Tacky Fly Storage by Fishpond

Gear Review: Tacky Fly Boxes

Every fly angler needs a suitable fly storage system.

Some are content with a simple sheepskin wallet, or an old tobacco tin housing an intertwined pile of bedraggled dries and nymphs. Others with frugal disposition seek the cheapest that Amazon or Alibaba has on offer.

I wish I was of that mindset.

For me, fly storage is as important in my tackle collection as reels and fly lines. I pour over open boxes during the long winter months, sometimes filling gaps, but as often, overseeing a wholesale relocation of patterns within and between boxes. It’s a serious business.

The annual purchase of an additional box to house my widening fly collection starts with a wide review of all offerings.

You see, my need for larger and more boxes grows as fast as my saltwater and destination angling passion expands its horizons. Patterns – from sparsely tied unweighted Gotchas for the Belize bonefish, to 2/0 Black Brushies targeting GTs, baroque Permit offerings, flamboyant streamers for Tierra Del Fuego – they all need specialist housing, in my eyes at least.

Then there’s the New Zealand nymphs, dries, streamers, backup boxes of terrestrials, stillwater damselflies, Tongaririo-style weighted egg patterns … the list never gets any shorter.

My annual investigation of the latest in fly storage involves scanning recent reviews of offerings from Cliff Outdoors, Fulling Mill, plus browsing the many innovations and minimalist designs of the boutique tackle companies for inspiration (Yakodo Supply Co and Epic Fly Fish deserve honourable mentions and I do proudly run the hand-stitched Epic Streamer Wallet). I don’t want to unwittingly invest in old technology!

My search invariably leads back to C&F Designs and Tacky Fly Storage from Fishpond USA, and I browse their collections imagining those sterile, uniform containers housing identical rows of flawless flies in varying weights and sizes. After which I invariably settle on another from Tacky’s trusted system, place my online purchase, and proceed to populate said boxes with my less than perfect mix of random patterns.

In this post, I’ll share my experience of six boxes I own in the Tacky range, starting with their compact Tacky Daypack that I carry in my trout bum bag, the Tacky Original box (heavier nymphs), and the Tacky Original 2X (more trout nymphs) for my multi-day backcountry trout expeditions.

Then onto the Tacky Pescador box in Burnt Orange that I prefer for bonefishing, and the Tacky Pescador Large (Baja Blue) current housing a procession of Patagonian streamers.

Rounding out this fly storage review is the simple and cheap Tacky Fly Puck variations. These either transport a small selection for rapid replacement on the fly, so to speak. Or commandeered for temporary used saltwater fly storage ahead of a rinse and dry session at the end of each day on the flats.

All fly boxes were full paid for by me, not gifted.

Fishpond USA products are widely respected and often leaders in their category, whether rod storage for travelling, fishing vests, or submersible bags to wear on the river. Their 2020 acquisition of Tacky was timely in providing needed support for further fly storage innovation and this continued collaboration with the Tacky founders has resulted in the current stable of high quality fly storage choices.

Across all the reviewed products, they share the same focus on use of fully recycled materials, effective latchless closure, robust construction and their high quality patented Silicon anchoring system.

Tacky Daypack

This was my earliest Tacky purchase after struggling with cheap plastic boxes, poor quality foam inserts and unreliable latched closures.

I was initially surprised with how heavy such a small box could be, given my previous boxes were thin walled, chinese mass produced copies with light foam inserts. This weight disadvantage is the only downside, beyond price, of the Tacky range in my opinion, so I’ll state it up front.

As a dedicated backcountry angler who keeps a spreadsheet with weights of everything I pack into the hills, Tacky’s fly boxes are one of only a few luxury items to not be culled for the long walks in based on solely optimising grams.

However, box weight is not a significant issue for daily anglers on lowland riverways so this may not be an issue to you.

Aside from high price and built weight, this is a very solid box with a robust silicon insert, a clear, strong high visibility lid and excellent latchless magnetic closure. It’s a delight to carry, to open and use. I now have 90 of my most popular small nymphs all within reach – even more as I run duplicates of my most popular #16s and #18s down the insides of one of these boxes, dedicated to my smallest nymphs.

At around US$20 (AU$34.95 for me), it’s a relatively small price to pay for a small nymph box with such a discrete form factor and high quality production.

The box below shows that the Daypack can hold large backcountry flies albeit with lesser carrying capacity. The box has good depth to accommodate bulky patterns. It has two loops for a retainer and excellent positive closure.

Tacky Original

My second Tacky Original fly box with clear lid and the same quality magnetic closure can hold a further 168 nymphs – weighted and large stonefly nymphs through to rows of small Pheasant Tail variations and caddis imitations. I can see my selection at a glance without opening the box which is useful on the river.

It’s relatively heavy in the hand when full, but not unwieldy. The clear lid does represent a missed opportunity to place a second insert (as per the Tacky Original 2X below). But it’s highly functional, enjoyable to open, closes with solid contact, and has excellent silicon anchoring that Tacky has improved on in recent years.

Only US$25 or so is a good price if you live Stateside. But for me, living in New Zealand with no local distribution, I have to buy my Fishpond products from Australia. The Flyfisher in Melbourne retails these Original boxes for AU$44.95. That works out at around NZ$48 plus international shipping – quite an investment for a single fly box. I tend to buy a few items at the same time to negate the postage cost. False economy, I know!

Tacky Original 2X

This magnificent fly box gets heavy when full to its capacity of 336 flies – typically less for me but comprising the weighted large nymphs that I lug into big backcountry streams across New Zealand’s South Island.

Made from the same recycled polycarbonate used throughout the Tacky range, this is one tough box. I typically keep it in my pack for use to restock my daypack and Original boxes on multi-day expeditions and as a backup in case I ever lose a box.

Only US$30 but AU$59.95 (~NZ$64) for me is a big jump in price, but the Tacky Original 2X is a highly reliable box with a large volume of fly storage. It will last many, many years. Same strong magnetic closure, reusable Silicon inserts, recycled materials as for the previous two box styles. I’ve never once reconsidered the value of this purchase. If you were buying one trout nymph box and needed to store upwards of 300 flies, this is a very good choice. It has good depth for the general range of nymph patterns I use, particularly if I mirror bulky flies with smaller delicate offerings on the other side of the box so they don’t get crushed.

Tacky Pescador (Burnt Orange)

I generally use these medium boxes for small saltwater flies, both for bonefish and permit. The Pescador range has a watertight gasket seal running around the entire rim and this forms a solid closure when pressed shut. They are fully recycled and of very strong construction, almost overbuilt if that is possible. The box hinges are strong. My only concern is ensuring the box is squeezed shut due to the airtight seal needing some encouragement, so that if the box does drop into the ocean, there will be zero water intrusion. Worthy of a check, given the high price of a saltwater fly collection.

The listed maximum capacity of 210 flies is generally not practically possible for saltwater flies unless perhaps only size #8 Gotchas, CXI Specials or Crazy Charlies and the like are jammed in, eyeball to eyeball. As shown below, the tails of some longer streamers and bulkier flies will take up additional rows in the fly box. I try to double space smaller flies tied with dumbbell or chain eyes, so a more accurate carrying capacity of around 100 flies should be anticipated, more than enough for a flats session.

The Silicon anchoring inserts feel more robust than for the smaller trout boxes reviewed previously and don’t hold water if the box does take a dip. It’s easy to extract and replace individual flies from the anchors and the insert spacings are well thought out.

The box size is 7.5” x 4” x 1.2” (the widely adopted standard of measuring trout in inches means this box should be easy to visualise, even for the majority of the angling population who uses the metric system!) so would also work well for small trout streamers and terrestrials. It’s a big box for freshwater use in New Zealand though, and perhaps too small for larger Chilean streamers to be stored efficiently. There are better Tacky options for that.

In addition to their use for my smaller saltwater fly storage, I’m planning to use these medium sized Pescador boxes in Baja Blue when I chase sea-run browns in Patagonia next Southern Hemisphere summer. The extraordinary array of mid-sized flies thrown at these magnificent trout fits well in these roomy fly boxes. They easily carry my large terrestrials, big girdle bugs, yuk bugs, my Yakoda SupplyCo. Chimera patterns as well as the heavy nymph and wet variations I’m planning to take down there.

Tacky Pescador Large (Baja Blue)

Substantially larger than the medium Pescador, this Tacky Pescador Large box measures 8.8” x 4.9” x 1.96”. It’s a big box well suited for freshwater streamers, and for bigger bonefish patterns, permit crabs and bulky tarpon flies in the salt.

With the same highly reliable gasket sealed closure, strong hinge and build construction that inspires confidence in your gear, I know I’m going to end up owning quite a few of these large boxes.

The box below is being filled for Patagonia next summer and holds large flies up to size #2 with ease. With practical storage of over 140 big flies, and a replacement cost of US$50, I dread the thought of losing a full box on a distant river.

An optional page with magnetic corner closure can be inserted and doubles the carrying capacity to 532 flies, but I’ve opted not to use this, due to the bulky flies I’m loading into both sides of these boxes, despite the depth available on each side.

My preference is to carry this large box for streamers plus overflow terrestrials and nymphs, plus a Pescador Medium box for the main supply of nymphs and terrestrials, rather than overfill a single large box and risk the seal not closing adequately. This means if I misplace a box I can continue fishing. I carry additional stocks of streamers in watertight bags for restocking, but am looking into the Pescador XL for my largest Patagonia streamers and another for my big GT flies and large saltwater poppers.

Tacky Fly Puck

There are now three options in the Fly Puck lineup.

I use the original Fly Puck (US$4.95 ea) in vivid Cutthroat orange – great if it slips into streamside vegetation. Also I carry the more subdued Baja blue colour to distinguish the two if carried together. The Fly Puck has good depth to securely hold enough terrestrials, dries or nymph patterns for a short session.

If I’m chasing rainbows on the upper Caples or Greenstone in the Central Otago of New Zealand’s South Island during late summer, I might only carry a selection of terrestrials in my pocket. This is an excellent lightweight and minimalist fly vehicle during those midday wanders.

I’ve also found Tacky Fly Pucks useful for temporary fly storage when bonefishing. I can rinse the container and its contents in fresh water at the end of each day, leaving the flies to air dry overnight before restocking my day boxes.

The Shallow Fly Puck is excellent for holding mid-sized nymphs or small dries and fits easily into your vest or pants pocket. Cheap at US$4.95 each, it’s worth grabbing a few before they sell out, if you can still find them in your local fly shop, that is.

I don’t have the Shallow Magpad version of the Tacky Fly Puck, but I can imagine that it would be good to hold dries for the evening rise while wandering along a chalkstream with rod and net in hand, as it provides extra wind protection upon opening the Fly Puck.

Summary

I’ve spent a lot of money on fly boxes over the decades with mixed results.

I’ve now settled on the Tacky fly storage system due to their recycled materials, reliable closure system, waterproof seals in the Pescador range, excellent internal layout and ease of access to individual flies.

They are heavier than the simplest minimal offerings; a result of their robust build. They are pricey, particularly when compared to the thin walled, plastic boxes easily sourced via Amazon or Aliexpress.

The Silicon anchoring system at the heart of the trout fly boxes is exceptional in its quality and reusability. The confidence provided by the Pescador range with their large capacity, positive closure and waterproof seals has won me over. I’m interested to hear whether they’ve done the same with you.

Note 1: Tacky Pescador XL – to be tested

A dedicated review will be coming on the Tacky Pescador XL (capacity of 464 flies) together with the optional double sided leaflet insert (holds up to 610 flies). I’ll be storing a lesser quantity as I’m planning for this box to house my largest saltwater flies, GT poppers, the big brushies and the chunkiest crabs, streamers and enticers I carry.

It will generally remain on the boat, with the guide’s gear, or at last resort, will travel with me in my backpack on the big fish saltwater trips.

Adopting this box will free up my trusty Epic sheepskin Streamer Wallet to carry a daily selection of large saltwater flies out onto the water, and within quick reach in my bum bag or chest pocket. I’ll let you know how this goes.

Note 2: Specialist Dry Fly Storage

I am still undecided on fully adopting Tacky Fly Storage for my dry fly use. There are a couple of suitable containers on the market. I’ll report back after I have test various dry fly storage options including the Tacky Double Haul which I am still to purchase. I want to resolve this before the New Zealand season starts so expect a report back on my findings before October ‘24.