Fly Storage (Larger Flies)

N. Metz

Steelhead
Forum Supporter
I've been at this since my entire life but have not figured out a good way to store larger flies (3+ inches with tails). I do a lot of largemouth, pike, and musky fishing and regularly use baitfish and fish imitations that are 4 or 5 inches, all the way up to 18 inch musky flies. I store my musky flies in a clear plano box but they get all tangled up.

My smaller flies (3-4 inches, 5/7 inches) are stored in both regular fly boxes, as well as plastic sleeves that are then put into a fly pouch with zippy pockets. Both methods result in flies getting bunched up, kinked and in need of a steaming, and in general, very disorganized. My fly boxes are big but fit very few flies; poppers with legs take up a ton of space, flies with a shank and two hooks take up a ton of space, etc.

There has to be a better method.

What do you guys do?

Nick
 
Ziploc bags, aka "third world Wheatleys".

Flies go into the snack-sized bags by color, then into quart-sized bags by pattern, then into the mondo 2-gallon bags by fishery. For on-the-water use, I pull out whatever i think I will need for the day (maybe a dozen different sizes/patterns/colors) and put those in a quart bag in my hip pack, and the rest stay in the boat bag (or backpack). Carry an extra quart bag for wet flies, and Bob's yer uncle...

Maybe not everyone's cup of tea, but it's worked a charm for me for the last 20 years or so.
 
It ain't a fly box if you can't zip it into the bib pocket of your waders... it's luggage, or a gym bag. Those are some big Azz bugs and critters. I was whining about casting 2in of rabbit strip today.
 
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