Storage for Tying Materials

I'm a fly tyer and as such I like shiny, new toys.  They catch my eye and make me want to buy them. They call out to me saying things such as "buy me!!!!" and "Melissa won't notice!!!!"  How wrong they are...  I am sure I am not alone in my lust for all things shiny within the fly tying world.  I know others have this addiction as well.  I mean, it really can't be helped can it?  How hard is it for you, dear reader, to walk into a fly shop and not walk out with something that you (a) didn't go there to buy and (b) don't need.  You bought it because it looks great and you felt as though you needed it.  At least that's what happens to me.

As a fly tyer, I am always looking for things to hold my materials.  A while back I got an Oasis portable tying station from Melissa as a Christmas present.  I love it although I rarely use it nowadays.  I also received the Oasis Chenille Center as a gift one year from a friend.  Awesome piece of equipment.  I could not wait to load it with chenille as soon as I got it.  Like an idiot, I loaded it with chenille, didn't mark what they were, and then immediately threw out the packaging.  That, however, is a story for a different blog post.  Since I feel the need to have name brand stuff for my tying stuff, I started lusting after the Oasis Hook Hotel.  The problem is I am already on thin ice with Melissa regarding my "outlandish spending" (her words, obviously) and I can't really justify spending $125 with hooks or $80 without them on this fine piece of storage.  Don't misunderstand me, I have nothing against Oasis or their products.  I own a few and like them very much.  I just can't pay that much money for a storage container simply because it is specifically designed for fly tying.

So, I needed some major hook storage but didn't know where to look.  While the family and I were strolling around Walmart, I discovered these in the craft section of the store:

Pardon the feet.  This box contains 52 other, smaller boxes and sells for a solid 10 dollars.  This thing is designed for beading but I figured it could double as something to store the hooks in as well. So I bought a few of them.  Since that time, I have added more to the collection.  I find that they work perfectly for storing hooks.  For me, I write on the outside of the container as to what they are such as wet, nymph, dry, streamer, or warm water.  Looks like this:

Here is a photo of the inside of the container:

Here is a photo of one of the boxes filled with hooks:

One of the things I like to do is to cut the size and hook info out of the package and store it with the hooks (see, I learned a lesson after the Chenille Center).  Some people may prefer to write on the outside of each box or even make labels for them.  I found that there is a drawback to doing it this way.  If you need to change boxes for the hooks, it can be a problem to change the name.  Just something to think about.

Overall I like these containers/boxes,  but there is a con to them.  Sometimes the lids for the smaller boxes are either broken or cease to work over time.  It hasn't happened to me a lot yet but I know it is a possibility.  I am OK with it though as I have a ton of spares and for the price, you can't beat it.