Made by Lid Rig: See the Mag Box Pro on lidrig.com
The Lid Rig Mag Box Pro is a large magnetic fly box that holds flies on swappable magnetic fly docks instead of foam slots. It is built for streamer anglers, rafters and boat guides who change rigs often and want flies in reach. FFIP score: 9.3/10.
Overall: 9.3/10 | Badge: FFIP Top Pick
Verdict: The most versatile fly box I own, for wading, a boat or a raft, with the flies right where you can see them. It sits next to me ready for a breakoff or a change, or rides in the truck so I can swap a patch into another box and adjust quickly.
Best For: Boat and raft anglers, streamer fishers and anyone who swaps rigs all day and wants one box instead of five.
Not For: Anglers who want a pocket-sized box or who tie on a single fly and fish it all day.
Price: MSRP at time of writing: $89.99 (per maker site).
Pros
- Magnetic inserts on both sides, so one box carries two loadouts.
- Three large fly docks plus a magnetic tin box come in the box, and the docks move or swap for the day's water.
- Roughly 9.5 by 8.5 inches, small enough to replace several boxes in a pack or dry box.
Cons
- At 9.5 x 8.5 x 3 inches it will not fit a shirt pocket; the Mag Box Mini is the pocket option.
- A few buyer reviews on the maker's site worry about the plastic latches over the long haul.
- At $89.99 it costs more than a foam-slot box; the value is in the system, not the single box.
The FFIP Scorecard
| Criterion | Weight | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Function/performance | 35% | 9.5 | The magnets hold flies in rough water and the swappable docks let me set up for the day. The weight is a little high, but I will take that in a boat. |
| Build quality | 20% | 9.5 | The box feels solid and the magnets are strong. Swapping magnetic patches is a game changer. |
| Ease of use | 20% | 9 | I open it, grab a fly and get back to fishing. Two sides means two setups in one box. |
| Durability | 10% | 10 | It has taken water, sun and a few bumps on the boat, and there is nothing in it to really break. |
| Value | 15% | 8.5 | It costs more than a foam box; you are paying for the system, and it earns it on the boat. |
| Overall (weighted) | 100% | 9.3 |
How Does the Lid Rig Mag Box Pro Work? The Engineering Behind It
Why a magnet holds a fly better than foam
A conventional fly box holds a hook by pinching the bend or shank into a slit in foam. Foam does the job, but it wears out, it compresses, and every time you pull a fly you tear a little more of the slot. A magnetic box takes a different approach. The hook is steel, and steel completes a magnetic circuit. When the hook shank touches a magnet, the magnetic field concentrates through the metal, and that is what pulls the fly down and holds it. Nothing wears, because nothing is being squeezed.
Why does that matter on the water? A fly weighs next to nothing, so even a modest magnet exerts many times the force needed to resist gravity. What the magnet has to beat is vibration and motion: a rowing boat, a bumpy truck bed, a raft sliding through a riffle. That is a job for a flexible magnetic sheet, because a sheet gives the hook a broad, continuous surface to sit on and the flies do not rattle loose. Lid Rig describes the Mag Box Pro as having magnetic inserts on both sides, and describes its smaller Mag Box Mini as using strong magnetic rubber inside. That is the same family of flexible magnet, laid out as a working surface.
Docks: modular magnet panels
The Mag Box Pro ships with three large fly docks and a magnetic tin box. The docks are the clever part of the engineering. Instead of building the pattern layout into the box, Lid Rig made the layout a set of removable magnetic panels. You can move a dock to another position, take it out for the day, or put it on the dash of the truck. Lid Rig says the docks work with any of its magnet systems, so the same panel can ride in the Mag Box Pro, on the Mini or on a Lid Rig mag pad. For rowing anglers, that interchangeability is the point: you build a dock for streamers, a dock for nymph rigs, and a dock for hoppers, then pick what the river asks for.
One steel caveat
Magnets grab ferromagnetic steel. Most trout hooks are high-carbon steel and will stay put. Some stainless saltwater hooks are weaker magnetically, so if you fish those, test a few before you trust a whole dock to them. That is general physics, not a Lid Rig claim, and it is worth a minute at the kitchen table.
Size, shape and carry
Lid Rig lists the closed size at 9.5 inches by 8.5 inches by 3 inches high. That is a streamer-box footprint, deep enough for big articulated flies and wide enough for several docks side by side. The maker says the box can hold streamers, hoppers, nymphs, midges, indicators, split shot and swivels, which tells you it is meant to be a single everything box and not only a streamer box. The box also closes with latches, which is where a few buyers on the maker's site raise a durability question; I have flagged it in the cons for that reason.
The two-sided layout
Magnetic inserts on both sides of the box mean two working surfaces in one footprint. Think of it like a two-sided whiteboard, with a separate setup on each face. I load each side with patches that hold dry flies in all assortments, and I build the patches around the bug types I am using that day: blue wings, PMDs, caddis and so on.
On the Water with the Lid Rig Mag Box Pro
The photo here is from a multi-day trip on the Smith River. We were in a big river canyon in summer, with limestone cliffs, pine slopes and tall grass on the bank, and my green raft was pulled up on the shore next to a gray raft. Big white cumulus clouds, warm sun and green grass made it a beautiful day to have a box full of flies that I knew had been working the last few days, with easy access and plenty of variety. I have used the Mag Box Pro for a couple of summers of wading and boat trips, around 50 days in all.
The moment I remember is a lunch stop and gear check. The Mag Box sat on the tan cooler within reach of the rower's seat, with a Filson dry bag on top of it, so I could change flies without digging through a pack. I grabbed a few buggers to run in tandem, and back we went.
For more on setting up a boat for a day of fishing, see our drift boat tips 101 and the captain's position and rower seat height article, and if you like to organize your trips ahead of time, read how to organize for your next trip.
How Does the Lid Rig Mag Box Pro Score, Criterion by Criterion?
Function/performance (Score: 9.5/10)
Function is the whole story with a fly box: can you find, hold and swap flies without fumbling? The Lid Rig Mag Box Pro's magnetic inserts hold the hooks against vibration, and the removable docks let you change what is in front of you in seconds instead of rebuilding a box. The magnet also lets you reposition flies as you go, which foam cannot do without damage. Hook compatibility matters, as noted above, so function depends a little on what you tie to your hooks. On the water, the magnets hold my flies in rough conditions, and the swappable docks let me set up for the day, find the right fly fast and change my setup based on what is going on. The weight is a little high, but I will put up with it in a boat, where a box with some heft stays put instead of flying around.
Build quality (Score: 9.5/10)
Build quality comes down to the shell, the hinge, the latches and the magnets. Lid Rig's own page highlights the magnetic inserts and the dock system, and buyer reviews on the maker's site praise the box as tough, with a few asking about the plastic latches. Check the latch fit on yours when it arrives and keep it clean of grit. On my box the magnets are strong and the whole thing feels solid, and the ease of swapping magnetic patches is a game changer.
Ease of use (Score: 9/10)
Ease of use is about how fast you go from a fish saying no to a different fly on the line. With the Lid Rig Mag Box Pro you pull a fly off the magnet, tie it on and park the old one on a dock. There is no slot to thread and no tool needed. It does ask you to organize the docks once, up front, so spend that time at home. After that, I open the box, grab a fly and get back to fishing, and with two sides I have two setups in one box.
Durability (Score: 10/10)
Durability here is a fair question because magnets do not wear but latches and hinges can. The maker does not publish a cycle rating, so I will not invent one. What I can tell you is that my box has taken water, sun and a few bumps on the boat, and there is nothing in it to really break. Rinse it after salt or silt and keep the latch free of grit, and it should keep going.
Value (Score: 8.5/10)
Value is the Lid Rig Mag Box Pro at $89.99 (per the maker site) against the foam boxes it replaces. It costs more than a foam box, and you are paying for the system, which earns it on the boat. If it lets you leave three or four boxes at home, the price makes sense. If you fish a single box of dries on a small creek, the Mini at $29.95 (also per the maker site) is the smarter buy.
Who Should Buy the Lid Rig Mag Box Pro (and Who Should Skip It)?
Buy the Lid Rig Mag Box Pro if you fish from a drift boat or raft, throw streamers, or run multiple rigs in a day. The box is built for open storage on a cooler lid, a dash or a bow seat, and the docks make it easy to switch from streamers to nymphs when the river changes. It also suits guides and trip hosts who need to hand a client a fly quickly.
Skip it if you want a pocket box for a wade-in day. The Mag Box Pro measures 9.5 x 8.5 x 3 inches, so it lives in a pack, a dry box or on the boat. For the pocket, look at the Mag Box Mini, which Lid Rig lists at 5 x 3.5 x 1 inches.
How Does the Lid Rig Mag Box Pro Compare?
The closest comparison is inside Lid Rig's own line, because the system is built to interlock.
| Feature | Mag Box Pro | Mag Box Mini |
|---|---|---|
| Size (closed) | 9.5 x 8.5 x 3 in | 5 x 3.5 x 1 in |
| Price (per maker site) | $89.99 | $29.95 |
| Docks | Three large fly docks included | Use with or without docks |
| Best use | Boat, raft, streamer days | Pocket, sling pack, wading |
Many anglers will want both: the Pro as the home-base box on the boat and the Mini as the grab-and-go box. Because the docks work across Lid Rig's magnet products, you can move patterns between them.
Get the Lid Rig Mag Box Pro in the FFIP Shop
The Lid Rig Mag Box Pro is available in the FFIP Shop. If you want the pocket version, grab the Lid Rig Mag Box Mini, or browse the full Lid Rig collection.
Frequently Asked Questions
How big is the Lid Rig Mag Box Pro?
Lid Rig lists the Lid Rig Mag Box Pro at 9.5 inches by 8.5 inches by 3 inches high when closed. That is much larger than the Mag Box Mini, which is 5 by 3.5 by 1 inches, so plan for a boat bag, dry box or large pack.
What comes with the Lid Rig Mag Box Pro?
According to Lid Rig, the Mag Box Pro comes with three large fly docks and a magnetic tin box. It also has magnetic inserts on both sides, so you can mix and move the docks to suit the day.
Do magnetic fly boxes work with every hook?
Magnetic boxes hold steel hooks well, and most trout hooks are steel. Some stainless saltwater hooks are less magnetic, so test a few before you load a whole dock. The magnet does the work with the hook shank, not the fly material.
Is the Lid Rig Mag Box Pro waterproof?
Lid Rig describes the smaller Mag Box Mini as waterproof, but the maker page for the Mag Box Pro does not make a waterproof claim. I would treat the Lid Rig Mag Box Pro as splash-tolerant until the maker says otherwise, and dry your flies before you close it.
Can I use Lid Rig docks in other boxes?
Lid Rig says the docks work with any of its magnet systems. That includes the Mag Box Pro and the Mag Box Mini, and its magnetic pads, so patterns can move between them.
Final Verdict
The Lid Rig Mag Box Pro is a great fly box for rafts, drift boats or the back of the truck. I look at it as a staging box that holds a lot and is ready to be pulled from to fit the day. It is big and pricey, so it is not for pocket-box anglers, but if you want to minimize the number of boxes you carry, it is a great solution.
Christian's Pro Tip: Put the flies you use most on the dock closest to the rower's seat. You will change them faster.
Tight lines, everyone!
