[Iain Goolager]

As a kind of ritual for the last few years I have purchased a C&F slotted foam waterproof fly box (the large 8" long ones, see link) every close season and slowly filled it during nights such as this, as a way of anticipation & preperation for the coming season.

http://www.sportfish.co.uk/product/cf-slitted-foam-waterproof-case-cf3510f

£40.00 a pop is fine I suppose if you only need one river Trout fly box that's gonna last you a fair few years. After Baz's thread on the subject of boxes I decided to try a Caimore identical box.

Well I've given it a good look over and it's as if the C&F patent had expired, a very capable and well made box. I did wonder about the adhesive on the slotted foam sheets and did a sacrificial, industrial, trial on thumbing off the foam and it was very robust.

 

It cost me £7.45 'ish inc postage -  incredible.
I've ordered another as a gift to myself from someone else - you know, from someone that agrees to exchange a token £10-£15  gift each year. 

They get socks and Lynx & I get a real mans item.

Iain

[Barry Robertson]

Thats a top price for a good looking box Bertha 
C & F boxes are very overpriced i think 

[Euan Innes]

I love my C&F boxes,(both of them), but hoo yah mutha are they overpriced 
I must try one of these, or two...

Do they have a salt water size?

 

[Iain Goolager]

http://www.fishingthefly.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=3993.0

Euan,

I know the ones (or I think I do) and I can't see them in either the 'Platinum' or Caimore' stable. They do have Salmon ones though and I see another purchase coming on.

Iain

[Ben Dixon]

Where are they made?  China?

C&F are good boxes but I have to agree, they are expensive.  What we need it for someone to copy the C&F shooting head dispenser, make it big enough to take a 10/11 head and half the price!  You need more head dispensers than fly boxes and head dispensers are bloody expensive.  Addictive though as they are the best thing I've come across for storing and changing heads.


CHeers

Ben

[Iain Goolager]

I agree, I need another head dispenser but even I'm peeved at the price.

Where are they made?  China?

I used to get annoyed by all the Buy British guff but the way things are we should revisit the thought but it's not their fault it's ours.
Anyway C&F doesn't stand for Charlie & Freddie, where are they made? 

Iain Son

[Ben Dixon]

Charlie & Freddy, are they another two of your weekend personalities Iain?  I realised they were not made in UK 

Very little made here now which is rather sad but fact is, most stuff that is made here is dear for what it is when you compare it to similar offerings from the Far East.  Very little wrong with reels and rods made in Korea IMO, reels particularly, they make some seriously good product and can do it for half the price we can.

Head dispensers........  I always need another one, I have too many already but I still need more 

Cheers

Ben

[Andy Finlay]

Iain,

I've a couple of the caimore boxes, think its the flip ones. Double check that the metal rod than holds the 2 sides cant fall out as it's happened to one of mine a few times before I sorted it. I've just ordered 2 of the aluminium ones which for the price looked pretty good. The tapered leaders are also cheap, not the best, but for the price OK, you also get a bit of a suprise when you order one.

Andy

[Rob Brownfield]

I love my C&F boxes,(both of them), but hoo yah mutha are they overpriced 
I must try one of these, or two...

Do they have a salt water size?

 

I got onto the distributers about a salt water one..not available just now but they are thinking about one. I have 4 or the C&F ones for my Pike/Saltwater flies and I would dread to drop one off the cliffs at the price the cost me!!

[Rob Brownfield]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Caimore-On-View-Fly-Box-Large-Size-New-Unused-/400050446349?pt=UK_SportingGoods_FishingAcces_RL&hash=item5d24dd600d

And they also do a "copy" of the Wychwood see through boxes that i love for nymphs and buzzers.

Or this rather interesting dry fly box

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Caimore-Click-Lock-Fly-Box-Dry-Fly-Compartments-Large-Size-Gray-Colour-/400243376687?pt=UK_SportingGoods_FishingAcces_RL&hash=item5d305d422f

[Sandy Nelson]

I would dread to drop one off the cliffs at the price the cost me!!

Work out the value of the flies inside and the box is the least of the problems, if i bought all the fiies in one of my boxes,
then the contents are worth £600, not worth thinking about, just get one that floats

Sandy

[Rob Brownfield]

Work out the value of the flies inside and the box is the least of the problems, if i bought all the fiies in one of my boxes,
then the contents are worth £600, not worth thinking about, just get one that floats

Sandy

Which is why I went for the C&Fs as if closed, they do indeed float for ever

Many year ago I had a conversation with Richard Walker about insuring tackle. As he rightly pointed out, a large woodern salmon fly box could hold over a grands worth of flies!!! Scary thought really.

[Ben Dixon]

I got onto the distributers about a salt water one..not available just now but they are thinking about one. I have 4 or the C&F ones for my Pike/Saltwater flies and I would dread to drop one off the cliffs at the price the cost me!!

Hi Rob,

They do saltwater boxes but they are not that big when compared to most.  Who did you contact as the distributer, Guide FLy Fishing?

Worth checking the US for C&F stuff as Guide do not import everything from every manufacturer that they deal with.  Look at the Rio "UK range" on their site compared with what Rio actually produce.  You may be able to get from US and it will probably be cheaper too.

Cheers

Ben

[Sandy Nelson]

Which is why I went for the C&Fs as if closed, they do indeed float for ever

Me too, but only for saltwater and Stillwater, I figure if it floats I should be able to get it back.
On the river however I prefer my boxes to sink fast as the current can steal a floater pretty quick
Nice and shiny helps me spot them on the river bed, hence a preference for a wheatley
Especially now you can get slotted foam inserts to make them like the c&f boxes inside.

Sandy

[Rob Brownfield]

Hi Rob,

They do saltwater boxes but they are not that big when compared to most.  Who did you contact as the distributer, Guide FLy Fishing?Ben

Nope..it was for the Caimore ones..not C&F. I have 4 of the saltwater/bugger ones already..great of anything upto about a size 1 but I then switch to wallets for the bigger flies.

[Loxiafan]

Got one of the Caimore boxes as above. So impressed with it I have ordered another one. The middle 'leaf' can be pulled out so things like DHE's won't get their upwings 'splayed'.

Fantastic for the dosh, thanks for the heads up Iain !

Lindsay

[Iain Goolager]

Lindsay,

Due to the fact that the leaf is positioned in a way so that it is biased toward the slotted foam on the lid it leaves a larger gap for the wings of the flies placed in the bottom of the box and this is where I place my overly delicate stuff.

As the box hold something like 940 flies, well at least has this amount of slots, then removing the leaf and leaving 2 spaces between flies still allows you to have more than enough fly patterns & in various sizes to cover eventualities.

Iain

[Sandy Nelson]

Well I'm finally Happy when it comes to flyboxes.

I have been able to convert my favourite flybox to have the attributes that i have always wanted it to have.

Thanks to a £4 foam insert from Richard Wheatleys site, my classic flybox is now the perfect river box for barbless flies, i've converted my smaller Wild Trout Trust Compartment box too for £3 Very happy. A cheap and easy way to transform your favourite box into a brand new barbless friendly box

heres the page  http://www.richardwheatley.com/acatalog/Accessories.html

here are the results



Good stuff

Sandy