Heavy may receive a commission if you purchase a product through a link on this page.

11 Best Fly Boxes: Your Buyer’s Guide

A reliable fly box is a massively underrated piece of fishing gear. Every angler requires a trusty, organized system of storing their flies!

There are many different styles of fly boxes that are geared towards different styles of fly fishing – check out our top list for the best available options for every angling scenario.

Whether you’re hopper-dropper fishing on your favorite creek or targeting saltwater species with big sloppy streamers, we’ve tracked down the best fly box options for you!

Price: $ – $
11 Listed Items

Selecting The Right Fly Box For You

Before you purchase a new fly box, carefully consider what your style of fishing calls for regarding tackle storage.

Are you a freshwater or saltwater angler? If you like to fish out in the ocean and inshore, you'll need to consider the corrosive effects of saltwater and buy an extra-protective fly box.

Do you prefer to have lots of space between the flies in your fly box rather than having to utilize your forceps to remove flies? Buy bigger rather than smaller so you don't get frustrated organizing and extracting your bugs and streamers.

Do you often wade fish or have very little space to store gear? You'll likely want a slim fly box that can be easily slid into a waist pack or chest pocket, or a fly box with a particularly tight configuration of attachment points for bugs in order to maximize space.

Do you enjoy owning aesthetically pleasing fly fishing gear? Make sure to check out some of the custom and vintage style options - your fly box can absolutely make a statement if you want it to.

Streamer Boxes

Your streamer box should be wide in order to accommodate for taller, bigger-bodied streamers, even if you don't currently own any particularly huge flies - because if and when you acquire some beefy-streamers, you'll need a place to store them. 

We recommend a fly box with long and wide slots for hook attachment like the Tacky Predator Box if you're fishing with really large hooked streamers.

Bigger hooks tend to do more damage, faster to more open-schematic streamer boxes, but if your flies are more geared towards freshwater and/or are for the most part not tremendous, a slotless/notchless fly box like the Fishpond Sushi Roll can be awesome to own.

Alternatively, if you're fishing from a vessel and have the storage space, owning a huge-capacity boat box for streamers is an awesome way to stay organized and bring ALL your flies. The Cliff Beast Fly Box, the Scientific Anglers Boat Box, and the Adamsbuilt Clear Double-Sided Saltwater Fly Box are three great choices.

Nymph & Dry Fly Boxes

When it comes to tiny bugs, buy a box with more attachment points then you think you need. This will allow you to space out your flies for easier organization and extraction as well as give your fly-collection room to grow. 

A slim fly box is usually preferred for nymphs and dries because the size of the bugs don't require much space. 

Some of our favorite boxes for assorting tiny flies include:

Saltwater Fly Boxes

If you're a saltwater fly fisherman or enjoy taking trips out to fish the salt, you oughta have a fly box or boxes that will effectively shield your flies from the corrosive effects of the saltwater and sun.

Even if you only get an opportunity to fish for ocean and inshore species a few days a year, the aggressive effects of even just a smidge of saltwater exposure can really do a number on your flies.

Some of our favorite fly boxes for effectively storing your baitfish, shrimp and crab patterns include: