I have been a huge fan of C&F fly boxes for years. They were the best fly box on the market in my opinion and I have about 6 of them. C&F boxes are also very pricey and mine were beginning to wear out. As I looked for a few new boxes, I couldn't help but notice the new Umpqua offerings. I picked up a large box and a midge box and made the switch with my general tailwater box and my carp flies. Bottom line: I am going to be buying more UPG boxes.
On the left is the Umpqua large box that I use for my carp flies, middle is my old C&F tailwater box and the right is my new tailwater box- the UPG Midge. As you can see, the UPG Midge box is much smaller than the C&F box. It holds fewer flies but is a much more compact package. Honestly, I have always carried around too many flies and it just makes choosing one to fish with that much harder. I have been trying to pare down my fly boxes and this Midge box is perfect for that. The old C&F held about 940 flies and I had it filled up. There is no way a guy needs or has use for 940 flies. These are mostly midges, caddis, scuds and junk flies.
Here is the old C&F box before I gutted it. I had recently moved some dries into this box because I used to have a dedicated dry-fly box, which is not necessary in my neck of the woods. So I was carrying this box and a small streamer box whenever I hit the local tailwaters.
Here is the Midge next to the large C&F. Quite a bit smaller and slimmer. I immediately liked two things about the UPG box: 1. The clear lid lets you see the fly you want before you even open the box. 2. The flush clasps are easier to open than the C&F and don't catch on pockets.
I love the layout of the slits in the foam on the UPG. The foam seems similar to what C&F uses and holds flies very well. I did the midge, caddis, scuds and junk flies first. I guarantee this is a generous supply of flies for a day or five at a tailwater (unless you lose flies as fast as some of my buddies). I still carry a small streamer box.
The third obvious feature of the Midge box is the pair of magnetic trays for holding tiny midges. I was skeptical of these at first but this is a very handy feature. I put a good quantity of midges in there and shook the crap out of the box. Not one midge fell out (which is good because I would never have found them in the carpet). This is a better system for tiny midges because they are annoying to get in and out of foam slits and often won't even stay in the slit.
I added a good quantity of summer/spring dry flies to the large slit foam on this side. I carry all my large dry-flies in a boat box becasue I only use them when fishing out of a boat. The UPG Midge is a perfect tailwater box for the water I fish. If you carry very many large dries there are other UPG boxes that would work better.
This is my carp box. This is a large UPG box and it holds way more carp flies than I will ever need. It would also make a great box for smaller streamers, small bass flies or large nymphs. This box would probably be a great general box for you Western trout guys with your awesome dry fly fishing. Did I mention these boxes are seriously water resistant? My old C&F boxes used to be water tight- but the seals have worn and now they are as leaky as an old pair of Hodgemans. My new UPG boxes are definitely water tight and they have a "Zerust" patch that is supposed to deter rust. I have not tested this feature but it sounds legit.
Basically, these are top-of the line boxes that come in a plethora of useful options and layouts. I looked on Umpqua's site and they seem to have updated the UPG boxes with all sorts of well thought out designs. I would not hesitate to recommend the UPG line of flyboxes to anyone for any sort of fly fishing. Sorry C&F...
