How do you organise your flies

[scotty9]

I admit this is one of my failings, but not just because I might need them, I like having them and enjoy browsing the boxes of all those patterns I'll never use.  :lol: 

I would  not be entirely dismissive of traditional wets by the way, although I seldom use them they do come in handy  now and then.

One very good example of that was at a (very) high loch last year. After going down the now predicable route of DHS's,  DHE's, Sedge/Hedge-Hogs,  things with legs  etc etc  for hours and getting sod all,  Joe started nailing them on a Peter Ross, me on a Butcher. If you had gone up there only with a box of nouvelle cuisine offerings you would have had a thin time of it.

The first sentence -  :lol:

And he caught on a what?! I know they are effective, I just like the humour that goes along with dry fly snobbery  :lol:

[Wildfisher]

And he caught on a what?! I know they are effective, I just like the humour that goes along with dry fly snobbery  :lol:

Me too Scott. It's fucking nuts when people shackle  themselves in that way. Versatility is the game, but you are more than smart enough to know that.  :

[Highlander]

Never a fan of "THE BIG BOX" I have mine stored in small boxes, mostly the old Slimaloy Wheatley but some in Myran boxes. All boxes are for certain situations.
A Wet box, few boxes of drys, nymph box etc etc. stored by pattern in lines & no more than three different hook sizes. They may be some migration from one box to another regarding pattern & definately size.
A typical though modern wet box mostly 10s & fancy with a smattering of Invicta, Sedge & Moth patterns on the right.
But then again I have a box for them. Too many boxes.



Tight Lines

[Traditionalist]

Never a fan of "THE BIG BOX" I have mine stored in small boxes, mostly the old Slimaloy Wheatley but some in Myran boxes. All boxes are for certain situations.
A Wet box, few boxes of drys, nymph box etc etc. stored by pattern in lines & no more than three different hook sizes. They may be some migration from one box to another regarding pattern & definately size.
A typical though modern wet box mostly 10s & fancy with a smattering of Invicta, Sedge & Moth patterns on the right.
But then again I have a box for them. Too many boxes.

Tight Lines

They look nice. I always find traditional flies very evocative. Have a few boxes myself, but it's always interesting to see others.

TL
MC

[Wildfisher]

What? Nothing  under  "P"   :shock:

:lol:

[garryh]

over thirty years of flyfishing and the only time my boxes are organised is before the start of the season.once the season starts i usually find myself tying furiously a few patterns the night before a trip and stuffing them in the first box that comes to hand.i dont think im gonna change at my age so i just muddle along searching my boxes at the side of the loch for those peter rosses i tied the night before. :lol:

Garry

[Traditionalist]

Most of mine are very carefully stored on various trees, bushes, and sundry other obstacles, both surface and submerged,  all over Europe...........

TL
MC

[east wind]

Three smallish boxes, basic flat black foam type for nymphs, spiders and a few wets, Clear double sided slitted foam foam one for larger dries, and a hinged compartment type for smaller dries.

Have to say there are some really nice well made, pocket friendly, watertight, designs out there nowadays with a sensible price tag.

Mac

[Black-Don]

I've started a wee project for a new fly box using materials I had lying about plus some of which I bought. Like I said, I want one fly box which holds all of my flies and I can put it in the car allowing me to customise the active fly box wherever I go without having to go through half a dozen different boxes. If it's not practical I'm sure I can use it for all of those patterns I will never use 



This will probably just be a prototype so maybe a bit rough. If it turns out ok I'll get some nice American White Oak Plywood or similar and get brass panel pins or even just glue the edge strips instead of pinning.

Project cost so far for a 380x300 double leaf box

4mm Far Eastern Mahogany Plywood     £8.04 ( 8x4 sheet )  ( you might struggle to get it for this price )
Stripwood for edges     £2.48 ( 2400mm length - I needed 2 due to the size of the box )
4 sheets Self Adhesive Plastazote foam £3.50 + postage
Panel Pins 20mm  £2.08
PVa Glue  -  ?
Mitre Bond £5 approx
Hinges - ?
Catches ?
Stain/Varnish

I'll probably start a wee thread on this so's I can remember what I've done.

[Inchlaggan]

I'll probably start a wee thread on this so's I can remember what I've done.

Please do.
For hinges and catches see

www.hobby.uk.com

My flees are stored in colour-coded Fox boxes, over a dozen of them, close on 2000 flees, all neatly ordered by type and size. These stay at home. Only one box (136 flees) is taken with me. This gets loaded up before the trip- part of the joy of planning- this resides in the Poacher's pocket of my fishing waistcoat. A wee box of my top twenty choices for the trip is made up for storage in a more accessible pocket. As Mike says, this twenty are evenly distributed in the undergrowth (when fishing rivers) or keel, gunwale, and partner's heid when in the boat, and replaced from the big box around lunchtime. Return home, make notes, tie replacements, re-stock all boxes, contemplate the day, come to the conclusion that all I need are Black Pennels, but tie up and store some other sh1te anyway.
Sad really.