Sorting Fly Boxes

Tim
I’m not sure what the Sensei would say about this subject but I thought I would throw my two cents in the pot. I think your fly box is very personal. What I mean is we all don’t have the same ideas for how to set up a fly box just like we all don’t have the same taste in the ladies.

I arrange my fly boxes by aquatic insect type but then again not always. All my midge larva are together with my Griffiths gnats and all my caddis larva are together with the caddis emergers and caddis dry flies. All my soft hackles, RS2s and mysis shrimp are together (if that makes sense) and my scuds, worms, and cracklebacks are together. I have another box with just Czech nymph flies of all sizes and weights. I have a box with Da Big Flies like buggers, mohair leeches, and stoneflies and a box full of mayfly nymphs and emergers. Oh Yeah, I have a big box of mayfly dry flies. I weigh 250 pounds when I hit the water.

But I think you are correct in that we should have a “reason” for where all our flies are placed – so we can find them easier. Some can make seasonal boxes or a mix bag of the flies they use the most in certain rivers. I just like to keep the flies in some order by aquatic species/life cycle.

Hey Sensei, what say you????

P.S. I also have a two boxes full of Musky flies!!!

Interesting question you have Grasshopper Tim and Grasshopper Kenny, I see you learned well in our school many years ago.

Organizing fly boxes is not hard if up to the fly fisher who uses them. And yes Kenny, women that we like do come in all shapes and sizes. But decide you must on your own. Here are some tips that you may ponder when your decision needs to be made:

1. Fill your box by type of insect stage; dry fly (adult), emergers, nymphs, or larva
2. Fill your box by pattern; midge, mayfly, caddis or stonefly
3. Fill your box by season; summer, fall, winter and spring
4. Fill you box by your confidence flies – a working box of flies you seem to use the most for the specific river
5. Fill your box by size of flies; size 20s & 18s, size 16s & 14s, etc
6. Fill your box by species of fish; rainbow, brown, bass, etc.
7. Fill your box by weight and profile of the flies (many fly fishing competitors do it this way)

Fun with it you should have and fret not. Just catch fish and enjoy the creator’s glory!!

Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia clothing and renown fly fisher, is quoted saying “the progression from novice to master is a journey from the complex to the simple.” I hope to reduce my present on-stream fly box arsenal from a dozen full boxes to just one of only a half dozen different, proven patterns in just two sizes. I’m not yet there.