Montana Fly Company Boat Box

Montana Fly Company Boat Box

The Montana Fly Company (MFC) Boat Box is a popular and robust fly storage solution designed for anglers who need to carry a large quantity of flies, particularly when fishing from a boat or raft, or for travel. Here's a breakdown…

Length of product testing:

A full guide season in Patagonia Chile at Martin Pescador Lodge (3.5 months). This was my day-to-day boat box for guiding.

Overall impressions of the product:

The idea of a large water-resistant/waterproof boat box sounded exactly what I needed for a guide season in the temperate Patagonian rainforest with lots of daily (river) whitewater. When I loaded the box up with an internal (foam) center fly leaf–that ended up being a ton of room for almost everything I’d needed for my “working” box. The boat box had a pretty solid build, and I was excited to give it a test run. Within the first week, however, the two smaller exterior latches detached and were lost, which is a pretty big product ding. The box still had the two larger latches (four in total to keep it shut), but this drastically affected the waterproofing ability. Without the tight, four-latch sealing, water entered the box pretty easily. Wet flies in a boat box is no bueno. The internal (foam) center fly leaf is a great addition, and adds significantly to your fly capacity, but it didn’t really stay in place on its own–a little super glue was required to fix that problem. Overall, it’s a durable box with a ton of capacity for a single box, but the latch construction was a major flaw and severely impacted its snug fit and water resistance.

Unique product features:

The overall “heavy duty” build stands out from others I’ve used, but the latch and leaf construction require some work. I also don’t know of another boat box with a similar “fly capacity” when the added leaf is integrated.

What could the manufacturer have executed better:

External latches, internal (foam) center fly leaf integration.

Did the product live up to its billing:

Overall, yes. The entire guide team used at least one of these boxes on a day-to-day basis.

Would you recommend this product to a friend:

I would, but with the expectation that if the latches failed, the boat box would be covered under a MFC warranty.

What’s the product’s core value for consumers:

The ability to eliminate an entire second box, unless you’re housing very large flies, i.e. musky/pike flies.

Likely buyers:

Most serious anglers could find value in this oversized fly box. It’s great for boaters, though far too large to carry stream-side. It also could be a great “truck box” to work out of (with the addition of a smaller box). It’s ideal for dries and streamers.

What others say:

From Madison River Fishing Company: “Take a peak inside a Madison River fly fishing guide’s rig and you’ll likely find an MFC Boat Box that on the outside appears as if it may have been in a tornado. Look inside and you’ll see all the secrets to catching fishing on this river stuck into dense foam patches capable of carrying thousands of flies in all hook sizes. This durable piece of equipment is a must have for keeping your flies organized in harsh environments. Makes a fantastic gift as well because no fly fisherman in the world would be disappointed with this box.”

Specs:

• Price: $99.95
• Dimensions (length, width, depth): 13-inches x 10-inches x 4-inches
• Colors: Olive, Burnt Orange, Smoke, Light Blue
• Capacity: Hundreds or more flies?
• Weight: 2-2.5 pounds
• Materials: Durable ABS plastic

Find one today: Madison River Fishing Company

Kyle Zempel is a business owner, fly-fishing guide and photographer living in the rural driftless hills of Wisconsin. In 2013, he founded Black Earth Angling Co. and has pioneered one of the most unique smallmouth fisheries in the world on the Wisconsin River. He’s also a Flylab Pro and will be helping us with warmwater fly-fishing insights.