The Junk Drawer Fly Box
From Perrine to C & F to Wheatley, I either own or have used just about every brand, style or design of fly box out there. From the day I started fly fishing, I had an early fascination with fly boxes. My first one was some uninspired, mass-manufactured plastic compartment box that I think came with a Shakespeare rod & reel in bubble packaging from K-mart. Right away, I felt a lust for the much sleeker, sexier metal Wheatley boxes. They just looked cooler and, somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew they were sure to make me a better angler.
Wheatleys were prohibitively expensive for a teen with no income but Perrines were pretty good doppelgangers and monetarily reachable so I ended up getting a couple of those. One had clips that were a reasonable imitation of some of the classic Wheatleys and the other had these strange rows of “springs” that held the hook points in place (remember those?). It was an odd design but my naive mind was somehow drawn to their peculiarity.
I considered those my first “real” fly boxes because they looked the part. They looked like something you’d lay out on a grass bank beside an English chalk stream and take a picture of in classic, dreary, British light.
Since then, I’ve had all manner of top-end and custom made boxes. And I love all of them for different reasons. But, after fishing tenkara for so long, I’ve gotten a little less nostalgic and a little more down-to-earth. I now think more about usability and function. And that seems to have made me more open to more practical gear–including fly boxes. Enter the Meiho Akiokun box.
This 3″ x 4″ box is an unsightly thing–bright orange (which may not be very picturesque or nostalgic but sure is easy to find if you should drop it along the trail). With tapered edges and corners, it’s very ergonomic and slides in and out of pockets easily (though not out of your hands).
This is a 14-compartment box with 8 smaller, individual-opening lids, and 2 larger lids that open up to reveal 3 larger compartments each. It’s a somewhat quirky layout, but if you think about it, the individual lids kind of make sense. Opening only one compartment at a time will reduce fly loss in high winds or if you accidentally drop the box.
Overall, the box is bombproof and will sustain any beating you can give it. The main hinge and latch are very robust and will last a lifetime.
Curiously though, there are no hinges on the internal compartments. They’re just thinned-out molded plastic. I imagine these will wear out a lot faster than the outside hinges.
One nice touch is a corner lanyard attachment if you want to go really minimal and just hang the box around your neck or lanyard.
I should also mention this box is waterproof and floats so if it takes a swim, your flies will be cozy and dry.
With a name like FB-470 and an all-plastic, neon orange construction, it’s probably not going to become an heirloom. But it’s practical. And it will hold all the flies the average tenkara angler needs for a day–and hold them well.
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Nice box. Might have to get one. I take that “corner lanyard” hole and tie a strong dummy cord to it and safety pin the other end of the cord to the inside of my vest. So that if the dummy (me) drops it, it’s not lost.
Have been looking for a new compartment box for tenkara flies, tired of tearing up foam. This definitely has piqued my interest. Seems more than solid.
Oh, now your just trying to tempt me with those beadheads I see in the box! That just might work!
Tom, here’s a picture of those bead heads. I tied them probably 10 years ago. I should probably use them because they worked really well.
Jason, what do you consider the best Tenkara guide to tying Tenkara flies. I seem to do
fairly well w/my Tenkara rod, but I think I could do better w/some better flies.
Thanks
Jim Ritter
Hi Jim, what flies are you using now and what kind of water do you fish?
I like Meiho and Daiichi Seiko accessories a lot
The same case is available in navy blue.