A pair of fly fishing entrepreneurs in the United Kingdom are hoping to modernize the average fly box by making inserting and removing flies easier and cleaner, giving anglers more time with flies in the water. The new Ripplebox is brilliantly simple in its design, and, from what I can tell, a significant improvment over existing foam-based fly boxes that, over time, grab flies with less effectiveness and eventually wear out altogether.
It’s simple, really. Rather than actually hooking flies into the foam of the box, the Ripplebox uses foam folded over a few times (or “rippled), which creates a tight space between folds of foam. Flies are then simply inserted between the folds of foam rather than directly into the foam. Each box can hold 120 flies, according to the product’s promotional materials.
But here’s the kicker. The Ripplebox isn’t in production just yet. It’s in the funding stage, and the two designers of the product are asking for your buy-in via a kickstarter campaign. If you get frustrated with the generally consistent make-up of today’s fly boxes and have been looking for an alternative, you might consider giving this campaign a shot and helping this UK-produced product make it to the shelves at your local fly shop.
— Chris Hunt