Classic or otherwise interesting flybox recomendation

[Lupalupa]

As winter is approaching and my involvement in this sport shifts from fishing into tying, I come to this forum with some suggestions to help with my winter tying project.

I find it very motivating to purchase a fancy new (to me) flybox to fill with the results of my winters toils. the past couple of years I have purchased a Wheately fly box for this effort, one year a double sided compartment fly box, and last year one side compartments and one side foam. I have been casually looking around for something interesting to fill that role this season. I have been looking at Wheatley's, but would be interested in something else fun and interesting. Extra consideration in something timeless or classic, either new or used would be considered with equal weighting.

For fun, and because I think this came out nice, below is a picture of last years project, in an almost finished state.

[carl otto]

Wanigas can build you a cutom lightweight wood disply/storage fly box, any size and configuration, with open binn, or C & F slit foam, silicone slit or ?.

Very reasonable pricing.

Gorgeous eye candy and durable.








Carl

[kevinhaney1]

Carl, do you have a web address for Wanigas?

Kevin

[Kookie]

The old Hardy Neroda fly boxes are really nice and unique. The came in various colors, layouts, and different sizes. The original Neroda boxes may be difficult to find at a reasonable price these days, but they are very classy in my opinion.

[BigTJ]

Dutch fly boxes are an option worth checking out, sold by Blue Ribbon Flies. Some of the nicest I've ever seen, mine is a treasure.

https://www.blueribbonflies.com/shop-on ... tch-boxes/

-John

[16pmd]

Dave "Dutch" Schultz makes beautiful, unique boxes. Not cheap, but precisely made from fine woods, beautifully finished and light in weight. He's a former furniture maker. I think his only dealer is Blue Ribbon Flies in West Yellowstone and a few also available at Henry's Fork Lodge in Island Park, ID.

[ffftroutbum]

I would agree with the Dutch box suggestions. I think they are the finest boxes ever made by human hands.

[BigTJ]

If I ever lose mine in the river, I will cry. Like for 5 days.

John.

[Lupalupa]

That my friend is a very compelling argument.

[john8]

Wheatley use to make nice wooden fly reservoirs not sure if they still do, my dad had a couple and I picked one up for him from the Hardy Store at Pall Mall back in the early 1990s. I did make a few wooden fly boxes and used the Wheatley reservoirs I had as a guide, rather than using Mahogany I used Cherry. Here are a few pictures of some of the ones I made, I was able to get the same hardware (hinges and closures) that Wheatley used on their boxes.

[Tim Anderson]

Another vote for the Dave ("Dutch") Schultz boxes. I love mine and they are practical. Yes, you don't want to lose one!

Tim

[Bob G]

The fly boxes made by Dave Schultz (Dutch) are masterpieces. Back in 1984 Dave gifted me a few of his boxes as going away presents when I retired as Director of Fenwick’s Montana Fly Fishing Schools. Paul Brown, Gary LaFontaine, Tom Webb, and Dave Schultz were my Schools’ all star Instructors. Dave’s boxes are keepsakes for the lifetime of a fly fisher.

Best, Bob

[ffftroutbum]

That’s a nice story Bob! John, it sounds like you may need a few more just in case .

[BigTJ]

:Great point I need at least one more for “insurance”

[ctwhite]

I've made heirloom quality storage boxes for a spell. Desktop, not pocket sized. All using American hardwoods, mostly highly figured. Some have aromatic cedar dividers. The larger boxes, geared towards the saltwater crowd, have vintage nautical chart liners. It's an adjunct to my furniture business. More a labor of love than a profit center...

IMG_3461 by Craig White, on Flickr

IMG_0917 by Craig White, on Flickr

IMG_0903 by Craig White, on Flickr

[rsagebrush]

I have 2 Dutch boxes, so lovely I barely use them, I have a very small one I use for dry flies when fishing for natives and a bigger one for storage. I also have a Japanese box made out of Bamboo that is really lovely too with slits that I use for dry flies.
I really like Altoids boxes which are really very handy and pretty thrifty too.

[carl otto]

One year I was in the Blue Ribbon shop and saw the Dutch fly boxes resplendent in their show cases, with their $180 to $450 price tags and gasp. They were pretty. They could be immproved upon. It set me to thinking. How could these be made better and at a more affordable cost. So I spent the winter in my shop figuring this out.

1) They had to be durable
2) They had to be beautifully made
3) They had to be functional, with options for interiors
4) They should be lightweight
5) They should be less than $100
6) Entirely made in the USA

The Wanigas fly boxes meet all these criteria. I serached for the finest AAAAA quality curly figured woods for the tops (becuase it looks like a stream) (walnut, cherry, maple, ash, pear, white oak, etc.). The sides are sequentially matched quarter sawn wood of the same species. The hinges handmade of African Blackwood, Ebony, Boxwood or Hornbeam with bronze hinge pins, the boxes are glued up with Titebond III and the corners reinforced. The clasp is a pair of high quality rare earth magnets for positive closure. The insides are a standard quartersawn Spanish Cedar eggcrate, or the option of C & F or silicone slit type fly holders. One can have the holder on one side or both sides (for nymphs). The tops can be inlaid with a high quality hand painted fish pin, TU pin, chapter pin, etc.. The tops are finihsed down to 0000 steelwool , oil finished and then wax polished.

The base box is $65.00 and a box in the most expensive wood (Hawaiin curly Koa) with a hand painted trout pin inlaid is $135.





PM me for a brochure.

Carl

P.S. They also make very nice jewelry boxes.

[rsagebrush]

Carl, Those are nice.

Dutch Boxes can't be beat, everything about them is slick and well thought out, and yes the price is astounding.

[billems]

One year I was in the Blue Ribbon shop and saw the Dutch fly boxes resplendent in their show cases, with their $180 to $450 price tags and gasp. They were pretty. They could be immproved upon. It set me to thinking. How could these be made better and at a more affordable cost. So I spent the winter in my shop figuring this out.

1) They had to be durable
2) They had to be beautifully made
3) They had to be functional, with options for interiors
4) They should be lightweight
5) They should be less than $100
6) Entirely made in the USA

The Wanigas fly boxes meet all these criteria. I serached for the finest AAAAA quality curly figured woods for the tops (becuase it looks like a stream) (walnut, cherry, maple, ash, pear, white oak, etc.). The sides are sequentially matched quarter sawn wood of the same species. The hinges handmade of African Blackwood, Ebony, Boxwood or Hornbeam with bronze hinge pins, the boxes are glued up with Titebond III and the corners reinforced. The clasp is a pair of high quality rare earth magnets for positive closure. The insides are a standard quartersawn Spanish Cedar eggcrate, or the option of C & F or silicone slit type fly holders. One can have the holder on one side or both sides (for nymphs). The tops can be inlaid with a high quality hand painted fish pin, TU pin, chapter pin, etc.. The tops are finihsed down to 0000 steelwool , oil finished and then wax polished.

The base box is $65.00 and a box in the most expensive wood (Hawaiin curly Koa) with a hand painted trout pin inlaid is $135.





PM me for a brochure.



That's a fine offering, Carl.
Carl

P.S. They also make very nice jewelry boxes.

[Lupalupa]

Thank you all for your responses to this thread, including those who shared their own custom work and hard labor. There is some significant talent present on this board.

I went ahead with a Wheately 1607F. I feel this is a pedestrian response as it was the same I did last year, but for my needs on fishing small wild trout streams in the North East, it really does fit the bill, and with lots of style.