How to Make a DIY Ultralight Fly Box for fly fishing

Here is a simple tutorial on how to make an ultralight fly box for ultralight fly fishing. I carry this little guy with me whenever I know I am going to come in contact with any waters where I can fly fish while out and about, especially when hiking into destination fly fishing locations.  I really like using this box when I am Tenkara fishing also. I recently brought this box with me to a set of mountain lakes in the Olympics and I was very glad I made it the night before! I ended up catching enough Eastern Brook trout to have a delicious fish feast that left my entire group stuffed and satisfied. The box easily fit into my pocket as I fished my way around both lakes which made exploring much more efficient. Its congeniality small, while still holding up with enough room to cram more fly patterns then you will hopefully ever use on one outing. I always plan which fly patterns I'm going to bring with me before I leave for a trip, but there are some patterns that never fail in these local waters and I always have them stocked. 

What you will need

• Small altoids tin (big if you prefer) 
• Closed cell Foam
• Scissors or a razor blade
• super glue

First you will need to clean the altoids tin. I imagine most fish aren't huge altoids fans anyways. Once its nice and clean, use a piece or a few pieces of foam to create the style box you prefer. Some prefer slot foam which just means slicing vertical rows into the foam for the hooks to slide snuggly into and others like just a blank canvas of foam in the box for personal organization. I personally chose a step design which many foam box manufacturers use. I find that I can really take advantage of all of the expose foam in the steps to cram more flies into if I'm on a multi day trip or think I will need a few extra of a particular pattern. Once you've decided on the box style, cut the foam to fit tightly into the box to optimize foam surface area and curability.  Make sure you include enough foam to securely hold each hook while still being able to close the lid once its filled with flies. I recommend testing the fit with a large fly like a streamer or large nymph before deciding to glue the foam to the bottom of the tin just to make sure everything will fit. Once the glue has dried your ready to start choosing your go to flies to stock, I always have some bead-head pheasant tail nymphs, Hare's ear nymphs, softhackle variations, san juan worms in tan and red, zug bugs, prince nymphs, a single egg pattern (for when I'm feeling desperate), black and olive wooley buggers, simi-seal leeches, Chironomids, and a variety of dry flies like parachute adams and elk hair caddis. I usually stock a few traditional Tenkara fly patterns as well if I will be using a Tenkara rod.Those are some of my main go to flies for the waters I often hike to but I always add more patterns depending on the prey items of the fish I will be fly fishing for. Enjoy!