When you’re lofting flies to big fish, nothing beats a streamer.
Designed to imitate small bait fish and attract reaction strikes, streamers are a fantastic option when you’re chasing large species like pike, salmon, steelhead, or even just monster brown trout. Streamers can work a lot of water quickly, too, allowing you to find active fish efficiently. And when the water is muddy from runoff, streamers can be the only fly that gets any attention at all.
Streamer storage can be a bit tricky, though, and mashing delicate designs together can impair the way they swim, as well as extend their drying time.
If you’re looking for the best storage options for your streamers, you’ve come to the right place.
Below, you’ll find in-depth reviews of some of our favorite streamer storage boxes, as well as a complete buying guide to help you make the best decision for your needs:
Reviews
Flies Direct Waterproof Fly Box
Material: ABS plastic
Dimensions: 5.5 x 3.5 x 1.25 inches
If you’re a minimalist looking for a small box to store your streamers, Flies Direct has you covered. Small enough to slip into a chest pack or large pocket, this waterproof fly box is a fantastic option for fly anglers who carry a few select streamers for their day on the water.
With interior dimensions of 5” x 2.75” x 1”, you’ll find adequate space for a reasonable number of streamers, as well as sufficient depth to prevent mashing them when closed. Two foam panels are available, but for streamers, I’d stick to one side to present crowding.
Flies Direct advertises this box as waterproof, but I wouldn’t bet that it’s truly dry when submerged.
The only complaint I have about this excellent small storage option is that it doesn’t come with a lanyard attachment point of any kind.
Pros:
- Great small size
- Deep enough to present mashing or crowding your streamers
- Tough ABS plastic can take a beating
Cons:
- No lanyard attachment point
Dr.Fish Fly Fishing Box
Material: ABS plastic
Dimensions: 2.9 x 3.9 x 1.4; 5 x 3.9 x 1.4; 6.1 x 4.2 x 1.4; and 7.5 x 4.8 x 1.6 inches
Dr. Fish Fly Fishing Boxes are my personal favorite standard fly box, hands down, and they work well for streamers, too.
Made from tough ABS plastic with clear lids, they’re capable of taking a beating without as much as a whimper. They’re also sealed with a silicone ring that makes them truly waterproof in my experience.
If you wade chest deep and submerge these boxes, they’ll almost certainly keep your flies dry, and they definitely float if dropped into the water.
Dr. Fish offers these boxes in four sizes, large, medium, small, and extra small, each of which is double-sided. Obviously, streamers take up more space than nymphs and dry flies, so you’ll want to skip slots and space your wet flies such that they don’t deform.
The domed lids create sufficient space that streamers aren’t mashed when your box is closed.
Only the extra small comes with a lanyard, and I’d like to see that option on every size.
Pros:
- Great range of sizes
- Deep enough to present mashing or crowding your streamers
- Tough ABS plastic can take a beating
- Waterproof!
Cons:
- No lanyard attachment point on any but the extra small
Coldwater Fly Fishing Streamer Box – Best Streamer Fly Box
Material: ABS plastic
Dimensions: 6.75 x 4 x 1.35 inches
Coldwater Fly Fishing really gets streamer storage, and if you fish delicate articulated designs, this may be the best storage box on the market.
As you’d expect, it’s built tough, and CFF uses a rubber gasket to improve water resistance. I wouldn’t call this box truly waterproof, but it should resist a quick submersion.
Rather than foam or silicone pads, CFF’s streamer box uses an ingenious system of stainless steel hooks that hold as many as 16 streamers perfectly. You’ll find more than enough room for big saltwater options, and they aren’t crowded or deformed by the domed lid.
The top edge of this streamer box has been designed as a lanyard attachment point, and the bright orange base and snaps make this product easy to spot so it’s not inadvertently left behind after a long day on the water.
Pros:
- Great size for up to 16 streamers
- Deep enough to present mashing or crowding your streamers
- Excellent articulated streamer storage
- Tough ABS plastic can take a beating
- Water resistant
- Lanyard attachment point on the top edge
Cons:
Umpqua UPG LT High Flats Foam Box
Material: ABS plastic
Dimensions: 7.25 x 4 x 1 inches
Umpqua’s UPG LT High Flats box is a great storage option for saltwater flies, providing plenty of space for large streamers.
A single-sided design with a clear lid, Umpqua uses a magnetic closure system that’s plenty secure. It isn’t terribly water resistant, however, and I wouldn’t count on this box to keep your streamers dry.
It’s a good size for a dozen streamers or so, depending on exactly how large your choices are, and you’ll find plenty of space to avoid crowding. I’d like the lid to be a touch deeper, but it shouldn’t impact how your streamers perform.
I’d also like to see some lanyard attachment on this box.
Pros:
- Great size
- Just deep enough to present mashing or crowding your streamers
- Tough ABS plastic can take a beating
- Magnetic closure
Cons:
- No lanyard attachment point
- Not water resistant
Montana Fly Company Boat Box – Best Streamer Fly Boat Box
Material: ABS plastic
Dimensions: 12.5 x 9.5 x 4 inches
If you need a boat box rather than a pocket- or pack-sized streamer storage option, look no further than Montana Fly Company’s Boat Box.
Rugged, durable, and waterproof, this tough ABS plastic boat box will protect your expensive flies, come what may. Its capacious interior allows for plenty of room, and you can store dozens of big streamers inside without worrying about crowding.
You’ll find a lanyard connection on the corner of this box, just in case, though the box will float when closed and sealed.
Pros:
- Great size!
- Deep and big
- Tough ABS plastic can take a beating
- Waterproof
- Lanyard attachment at the corner
Cons:
Cliff Outdoors Bugger Beast
Material: ABS plastic
Dimensions: 13.5 x 9 x 3 inches
The Bugger Beast has won an enviable reputation among fly anglers, and while its design is simple and straightforward, it works like a charm.
Built from tough ABS plastic, the Bugger Beast provides plenty of protected storage for large streamers. The interior is large and lined with foam that holds your flies securely.
Two strong snaps ensure closure, but this box is definitely not waterproof, so keep that in mind.
If the Montana Fly Company’s Boat Box is too rich for your blood, the simple Bugger Beast might be an ideal streamer storage solution for you.
Pros:
- Good size
- Deep and big
- Tough ABS plastic can take a beating
Cons:
- Not as capacious as the MFC boat box
- Not waterproof
Buying Guide: How to Pick the Best Streamer Storage for Your Needs
While you can store legions of tiny dry flies and nymphs in a fly box, streamers require more space.
Packing streamers in tight quarters will flatten their fluff, encourage them to stay wet longer, and in the worst cases, can cause them to present poorly.
With that in mind, let’s take a close look at what makes a good streamer storage solution.
Size
Obviously, larger boxes will hold more flies. No one needs to tell you that.
But when you’re selecting a streamer box, you want to consider its overall dimensions carefully. Remember that you’ll want to keep those streamers ready to cast, and that means avoiding packing them in like a city bus just before work.
If you’re a minimalist who prefers a small selection of streamers, a small box that you can easily slip into a pack or pocket might be ideal. But if you prefer lots of options, you’ll need quite a bit more space.
Be realistic about your preferences, and select the size that fits your style.
Depth
Depth is a crucial dimension to consider.
Streamers tend to be fluffy, especially the larger varieties, and they demand plenty of breathing room to keep their shape and dry well.
If the lid of your box is pressing them into the foam, all bets are off.
Water resistance
While a boat box doesn’t absolutely need to be watertight, it’s a nice design feature on a small box that might be submerged during wading.
Lanyards
“If it’s not on a lanyard, it’ll eventually end up in the water.”
That’s as true a statement as you’ll ever hear in the world of fly fishing, and I recommend fly storage options that can be attached to a lanyard.
Durability
Finally, you want your fly storage box to be tough.
Whether we’re talking about a stumble that has you land on your flies, a hard knock on the way to the stream, or just the daily abuse Mother Nature dishes out, you want a fly box that can take a beating without complaint.
While we can’t know which fly storage solution best fits your unique needs, we can heartily recommend two.
Coldwater Fly Fishing’s Streamer Box offers generous dimensions, including depth, secure fastening, and a tough, ABD plastic body that won’t say quit. It’s at least water resistant – if not waterproof – and the hook system for organizing your streamers is an elegant solution to keeping them well-spaced and in pristine condition.
But if you need a boat box for dozens of streamers, Montana Fly Company offers a superb product. Built to be waterproof, their boat box offers storage for many, many flies, allowing safe spacing and sure-fire protection.
We hope that this article has helped you pick the right streamer box for your needs, and as always, we’re here to answer any questions you might have.
Please leave a comment below, and we’ll be in touch!
Source: usangler.com