2026 September Fly Tying

 

Fly Tying   Over the last year, I’ve covered a number of different fly patterns for nymphing and dry fly fishing. Last month, I covered different kits you can get to learn either the basics or a specific pattern. This month, I’m going to talk about where and how you might store those flies you’ve been tying. So, you’ve tied up dozens of flies and are ready to hit the water, but how will you carry all or some of the flies you tied? One of the basic pieces of fly fishing equipment is the fly box, used to store your flies for easy access on the river or lake. Over the years, fly box technologies have steadily progressed from wool attached to a leather wallet to today’s high-tech silicon in plastic boxes. Some of the fly box materials used to hold your flies securely include: Wool Cork Foam Aluminum Magnets Compartments Some of the materials used to hold the above materials include: Leather Wood Tin Aluminum Plastic Depending on your budget and number of flies you want with you, there are many choices of fly boxes. When I started out, I bought soft plastic boxes with slit foam inside to hold the flies. These are reasonably priced and do the job well.

Plastic Fly Box

I also bought or was given wooden boxes with the same slit foam. These provide a nice artistic approach to holding your flies. Here is an example:

I personally find the foam slits get compressed and fail to hold the flies after a lot of use. So, over the years, I have bought and tried other boxes to hold the flies I tied. A classic style is the all-aluminum box from Perrine (no longer in business) or Wheatly. The Perrines can be found on eBay, yard sales, or Etsy, and each configuration has a model number. Here is a #97:

Perrine #97

If you want something to hold the dozens of each pattern you tied, then you want a compartment box. Some are as simple as a plastic box with multiple compartments (you might find these at hobby stores). Others have magnets inside and a sealed cover.

Now we come to my favorite fly box, the Tacky fly box (now owned by Fishpond). These boxes have a silicon insert that holds the flies tightly and come in different sizes and configurations. I have small day boxes (5” x 3”) and thin and double large boxes (7” x 3 1/2”). These fit easily in my fishing vest, and the single has a clear cover so you can see what you have. The double has storage for flies on both sides of the inside.

Recently, I purchased some new boxes from Charlie’s Fly Shop I’m eager to try out. They combine silicon slits with magnets under each slit, to hold your flies securely. The boxes are from MagflyBox.com. If you want to explore other fly box choices, here are a couple of resources: Traditional vs. Modern Fly Boxes and 12 Best Fly Boxes. Fly Tying Kits Update Last month I provided a couple of sources for fly pattern kits and failed to include a two others I have used: Glenn River Fly Co. and Moonlit Fly Fishing. Greg Walters