This review was done by our friend and fellow guide Bryan Hunt of Spinner Fall Guide Service.
Tacky Fly Boxes
Tacky
fly boxes are, dare I say, a “game changer”. It’s not by any means the
revolution that the Fenwick graphite rods were in the 1970’s, but in my opinion,
the tacky box is the best innovation in supportive gear in a while. By supportive
gear I am talking about the items that supplement the fly fishing experience. Some
of these tools are extremely useful while some just take up space. There is a
good deal of hype surrounding this little box right now. Will it just take up
space or will it be the fly box you can’t bear to be without?
I was
given an original tacky box for Christmas and I was instantly sold. The
materials used in construction, its simple yet tough design, and room for a
shit ton of flies, make for the best box on the market. Here is a link to the
original tacky box: http://tackyflyfishing.com/the-original-tacky-fly-box/.
First, I will start with my only
negative criticism. Using it in the winter with tiny size 20 and smaller midge
nymphs was not easy. Its already dreadfully cold, fish are lethargic, the
guides are icing up, and fingers go numb. So trying to get obscenely small
nymphs into any fly box is a challenge. This is a problem not exclusive to
tacky boxes. Once they were in though they didn’t get lost in the slit or fall
out. In other words the material was temperature stable and consistent. Winter
fly fishing is just a painful process, physically and mentally.
So now onto what I love about the
box! Yeah I said love, I am unashamedly a gear whore so...
I am tough on my gear. I would not
say abusive, but well used. For instance, I like to fish with a 3wt. and fly
box with no other tools. I put the tacky box in my back pocket and sat down on
a rock to make some adjustments to my flies and forgot about the box. I felt it
hit, and hit hard. I thought it would be toast. But to my surprise it was fine,
a small scrape in the plastic but no cracks or broken hinges. It looked far too
pretty to be that durable. Now I was really impressed.
The impressive look of the clear
front are not only for aesthetics, but allows identifying which flies are in
your box without having crack a hinge. After
hard use I scratched the plastic a few times, yet I can still clearly identify
my flies, as you can see in the pictures.
The box holds an impressive 168
small to medium flies. After having used the box for four months the patented slit
silicone holds as good as new. That being said, I can even take a larger ant
pattern and replace it with a tiny nymph and it holds fine. And we all know
what happens to foam after a big bug is used in a slot. Especially when flies
are going in and out. I have ripped my fair share of foam taking flies out. With the tacky boxes, material memory and
breakdown is negligible. I think that this will be true for years to come.
In the pictures you may be able to
see a triple-double (similar to a double renegade), it is a size 12. For dry
flies of size 12 and lower the hackle fits in the box with plenty of clearance.
Tall size 12 flies may smash. This box is designed for small to medium sized
flies, it is not meant for streamers or large terrestrials. So if you are
looking for a box that will hold all of your flies, this is not that box. If
you can get one box to hold all of your flies, then you need more flies.
I would recommend the Tacky Fly Box
to fly fishers of every skill level. Flies are expensive in either time and
materials or just plain expensive so having a good box to protect that
investment is a must. The Tacky Original Fly Box costs $25.00, which is a
really good deal for what you are getting, hell for any decent fly box I expect
to pay at least $20.00. I am going to invest in a few more of these in the
months to come. When they come out with a streamer and boat box, you better
believe I’m going to get those as well.
Bryan Hunt
Green River fly fishing guide
Spinner Fall Fly Shop
