By Joe Cermele

About 8 months ago I was leafing through Europe's Angling International and a new creation from Spanish company Thinkfish caught my attention. Their new modular fly storage system, dubbed the FlyPad, had scored some awards at a major European tackle convention. Turns out that U.S. fly tackle maker Cortland was intrigued by the FlyPad, too, and they are now the official state-side distributor. That meant I was able to get my mitts on an early sample, and it's a pretty innovative little item, though it does have pros and cons.

The main FlyPad storage box holds 8 fly trays that slide into shelves accessible via drop-down doors on both sides the the box. These trays snap into FlyPad fly boxes that are held in place with Velcro in recessed docks on the other sides of the storage box. The idea is that all your flies live in the main compartment, and when it's time to fish, you just grab the trays you need, snap them into the boxes, put the boxes in your chest pack, and hit the water. The FlyPad's main compartment is also ventilated so that wet flies will air dry. 

For $80, you get the FlyPad storage box, 1 FlyPad fly box and 4 trays. Extra fly boxes will set you back $30 a piece, and extra trays (which are available in multiple configurations to hold different fly styles) will cost you $9.50 a piece.

As a whole, I think this system is unique and useful, especially for beginner or occasional fly anglers who don't have enough flies and fly boxes to fill a kiddie pool. The problem for me is that I typically carry a lot more than 2 fly boxes, so out of the gate, I'd need to buy a few more if I wanted them to work with the snap-in trays. Of course, the storage box only holds two fly boxes, so I'd still have lots of loose ones laying around. I would use the FlyPad system less as a home base for all flies, and more for traveling to a particular body of water where I could load all trays only with flies for the task at hand, such as when going on a steelhead or bonefish trip. 

I will say that if you need to carry a whole bunch of flies, the FlyPad system is pretty convenient. Once it's loaded, and with two boxes strapped in place, it takes up very little room and will stop you from rooting for stuff streamside. What do you think?

Comments (12)

from clinchknot wrote 10 weeks 2 days ago

Wow would that go with my driftboat, or what?! Pretty neat.

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from Koldkut wrote 10 weeks 2 days ago

Where's the live cricket storage at on there?

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from clinchknot wrote 10 weeks 2 days ago

Koldkut,
How about the maggots, or do you keep them in your upper lip?

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from Koldkut wrote 10 weeks 2 days ago

Maggots, waxies, and mealies are ice fishing garden hackle and I only need a small cup to hold them....the one they come in works fine since they are not very mobile.

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from clinchknot wrote 10 weeks 1 day ago

koldkut,
I can see you are not an elite angler. Fish don't care for cold maggots nearly as much os when they are warm. That is why the pros keep their maggots in their upper lip. Easy to take one out, and they fish much better.

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from Koldkut wrote 10 weeks 1 day ago

I never claimed to be elite, that would be likening myself to you by admitting myself to that elitist club that you belong to. ;) So glad it's Friday, time to bust out some Makers Mark to go along with a little treat I've been curing in the fridge :)

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from clinchknot wrote 10 weeks 1 day ago

You are an elitist to me around the ladies. I've seen pictures of your accomplishments. I always thought that fishing was just a front you used to get out of the house.

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from buckhunter wrote 10 weeks 1 day ago

I am the most unorganized angler on earth. This... overly organized fly box system... would only ruin my reputation.

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from haverodwilltravel wrote 10 weeks 19 hours ago

The Brits used to keep their Salmon flies stored in wooden drawer systems, but they didn't detach. They also still use large wooden multi page boxes about half the size of a brief case for still waters.
I believe Scientific Angler had a similar "system" to this Cortland storage a while back...but it didn't take off. This looks like a great set up for the angler who likes having different set ups for different rivers and hatches. I wish them well.

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from Deepblu505 wrote 10 weeks 8 hours ago

I like the idea of carrying a lot of flies and being able to keep them organized. But like Joe said I would have to buy more fly boxes and I to carry more than two boxes. But I think it is a great idea, a little pricy.

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from clinchknot wrote 9 weeks 6 days ago

I see it as strictly for a boat fly guy like I am. I would bet I'd wait along a popular bank hole for a long, long time before I saw a true fly guy come walking in carrying that thing. They like vests not tackle boxes.

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from ckRich wrote 9 weeks 5 days ago

A neat idea for sure, but it looks like a bit too much hassle for my taste. For $30 a fly box I can already get top of the line fly boxes for wade fishing, and not have to worry about the trays popping loose or falling out when I open it on the water. For a floating setup, I'd just get the MFC Boat Box with the center leaf and be able to carry more flies than any fisherman with common sense needs. Still, it is an inovative idea, and I could see it's use on the tying bench for storage, or maybe by a tying instructor that carries around a large selection of flies to spark the imagination of his students.

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from clinchknot wrote 10 weeks 2 days ago

Wow would that go with my driftboat, or what?! Pretty neat.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Koldkut wrote 10 weeks 2 days ago

Where's the live cricket storage at on there?

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from clinchknot wrote 10 weeks 2 days ago

Koldkut,
How about the maggots, or do you keep them in your upper lip?

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Koldkut wrote 10 weeks 2 days ago

Maggots, waxies, and mealies are ice fishing garden hackle and I only need a small cup to hold them....the one they come in works fine since they are not very mobile.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from clinchknot wrote 10 weeks 1 day ago

koldkut,
I can see you are not an elite angler. Fish don't care for cold maggots nearly as much os when they are warm. That is why the pros keep their maggots in their upper lip. Easy to take one out, and they fish much better.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Koldkut wrote 10 weeks 1 day ago

I never claimed to be elite, that would be likening myself to you by admitting myself to that elitist club that you belong to. ;) So glad it's Friday, time to bust out some Makers Mark to go along with a little treat I've been curing in the fridge :)

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from clinchknot wrote 10 weeks 1 day ago

You are an elitist to me around the ladies. I've seen pictures of your accomplishments. I always thought that fishing was just a front you used to get out of the house.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from buckhunter wrote 10 weeks 1 day ago

I am the most unorganized angler on earth. This... overly organized fly box system... would only ruin my reputation.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from haverodwilltravel wrote 10 weeks 19 hours ago

The Brits used to keep their Salmon flies stored in wooden drawer systems, but they didn't detach. They also still use large wooden multi page boxes about half the size of a brief case for still waters.
I believe Scientific Angler had a similar "system" to this Cortland storage a while back...but it didn't take off. This looks like a great set up for the angler who likes having different set ups for different rivers and hatches. I wish them well.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Deepblu505 wrote 10 weeks 8 hours ago

I like the idea of carrying a lot of flies and being able to keep them organized. But like Joe said I would have to buy more fly boxes and I to carry more than two boxes. But I think it is a great idea, a little pricy.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from clinchknot wrote 9 weeks 6 days ago

I see it as strictly for a boat fly guy like I am. I would bet I'd wait along a popular bank hole for a long, long time before I saw a true fly guy come walking in carrying that thing. They like vests not tackle boxes.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from ckRich wrote 9 weeks 5 days ago

A neat idea for sure, but it looks like a bit too much hassle for my taste. For $30 a fly box I can already get top of the line fly boxes for wade fishing, and not have to worry about the trays popping loose or falling out when I open it on the water. For a floating setup, I'd just get the MFC Boat Box with the center leaf and be able to carry more flies than any fisherman with common sense needs. Still, it is an inovative idea, and I could see it's use on the tying bench for storage, or maybe by a tying instructor that carries around a large selection of flies to spark the imagination of his students.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

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All submitted comments are subject to the rules set forth in our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.