Whats in Your Box...

I have about five different fly boxes. Each one has it's own selection of flies based on what type of fishing they are made for. I tend to be a pretty organized person so I guess thats why I do this. All of my fly boxes are the simple Bass Pro White River Fly Shop fly boxes. I have three large (8" x 4.5") ones and two medium (5.75" x 4") foam floating ones. Your selection of fly box is entirely personal preference, I chose these because they are cheap (me being frugal), good quality, and get the job done. The floating ones were my first two because I had no idea how many flies a fly fisherman really has and because I have a tendency to drop things in the water. So, heres the breakdown of my fly boxes...

Box 1- Med. Floating Fly Box
This fly box contains all of my terrestrials and egg/spawn patterns. I've got them organized first by classification (terrestrial or spawn), then by type (ant, beetle, cricket), then by pattern (brown ant, black ant, high vis ant), and then by size. I keep a lot of San Juan Worms in all different colors and sizes as well as foam beetles and ants due to the fact that trout in the Breeches tend to go coo coo for terrestrials in the Fall. I also have a few Cicada patterns for the upcoming seven year cicada hatch on the east coast.

Box 2- Med. Floating Fly Box
This box contains all of my streamers and Wooly Buggers. I have this box organized the same way as the first box (all of my boxes are organized this way if you haven't caught on yet). I have a lot of patterns I do use and a lot I don't use in this box so I tend to put the Buggers on the other side of the box away from the streamers so I can grab a few and throw them into one of my other boxes if I intend to use them that day, saves space. I have a few salmon/steelhead patterns I make every once in awhile and unfortunately haven't had an opportunity to use yet. I also have a lot of Clouser Minnows in this box too.

While at Messiah, I attended a good amount of classes ranging from fly tying to casting technique at the Harrisburg Bass Pro. Bobby Clouser Jr. is the head of the White River Fly Shop up there and taught a lot of those classes. As many of you know, his father, Bobby Clouser Sr. is not only in the Fly Fishing Hall of Fame but has created some of the best fly patterns known today including the Clouser Minnow, Clouser Crayfish, Clouser Swimming Nymph, etc. The man is "the best" smallmouth bass fly fisherman alive and the apple didn't fall far from the tree. This man is a walking book of knowledge about fly fishing in its entirety. It was a great privilege to learn from him and if your ever fishing a stream up near H-Burg and see a 5'10", 250 lb man with a powerful mustache talking in true Lancaster tongue, you know you've spotted him. Anyway...

Box 3- Large
This box contains all of my dry flies, every size, color, and variation...enough said. Just know, there are a lot of flies...Adams size 12 to Zebra Midge size 24.

Box 4- Large
This box contains all of my nymphs, wet flies, and a few experimental flies I've tied that I intend to try out next time I'm on the stream. I'm not much of a nymph guy unless I have been throwing perfectly tied replicas of whatever is hatching and fish simply aren't rising to it and I feel as if they are feeding on whats under the surface. So, I don't carry many nymphs but I do LOVE soft hackles, especially in the Spring at Allenberry, the trout tear them up. The Olive or Mustard Yellow size 18 seem to be favorites.

Box 5- Large
This box contains about 70% of my saltwater flies. I primarily have Striper and Bluefish flies such as larger Clouser Minnows and their variations like Half & Halfs and Deep Clouser Minnows as well as Lefty's Deceivers and Snake Flies or Zonkers. I also have some Shrimp, Crabs, etc. for other saltwater species.

When I finally get my desk here and am able to unpack my bags of tying materials, I plan on making and putting up some tying videos as well as fix up my collection where its hurting. If you tie yourself and would like those videos let me know, I'd love to hear from my audience, if I have one, and get some suggestions (even for future posts and such). That's it for now...hope this helps you at least organize a bit.

Tight Lines...Morgan