Flies & Fly Tying
Best Fly Boxes
Foam or slit, slim or deep, and why the cheap plastic clamshell ruins dry flies. One box does a first season.
A fly box is the least interesting purchase in fly fishing and the one most beginners get wrong twice. The failure modes are specific: hackle crushed flat, hooks rusted into a block, and flies that fall out when you open it one-handed in the wind.
If you buy a fly assortment that includes a box — several of them do — you may not need to buy one at all for a first season.
The short list
| # | Pick | Best for | Score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Umpqua UPG LT Standard Foam Fly BoxTPE fly sheets · slimBest Overall | One slim box that holds a trout selection properly | 8.1 | Check price on Amazon |
| 2 | Umpqua UPG Ultimate Trout Selection78 patterns · box includedBest Starter Kit | Flies and a box in one purchase | 7.8 | Check price on Amazon |
| 3 | Wild Water Deluxe Fly Fishing Kit9'0" · 5/6 wt · 4-pcBest Value | A combo that includes a large floating box and tools | 7.9 | Check price on Amazon |
1. Best Overall
Umpqua UPG LT Standard Foam Fly Box
The box to buy once you own enough flies to lose them — light, slim, and the foam actually holds.
| Spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Fly sheets | TPE (thermoplastic elastomer), injection-molded |
| Design | Single-sided slim |
| Range | Mini, Standard and high-capacity variants |
Fly boxes matter for one unglamorous reason: a fly that works loose in your pocket is a hook in your finger and a fly you cannot find. Umpqua's UPG LT boxes use injection-molded TPE fly sheets, which are lighter than silicone and grip a hook shank firmly.
The LT Standard is a slim, single-sided box that lies flat in a pocket. There is a Mini for a pocket selection and higher-capacity versions for a full season's flies, all in the same family, so boxes stack and match.
You do not need this on day one. Every fly assortment ships in something. Buy this when you notice you are carrying three battered plastic boxes and cannot find a size 16 Parachute Adams in any of them.
What we like
- TPE sheets are lighter than silicone and grip hooks hard, so flies do not shuffle loose
- Slim single-sided design fits a shirt or wader pocket flat
- Three sizes in the same family, so a second box matches the first
What you give up
- Single-sided means less capacity per box than a double-sided design
- Costs several times what a cheap plastic compartment box does
| Criterion | Score / 10 |
|---|---|
| Foam grip | 9 |
| Capacity | 7 |
| Pocket fit | 9 |
| Durability | 8 |
| Value | 7 |
| Overall | 8.1 |
2. Best Starter Kit
Umpqua UPG Ultimate Trout Selection
The box-plus-flies purchase that makes sense in your second season, not your first.
| Spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Patterns | 78 |
| Box | Supplied in an Umpqua fly box |
Umpqua is the company that ties a large share of what you see in fly shop bins, and the UPG Ultimate Trout Selection is their deep set: 78 patterns supplied in an Umpqua fly box. If you already know you are going to keep fishing, the per-fly cost and the included box make this better value than it first looks.
We would still not make it a first purchase. There is a specific learning curve in fly selection, and it runs through fishing a small number of patterns until you understand why one works and another does not. Owning 78 flies before you have fished 10 skips the part where you learn.
If you want the Umpqua depth matched to where you fish, their regional sets are the better route — the Southern Rockies selection comes as a 19-fly Deluxe or a 56-fly Guide version, and there is an Eastern Trout selection too.
What we like
- 78 patterns is genuinely a season's worth rather than a sampler
- The box is included, and an Umpqua box on its own is not cheap
- Umpqua ties commercially for fly shops, so the patterns are the ones shops actually sell
What you give up
- A big outlay for a first purchase
- Still a national selection, not a local one
- 78 patterns is a lot to learn; most beginners fish six of them
| Criterion | Score / 10 |
|---|---|
| Pattern choice | 9 |
| Hook quality | 9 |
| Beginner value | 6 |
| Local relevance | 6 |
| Value | 8 |
| Overall | 7.8 |
3. Best Value
Wild Water Deluxe Fly Fishing Kit
The most complete box in the category, and the right answer when the real question is whether you are going to enjoy this at all.
| Spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Rod | 9'0", 5/6 wt, 4-piece |
| Action | Medium-fast |
| Reel seat | Machined aluminum, double lock rings, laser-etched butt cap |
| Handle | 7" western-style cork with compressed cork accent rings |
| Stripping guide | Stainless steel with silicon carbide ring |
| Reel | Die-cast aluminum, 85 mm spool, adjustable disc drag, pre-spooled |
| Case | 32" hard tube with reel pouch and zippered side pouch |
| Rod bag | 4-section cloth bag with ties |
| Fly box | Waterproof floating, 5.25" x 3.5" x 1.25", holds up to 372 flies |
| Tools | Two retractors, nipper with nail-knot tool, 6" stainless forceps |
| Flies | Included |
Most starter kits are a rod, a reel and a line. The Wild Water Deluxe is a rod, a reel, a line, flies, a 372-fly waterproof floating fly box, two retractors, a nipper with a nail-knot tool, six-inch forceps, a cloth rod bag and a 32-inch hard tube with a reel pouch. If you own nothing, that is the difference between fishing on Saturday and realizing on Saturday that you cannot cut tippet.
The rod is a 9-foot 5/6-weight, 4-piece, medium-fast, with a machined aluminum reel seat, double lock rings, a 7-inch western cork handle and a stainless stripping guide with a silicon carbide ring. That is a better-specified reel seat and stripping guide than you have any right to expect at this price. The reel is die-cast aluminum with an 85 mm spool and an adjustable disc drag, and it arrives pre-spooled.
The 5/6 designation is the honest weak point. A rod built to do both is slightly over-powered for a 5-weight line and slightly under-powered for a 6-weight. It casts fine. It just is not a rod you will keep once you know which one you actually wanted.
What we like
- It is genuinely everything: rod, reel, line, flies, fly box, nippers, forceps, retractors and a hard case
- The nipper has a nail-knot tool built in, which is the knot beginners struggle with most
- A 32" hard tube is better protection than the soft sleeves most kits ship with
- The cheapest honest route from nothing to fishing
What you give up
- Labeled 5/6 weight, which means it is a compromise between the two rather than optimized for either
- House-brand fly line rather than a RIO or Scientific Anglers line
- The included flies are a starting point, not a curated selection for your water
| Criterion | Score / 10 |
|---|---|
| Castability | 7 |
| Ready to fish | 10 |
| Build quality | 7 |
| Warranty | 5 |
| Value | 10 |
| Overall | 7.9 |
What actually matters in a fly box
| Feature | Why it matters | What to look for |
|---|---|---|
| Insert type | Decides whether hooks hold and hackle survives | Slit foam or molded sheets. Avoid bare compartments for dries |
| Depth | Crushed hackle will not float | Enough clearance that the lid does not press on the flies |
| Drainage | Wet flies rust hooks and each other | Vents, or a habit of leaving the box open to dry |
| Closure | Opening it one-handed in wind | A latch you can work with cold fingers; magnets are convenient and weaker |
| Footprint | It has to fit the pocket you own | Check it against your vest or pack pocket, not against a photograph |
| Floats | A dropped box is otherwise gone | Foam-bodied or explicitly buoyant boxes |
Slit foam, molded sheet, or compartments?
Slit foam is the default and the right first answer. A slit grips the hook bend, holds flies in neat rows and lets you see everything at once. Over years the slits widen and stop gripping, which is the main reason to replace a box.
Molded sheets — Umpqua's TPE sheets are the current example — do the same job in less weight and resist widening better than soft foam. That is what makes the slim UPG LT a sensible single box.
Compartments with a clear lid are for nymphs and small wet flies, where there is no hackle to crush and you want to tip several into your palm. They are poor for dry flies and genuinely bad in wind.
One box or several?
One, to start. A single slim box carrying two dozen flies in six patterns is the entire first-season requirement, and it fits a shirt pocket.
The reason experienced anglers carry several is sorting speed rather than capacity — dries in one, nymphs in another, so you are not hunting. That only becomes worth the bulk once you own enough flies to make hunting slow.
Questions people actually ask
What size fly box does a beginner need?
One slim standard-size box. Two dozen flies in six patterns is a complete first-season selection and fits comfortably in a single slim box that will go in a shirt or vest pocket.
Are foam or compartment fly boxes better?
Foam or molded-sheet inserts for dry flies, because they hold the hook without crushing the hackle. Compartments suit nymphs and small wet flies, where there is no hackle to protect — and they are awkward in wind.
Do I need a waterproof fly box?
Waterproof matters less than drainage and the habit of drying. Flies go back into the box wet from fishing, so a box that vents, plus leaving it open at home, prevents far more rust than a watertight seal does.
Will my flies rust in a fly box?
Yes, if you close a wet box and leave it. Hooks rust at the bend where the foam holds moisture against them. Leave the box open to dry after every trip and this stops being a problem.
Where these figures come from
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