Every angler has opened a fly box at the end of the season and found a rusty, matted mess. This episode of the podcast features the two co-founders of Tacky Fly Fishing, who spent years solving exactly that problem. Their story is a useful lesson in what actually matters when you choose and care for a fly box.
How the Silicone Idea Started
The founders are longtime anglers from the Mountain West who met through their professional training and decided to build a better fly box. They tried a lot of ideas, including machined aluminum with magnets and even wood, before one of them brought in a small piece of silicone cut from a lab incubator gasket. The soft, grippy material held hooks without crushing the fly. They were experimenting with it around 2012 and released the first product at the end of 2013, so the design took a long time to get right.
The takeaway for anglers: a good fly box holds each fly securely by the hook so feathers and hackle are not compressed. Foam slots that are too tight or too loose both shorten a fly's life.
The Waterproof Box Problem
Here is the part most anglers miss. A waterproof box is waterproof in both directions. If you put one wet fly back and close the lid, the moisture is trapped, and the rest of the box can rust. The founders joked about this directly, describing waterproof boxes as rust containers when flies go in damp.
Their solution was a box that stays waterproof against rain and splashes but uses a breathable membrane, similar to waterproof-breathable fabric, so moisture can escape and flies dry over time. They also built it without a latch, since latches are a common failure point. Whatever box you own, the habit is the same.
Practical Fly Box Care
- Never close wet flies into a sealed box. Dry them first on a fly patch or leave the lid open on the dash or at home.
- Store hook-only spares and tools separately so one rusty hook does not spread problems.
- Sort by fly type and size, so you open the box less on the water.
- Pick a box size that fits your pack or chest pocket, because a box you actually carry beats a bigger one left at home.
Beyond the Box
The founders also described tools for the tying bench, such as hook-holding mats, which grew from the same idea of keeping small sharp things from ending up in the carpet. It is a good reminder that organization gear solves real, repeated annoyances.
Gear
Setting up your box for a new season goes hand in hand with good rigging, and our Tips and Tricks for Fly Fishing eBook covers it. For long tying-bench evenings, the FFIP Anglers Coffee Mug is a nice companion. For a quality box, visit your local fly shop to compare options in hand.
