at a time and use them up before tying more which helps to keep my storage down.

Re: Fly storage

Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2019 1:33 pm
by lightenup
I used to tie more flies than I needed, then give them away, now I just tie when I need, no storage problems... :D

Re: Fly storage

Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2019 3:31 pm
by cappy
Harbor Freight has storage boxes also.

Re: Fly storage

Posted: Wed Aug 14, 2019 2:52 pm
by CheeseburgerFly
Appreciate the tips!

Long story short. The summer temps are here and my dog just got a surgery. No trout fishing or running dogs for me at the moment. This has me tying a lot of flies. I figure I won't have lost time to tying once I can get out on the water again or in the fields to get more pheasant, chukar, huns, and grouse for tying.

Re: Fly storage

Posted: Thu Aug 15, 2019 8:08 am
by Flyzlo
I bought a few of those large clear plastic boxes many fly shops use to hold flies for sale. It was some time ago, but I think I talked Effingers into selling me a few for my inventory. Fast forward a couple of decades and I find I tie enough quantity to keep my vest boxes stocked without reaching into inventory boxes. Those storage boxes are largely empty now except for larger, occasionally used patterns like cicadas, Alaska gurgles or hoppers, etc. I've learned that I don't need every possible pattern in every possible color and size. It took years to figure it out and I'm still not convinced it's a perfect system, but it leaves me more room to hold more flies of those proven patterns that are my "go-to's. Plus it cuts the down time when staring aimlessly at an open fly box trying to decide what to try next.

Re: Fly storage

Posted: Fri Sep 06, 2019 5:10 pm
by swissbill
Just floated the Beaverhead a couple of weeks with a guide. He had a very simple solution: a Maxwell House Coffee Can for his nymphs, all ten thousand of them... Made things really easy!

I am adopting the the same system, for my nyphs, just on a smaller scale. No more putting them all inn order until the cows come home.

Re: Fly storage

Posted: Fri Sep 06, 2019 7:20 pm
by rollcast
swissbill wrote:
Fri Sep 06, 2019 5:10 pm
Just floated the Beaverhead a couple of weeks with a guide. He had a very simple solution: a Maxwell House Coffee Can for his nymphs, all ten thousand of them... Made things really easy!

I am adopting the the same system, for my nyphs, just on a smaller scale. No more putting them all inn order until the cows come home.
Haha! My can would be filled with 5,000 pheasant tails and 5,000 hare's ears! What else do you need? :lol: