Florida Keys and Key West Fishing Charters and Guide Service specializing in Tarpon, Permit, Bonefish, Redfish, Snook and Sharks on the Backcountry Flats and Inshore waters of Islamorada and Key West


Fly Storage
2000-10-01 - Capt. Tom Rowland
Look at the height on that jump.
Guiding 300+ days a year, I see it all. I have seen anglers come to town with every conceivable brand of tackle, clothing, technique and tactic. Some have excellent ideas and some are downright silly. Repeatedly I encounter anglers who buy or tie exquisite flies and ruin them by storing them improperly. Storing flies carelessly will often turn perfectly tied flies into fouling, frustrating concoctions. Poor storage can also result in rusted hooks, discoloration and fading of materials. After ruining countless flies myself, I have devised a storage system for my flies to preserve them and maintain their original characteristics.

Tarpon fishing requires varied and numerous flies. Traditionally, tarpon flies have been created with chicken feathers but some modern versions incorporate synthetic materials. Despite the material selection, it is extremely important to use a fly that will not foul while fishing. Fly tyers spend excessive time and energy to insure that tarpon flies will not foul and will pulse and breathe while in the water. Improper or careless storage of such flies ruins them. Hackles become bent or broken and collars are smashed resulting in a fly that will either foul often, spin or swim unnaturally. Using steam can sometimes salvage damaged flies but it is too late if you open your fly box on the boat only to find damaged flies.

One way to avoid this is to use a rippled foam fly box and stick the flies into the foam. This can maintain hackles but often the hooks become rusty at the bend and can break while in a fish’s mouth. Flies placed too closely together may also fade onto one another altering the original colors. Another problem with this type of box is simply that only a few flies are able to be stored at once.
Rarely will more than a dozen tarpon flies fit into a trout style box without damaging them. Open compartment boxes are ok but often hackles are shut in the lid, smashed or misaligned by overcrowding.

The solution that I have chosen allows me to carry hundreds of tarpon flies or streamers neatly in one small box without damage, fading or rusting. I insert the flies into individual plastic sleeves on by one. I purchase plastic sleeves in various sizes from Johnson Bag Company for the flies I plan to carry. The flies are then neatly stored in a Plano box and sorted by size, color and style. I am able to carry about 3 dozen of each fly in each size. The box is kept in a waterproof neoprene tackle bag, which remains in a hatch. If the box does happen to take some salt spray or get a little wet, the plastic sleeves will still protect the flies. I have kept some unproductive flies rust free in such a box for years. Since the flies never physically touch one another there is no bleeding of colors and as long as the box is kept out of the sun, there will be no fading.

I choose hook material based on the type of fish that I am pursuing with a certain fly. Tarpon fishing allows many hookups in a season, but unfortunately many flies are inadvertently left in a fish’s mouth. Tarpon have a very hard mouth and rarely does a hook penetrate very deeply. Occasionally the hook embeds in soft tissue and if broken off will remain with the fish until it rust or falls out. I feel as though tarpon flies should be tied on a tinned or cadmium plated hook for maximum sharpness and so that they will disintegrate quickly. Proper storage practices will prevent rust from acquiring on unused flies.
Bonefish fly storage has some special requirements. Anglers need to carry bonefish flies in a box that is easily stored in a shirt pocket or can be hung around the neck. If the flies have hair wings they can be stored in either a foam or open compartment box. Some flies with synthetic tails or wings can become a snarled mess in a compartment box while hackled flies are damaged in a foam box. The solution I have come up with is to use two small boxes. I carry all synthetic flies in a foam box and the hair-wings in a compartment box. Both boxes I use are small enough to easily be carried in a pocket. I attach the box to an old piece of fly line along with a pair of nippers and three spools of tippet material. With this setup I can leave the boat and wade for hours looking for bonefish.

My opinion on bonefish flies is that the hook should be stainless. Bonefish hooks do not need to be as sharp as tarpon hooks and stainless sharpens well enough. The most critical reason I choose stainless hooks for bonefish flies is to prevent rust. Anglers often wade for bonefish and it is not uncommon to submerge your fly box while on the flat. Most anglers only go bonefishing a couple of times a year and without very careful treatment of submerged flies, cadmium or tinned hooks will rust before they are ever used. I bend the barbs down on my bonefish flies and I feel certain that barbless flies, which are inadvertently left with a fish, fall out quickly.

Permit flies also requires delicate storage. My permit fishing is done with Merkins of various colors, sizes and sink rates. These flies need to be maintained so that the hackles are not damaged. I store my permit flies in a rippled foam, waterproof box. The box I have chosen is deep enough so that the flies remain untouched by the lid and are not smashed or damaged.

Permit are often pursued on foot and this box can also be hung around the neck. I only carry about one dozen Merkins with me. The most flies that I have ever had used in a day was five when my angler carelessly lost two to barracudas and then broke off three permit. That was a very good day and I feel confident that I will not use more than six permit flies in one day. I keep a large cache of flies at home and restock as needed. I feel strongly that Permit flies are tied on a stainless hook. Permit fishing is a game of multiple opportunities but few hookups. The fly will be wet with saltwater many times and a non-stainless fly may rust before a fish ever eats it. Permit flies may remain in your box for a long time before they are used. Stainless flies will not rust if properly stored and you will always have pristine flies on hand. It only takes one lost permit due to rust on the hook to always pay particular attention to storage.

My fly selection is varied, comprehensive and potentially bulky. As a professional guide who supplies flies for my customers, I carry more flies than most anglers. With these methods of storage for bonefish, permit and tarpon flies I have been able to consolidate my flies to an orderly, concise system that protects my flies for future use. Try this system and enjoy a lifetime of use from your flies.

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