The Ultimate Minimalist Setup: The C&F Chest Box
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.ย. 2024
- As Fly Fisherman, we love to carry everything out on the stream with us (Just in case we need it!). The reality is, you don't need that much. You only need your confidence patterns (nymphs, streamers, and dries) in different weights and sizes. Along with tippet, tippet rings, and extra leaders. These are the items that you NEED. Put a couple more items in the pockets of your waders and you are ready for a day on the stream.
The C&F Chest Box is at the center of being a minimalist. It is super lightweight and holds more than enough flies and tippet for the day. And with a few modifications that I show you, it puts everything you need in front of you and at your fingertips.
C&F has a newer, updated version of the large box I use. It's called the Universal Chest Storage. It comes with a magnetic fly holder on the front that you can remove by sliding a piece of 10lb test mono to cut through the glue (if you want to take it off).
In this video, I show you what I take out on the stream with me and how I set up my C&F Chest Box.
Try being a minimalist. It is extremely comfortable. And when you are comfortable, you fish longer and it is simply more enjoyable.
Tight lines!
Cory
• Clever Tippet Hack: M...
#flyfishing #diy #fishing
Hey Cory I've been following your channel for quite a while now and greatly appreciate your thorough attention to detail in all your videos from tying to reading water and beyond. Has made my experiences more rewarding...thanks for the Intel!
Really nice of you to say, Richard. I’m glad the videos have been helpful. Appreciate you following me. Continued great luck to you and tight lines!
I’m a disciple, just ordered one after watching your older vid on the waist pack and net vid. KISS is the way to go. You’re right we aren’t too far from the truck especially when we need another cigar. Got my first tippet burn the other day.
Haha. Appreciate it, Pete. Keeping it simple is a great way to go. And I have made the trip back to the truck for extra cigars many times. Nothing wrong with enjoying the view walking in and out.
Thanks for sharing this with us. The more i fish the less i try to carry and i love the way you are organised. I still have a tendency to carry too much stuff but I am working on it.
Glad it helps, Pierre. It really is a freeing experience when you lighten the load. Good luck to you and thanks for watching!
Love the setup…I’ve duplicated it with one exception. I picked up a binocular strap online, and attached it to the box sides with split rings (where you attached the paracord), and I find that the box holds close to the chest and I don’t have to deal with a strap around my neck! Might be worth trying…😊
Nice, Marc! Sounds like a great idea! Appreciate you watching and tight lines to you!
Nicely done. I try to be minimalist as well. I believe it allows for better focus on whats important. It lightens your load and frees your mind!
Thank you, Greg. I agree 100 percent. Appreciate you watching. Tight lines to you!
Clean, comfortable, practical, lightweight. Great ideas Cory! Keep ‘em coming.
Thank you, Ray. I’ll keep ‘em coming. Thanks for watching!
Perfect Cory. I purchased one of the C&F design chest packs …the one with the magnets on the front. I used it last week for the first time (no use for it ice fishing). I found that mine opened unexpectedly as well. You certainly solved that problem and added other great ideas. 👏👏👏👏
I am going to remove that oval magnet arrangement and add a small ceramic magnet backed with velcro. Wonderful ❤
Thanks, James! Glad I can help with the problem. Hope all that ice is gone for good so you can enjoy the springtime water. Tight lines to you!
I really like that set up I’ve been trying so many things even just carrying 1 little fly box 1 spool of tippet and nippers it feels good not carrying much and still catching fish
Once you go light, you never go back. Thanks for watching, Adams flyco. Tight lines to you!
This was an absolute joy to watch. Personally I prefer my small FIshpond chest pack, but basically our set up is very similar. Some very good advice here and cudos on picking up that extra tippet (and others' I'm sure). Tight lines brother!
Thank you, Jimmy! Appreciate it! Glad you found it helpful. That’s the beauty about today-so many choices, we can find something that we like. Tight lines to you as well!
Awesome. I use pretty close to the same set up for my half day and close to the car sessions. Love the simplicity and minimalist approach. I don’t have the big c&f box though, but it looks fantastic. Use a JMC chest pack for my longer sessions…the need to take a snake bite kit and extra water etc here in Australia!!
Also noticed that Pierre Kunz ( current world competition champ) uses the large c&f box Corey…so pretty strong recommendation there all round!
OK, Anthony....you had me at snake bite! Hell, I'd be bringing a special pack for a satellite phone so I could call for a medivac!
We all can definitely learn from the best out there. And Pierre is certainly one of them. Thanks for watching and cheers to you, Mate!
@@OldDominionTroutBum garmin inReach is always attached even if I’m 200m from the car. EPIRB comes on longer trips too as a back up! Not a fun feature of Australia… in a sport where your sneaking up rivers you tend to encounter them regularly!
Enjoy the warmer weather mate, hope the season is shaping up well!
We will do anything for a trout! Hope the season is good to you, as well Mate!
Thanks Cory! I think I’ve tried everything known to man. I’m currently working on a lanyard trying to figure that out,my working fly box will be the new Fulling Mill fly patch. Hopefully once I design I stick with it. Thanks for the inspiration!
Figuring it out is half the fun, Dale! Glad I gave you a few ideas. Appreciate you watching, my friend. Spring is right around the corner!
Another great video Cory. For yrs I’ve fished chest packs and vest. I’m the type that has to have everything with me on the stream. Gadgets and tippet hanging everywhere. Always gets in the way. Thanks to this video I now have a better idea on how to minimize my gear to what I need. Again Thanks for a great video and tight lines.
Thank you, Brett. Funny how we collect stuff and think we need it out there "just in case". Glad this can help. Good luck to you and tight lines, my friend!
You are a genius, man.
Appreciate you watching, Bobby. Tight lines to you!
Thanks for sharing Cory, some great hacks👌tight lines🎣💪🏻
Appreciate you watching, PiscatorUK! Tight lines to you!
Can't beat one small box of flies and a spool of tippet in your pocket, that's pretty munimalist
Agreed....That's going super light!
Cory, this is pretty amazing my friend. going to sell all my packs I have sitting around and get your set up
Glad it is helpful, Mike. Amazing the stuff we can pile up from this sport. Hope this spring is good to you!
Great stuff Cory! I like an old Fishpond Chestpack that I have had for many years and it was time to retire it. I bought a waist and another version of chest pack that is bulky and I miss my old chestpack. This looks more like the size I like and I appreciate the suggestion. Your videos rock!!!!
Thanks, Patrick. Appreciate you watching the channel!! Glad you enjoy the vids. Hope the season is good to you. Tight lines!
Cory, great stuff as always! I love that you are able to go out there with the bare essentials and get it done. I have a vest made by L.L. Bean that is actually designed from a mountaineering pack and distributes the weight super well. I carry a lot of stuff because I don't get to fish nearly as often as I would like and I want to make sure that I am prepared for anything on my precious day to fish. I honestly never thing about my pack being heavy or uncomfortable and I try to fish from dawn to dusk whenever possible. I like to think that my pack is never actually "done" or "finished" and I am always looking for clever ways to make it even better or more efficient. I like that you do the same for your gear, even if it is with a minimalist approach. It can ALWAYS be better! Great video man and can't wait to see what you do next.
Thanks so much, Eric! That's the beauty-there are so many choices available today, you can always find what works best for you. As fly fishermen, we are never done tinkering with our gear! Appreciate you watching, my friend!
Cory .. nice CF setup and the tips too! I like that tippet dispenser setup especially storages the spools out of the sun uv/heat .. been using those smaller inexpensive fly foam boxes in my old Simms fly vest zip pockets.. ( good Simms flyvest still going strong comfortable built in lanyards.. but that setup is to be admired looks cooler for consolidating lite and like the lite setup !..ty for sharing
Hey Jon. Appreciate you watching. Good luck this spring.
Nice setup. Love it. What caught my attention was... Abel Nipper?? Damn.... you get the best of the best.
Haha-Those nippers have been with me for a long time! Appreciate you watching!
Now that tippet compartment is the bees knees. That pack really is better than my Altoids box.
Yeah, it is a little better than the Altoids! It is amazingly light.
Minimalism speaks to me, but the thing that keeps me from going that route is the desire to bring water.
I almost always carry at least a 46oz water bottle, so I figure may as well carry a backpack
Hey Greg, I usually carry 20 oz with me and chug 16 oz or so on warm days before I even hit the stream.
Hey Cory, I like to keep my hemostats on a zinger and tied down. I made this holder out of kydex and used waterproof double sided tape to hold it on...
Couldn't add a picture, but I put on the back of this pack...
th-cam.com/video/BDThc9_HVu0/w-d-xo.htmlsi=6Yp--GCVJ-m-D25B
Appreciate it, Greg!!
@@OldDominionTroutBum th-cam.com/users/shortsBDThc9_HVu0?si=ZM7Ed58kb7V3mAEZ
Very nice Cory!!! I like the neck strap idea.. I tested my build out Friday it needs a few tweaks yet but way better!!!! That whole chest pack doesn’t weigh as much as my old Fulling Mill leaf fly box no joke!!! I don’t need 5 boxes either.. My tippet spools don’t fit in the cut outs so I have to deal with that, I’m trying to design a Velcro system as well but I do like the shaker bottle and frogs fanny.. I will send you a picture when I’m all done…
Thanks, Scott! It is amazing how light it is. I agree, it is lighter than the Fulling Mill box. You can always get the Trouthunter and put whatever your tippet choice is on them. Good luck with the tweaks!!
Hey!
That’s brilliant.
I will
Make some change on mine now.
I really like to go ultralight in the mountains
Glad it helps, Carl! Good luck to you and thanks for watching!
Love it. Great set up. Things I add to the front on the
Velcro, I often loose. So small pocket is more efficient for me :)
Thanks so much, Lukasz. That's the beauty of the system-you can make it fit what works for you. Thanks so much for watching. Tight lines!
I love this. I’ve taken to using the C&F fly patch as my go to box
Appreciate it, Chris! C&F makes some good stuff. Tight lines, my friend.
I’ve tried damn near every system out there also. Was convinced the fishpond chest pack and the mods I did to it was dialed in. However, just can’t get around the weight on the shoulders that leads to back pain for me from an old injury. I recently took a nylon duty belt and added a small chest pack, net, water bottle holder, and scout carry knife/sheath to it. I love having all the weight on my hips instead of my shoulders/back. Only drawback is I can’t wade too deep but I can live with that. Plus I still have my waders pocket for my phone and couple snacks, and an inside wader pocket for small anonymous things as well. I don’t think I’ll ever go back to anything on my shoulders again. Time will tell.
Carlos, the great thing is that there are so many choices out there. So you can ultimately find what works best for you. Appreciate you watching and tight lines.
Mmmm...paint marker wrapped in velcro...or was that a cigar tube in disguise :)...great, helpful video Cory as ever...thank you 👏
Haha! You just gave me an excellent idea, TK! Glad it was helpful, my friend. Tight lines to you!
Hi Cory.... great video, full of handy ideas. I notice you have a custom hat. Are you going to have them for sale.
Thanks, Jeremy. Appreciate it! I will definitely have the hats for sale. Coming soon. Thanks for asking and thanks for watching. Tight lines!
This has been a game changer for me Cory, thanks for sharing. I have two questions:
1). What do you do about the net situation when you’re wet wading?
2). I’ve had the box flood when wading too deep, not sure if it was opened which is what caused the water to get in but is there anything you do when you get into deep water?
Again appreciate you sharing your knowledge with us!
Glad it is helpful, Samwell.
1. I attached a loop around the neoprene neck strap using paracord. Just center it and attach your net retractor to it. It will hang straight down. It actually lightens the load even more. You don't feel anything.
2. If you are wading deep, adjust it higher up.
Hope this helps and thanks for watching.
@@OldDominionTroutBum perfect, I’ll try it out thanks again Cory
Very much appreciate you sharing your experience. So many good points that address areas of fine tuning that I have been considering. One question/suggestion is to share some links to some of the hacks - specifically the paracord and means of creating the slip knot, and the neck strap (I realize you took it from binoculars). BTW even the new model, which I own, has holes on either side that can be used for the paracord strap (..around the back). Thank you very much!
Happy to help, Thomas. The paracord is just a simple knot of your choice on one side and a slip knot on the other. The strap-you just have to make sure your new straps match the one that comes with it. Thanks for watching!
I see you ditch using those useless wader belt loops too. Thanks again for the helpful vid. Stay hooked! Bill
Haha. Never used them, Bill! Glad it is helpful. Tight lines to you!
Im switching to this system. Awesome video Cory
Glad it was helpful! Thanks so much for watching. Tight lines to you.
Corey,nice toy. Sons bought me a new sling pack for Xmas to replace my vest that was falling apart. I’ll stick with the sling pack. LOL I see you found more uses for the paracord! 😂 Tony
Love my toys and paracord! Appreciate you watching, Tony!
Aye cory another great informative video ..when i get around to buying a chest pack now i know how to set it up ..thanks once again 👊
Glad it is helpful, Bubba. Appreciate you watching. Tight lines to you!
Thank you for sharing all your tips and hacks. I enjoy watching your videos and I do subscribe.........
Happy to do so, Jim. Thanks so much for watching and subbing. Tight lines to you!
You are full of great info cory thanks heaps 👍🔥💯💯💯
Happy to help, Daryl! Appreciate you watching!
the japonaise engineering is so fire
Absolutely, Mark. Appreciate you watching.
I carry a box of 100 flies in a Altoids sized divider box, spool of tippet line, forceps and, nippers in my cargo pocket. Its minimal on steroids
Haha...I would definitely agree that you are a serious minimalist!
Hey. Could you do a video on your line / leader set up? Love the videos
Eric-I've done this video here about my setup.
th-cam.com/video/_LsHADwel28/w-d-xo.htmlsi=qZPOG4c41ntriMDl
Hope this helps and appreciate you watching.
Nicely done. Always interesting to see the results of a thoughtful and tested kit. Curious how you rig your net?
Appreciate it, Damon. If you watch my Waist Pack Net Setup video...You will see what I do there. Hope this helps.
Love your video on the chest pack. Man are they hard to find. I was finally able to get one on eBay from Japan. I am loading it now and excited to try it out.
I see how a different neck strap might be a good investment. Of course, there are a million different ones on the market. I have always done well following your example. Would you happen to remember what one you use?
Thanks again for all your help. It has made me a better fisherman in many ways.
Glad my videos have helped, Bob. Nice of you to say. My strap came from a set of Leopold binos I had. My buddy got a strap off Amazon and it works the same. He says is it comfortable. Hope this helps.
Don’t want to be a pest but one more question on this chest pack. You said you use a piece of Velcro as a fasteners. I want to do that. I tried to attach a small piece of Velcro to the foam top and it won’t stick.
Would sure appreciate any advice on how to attach a Velcro strip to act as an extra closure. Everyone that sees this pack loves it.
Thanks for telling us about it in one of your excellent videos.
@@bobnorman5269 If you look at my video at the 3:44 mark, you can see that I have attached it to the back.
@@OldDominionTroutBum thanks. I see it now.
Hi Cory awesome video with great tips and hacks. I have this exact minimalistic system and I can 100% agree it makes fishing a whole lot more comfortable than any other system. My question to you is how do you get the fishpond water bottle holder to stay in place on your wading belt?
Hey Diego. Appreciate it. The fishpond bottle holder can slip right over the wader belt or it has a snap you can undo, place the holder over it and snap back into place. Hope this helps. Thanks for watching!
Awesome video! Just got one in the mail to continue my never ending search for my ideal "system". Your enhancement to using a bino strap combined with the para essentially creates somewhat of a "harness". I wonder if a bino/camera "harness" could possibly work to keep this thing "locked" to your chest?
Thank you, Justin! We are always on a never-ending search for perfection. It may work... the only way to find out is to try it!
Happy to report back... trial complete.
So... it totally works as far as keeping it dang snug to you, but a bino "harness" kinda doesn't feel ultra comfy (imo) for a session of fishing. Kinda always "pulling" across both shoulders the whole time since that's how it works.
I'm going to try your solution with the para... off to TH-cam "how to tie a slip knot" 🤣
@jad814 haha-the slip knot is an easy one. Thanks for the report!
@@OldDominionTroutBum that it is. One follow up for you... did you tie the swivel to one of the attachment points on the pack or does one side of your swivel split ring (like a keychain) into one of the little holes?
Brilliant!
Thanks so much, Joel!
Great video, my problem is I wet wade in the summer. And need to figure out how to pack my wallet, phone, keys and keep them dry.
Thomas, when I wet wade, I will wear a waterproof waist pack and put a few items in it. You will still be nice and light.
That's the direction I'm going, c&f chest box and fishpond waterproof lumbar pack. It works great
@@OldDominionTroutBum I was going to ask much the same question. Could you tell me which waterproof waist pack you like?
Alex, I prefer the Fishpond Thunderhead Submersible lumbar pack.
I’ve learned so much from your posts! My catch rate is steadily increasing. I recently purchased this pack (newer version). I’m not crazy about the magnets. Could you tell me what glue you used to attach the Velcro?
Great to hear, Jeff! Glad the videos have helped.
You can get the magnet off...just take a piece of 10 lb mono, slip it behind the magnet, and slowly work it through the glue. It may take some time but you can do it. Clean the old glue off with some goo gone.
The velcro is just peel and stick. You can find it at a hardware store or on Amazon.
Hope this helps.
Thank as as always, very helpful, curious where you attached your camera with this setup, to record videos? (GoPro?)
Appreciate it, David. Glad it helps. I use a chest mount for the GoPro. It actually sits just above the top of the C&F box, completely out of the way.
Oh man!!!! I need that Hat. How do I get my hands on one of those cigar smokin trout hats?!
They will be available soon, Big Mick!! Appreciate it!
Nice tips and thank you! How did you attach your net to your back?
Thank you, Marcelino. Watch this video. It shows how I do it.
th-cam.com/video/wiou1rwSfMg/w-d-xo.htmlsi=6uwxJcDt_FQFwLq7
Appreciate you watching.
I grind up those silica beads and use them as replacement dessicant-
Wow-pretty cool idea. Appreciate you watching.
Nice setup! I always carry more than I need! Lol! Is that box waterproof?
Thanks, Sean. It’s nice to go light! It isn’t waterproof. When it rains, I actually just wear it inside my rain jacket and zip over it. Stays nice and dry.
If you wanted- could you tie the paracord direct to the box through the hole?
On one side you can, But the other needs to be a swivel, so you can remove it.
Can you link a nice strap like the one you used ? How do you keep your net when not wearing waders?
Mine came from a pair of Leopold binos I have. I know you can find them at any camera shop or on Amazon.
When I wet wade- I will clip my retractor to my wading belt (sometimes you have to do what works) or you can loop a piece of paracord on the neck strap and hook your retractor to it. You would be surprised how it "balances" the load on you. The original strap was actually built this way.
Love this chest pack idea! How do you secure your net? Is it hooked to your wader strap in the back?
Thanks, Taylor. This is how I attach my net.
th-cam.com/video/wiou1rwSfMg/w-d-xo.htmlsi=mJfwth6U_scQFZ-H
Hope this helps and thanks for watching.
Hey Cory, I noticed you had a spool of the JMC bi-color material. I was wondering how visible is it? I can't find any images of it online. The breaking strength also seems impressive for its diameter.
Hey, Andrew-It's not bad. I was just trying it out. Better than Sempe, but Cortland tri-color pops more. Of course, I and a big fan of Pezon & Michel.
@@OldDominionTroutBum Sempe is definitely faint, I agree with your ranking there. Might just stick with Cortland and others.
Lots of good ideas, I especially like the camera strap idea. What brand or model do you use?
Thank you, Jeff. The strap came from Leopold Binoculars. There are a ton of options with binocular and camera straps, you just need to make sure they attach the same way.
Have you had your floatent fall off? What holder is that for the frogs Fanny? I haven’t seen one that compact before.
No, I have not. I’m not sure of the name. I picked it up in a fly shop. I would imagine Google can help.
Great video! Are these available anymore? I don’t see these anywhere..
Thanks, John. It’s the Universal Chest Storage.
Love this! Not to get personal, but how do you take a leak with this setup? Always a pain having to take the belt off, etc. (I imagine undoing the paracord is also part of the process) One of the only reasons I enjoy wearing a vest on occasion is not having to mess with it when I need to find a tree to water
Thank you, Kevin. I take a leak just like everyone else-unhook everything and drop the waders! Appreciate you watching and tight lines!
lol however if you are a Tenkara guy just go in your waders. It will be fine.
@@strategicactionservices2206 I NEED to know how this works!! 🤪😆😆
I was gonna ask where the cigars go!
Can't forget those, Jason!!
Btw I have the newer version of the small box and they have interchangeable foam slots so I have some for streamers, nymphs, dry-drop, etc. I added magnets and Velcro too!
@@Thespanglerangler Excellent! C&F makes some good stuff for sure.
Can you buy empty spools that fit the large tippet holders? Empty trout hunter spools
Not that I am aware of.
Hi Cory have a question about your net I like the idea that you can keep your catch in the water and looks around 12 to 14” in diameter do you have name or manufacture I like my vest maybe I look into a chest set up I am old school I mean 67 and young still waiting for our house to be completed I thought we were going to be in last month I feel that they are milking a cow with no milk owell just hoping it will be soon,our appliance will deliver tomorrow and every 0: 2 week the furniture store calls us what a hassle well we are hopping for the best
Hey Jerome. My net is a Frabill 18x13. If you google it, you will easily find it. Good luck to you and thanks for watching.
Thanks for your reply’s I appreciate it. How long have you used this setup? Any issues with durability? I have that little chest box and the hinges on the two i have separated like tearing a page out of a notebook. Minimal use and they completely separated and are unusable. I was shocked the hinge is like perforated paper. Is the hinge on this box different? What Velcro did you use? I know there is different quality
I’ve been using it for well over a year. Very durable. The Velcro was bought on Amazon.
sweet vid. do you have any vids on your reel/line set up ?
Thanks, Logan. I've done a video about the Micro Leader. If you check it out, I talk about it there. Plus, it is in the description. My rod in the video is a T&T Contact ll, 10ft 9in 2wt with a Ross Evolution LTX 4/5. But, I also use a Galvan GEN. Hope it helps.
th-cam.com/video/_LsHADwel28/w-d-xo.htmlsi=xwsNV4Y1HeoKEz3K
@@OldDominionTroutBumthanks!
great video thank you! where did you find neck strap?
Thanks, Anthony. It came off of a pair of Leopold binoculars I had. I know you can get them in camera stores or Amazon binos straps.
Where did you get your strap from can you add a link
Jamie, they came off a pair of binoculars I have. You can get them from Amazon or any camera shop/outdoor shop.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thanks for watching!
I like it. What's your net set up?
Hey Keith. This is how I set my net up:
th-cam.com/video/wiou1rwSfMg/w-d-xo.htmlsi=whLpVdVhgB_ZGXog
Hope this helps. Appreciate you watching.
Cory, where did you buy the set up from per chance?
Kurt, I bought it from a local shop. But they are sold on-line. It’s the C&F Universal System Chest Storage.
How about your net? What is it hooked to?
Keith, this is how I do it:
th-cam.com/video/wiou1rwSfMg/w-d-xo.htmlsi=mJfwth6U_scQFZ-H
@@OldDominionTroutBumthis was going to be my question as someone who loved the thunderhead waist pack net setup. So, you're running this in addition to the waist pack then?
How do you hang your net?
I see that you have seen the video. Hope it helps.
I think it would be helpful if you tuned around so we could see your side and back to see how the net attaches and hangs.
@@VTBullitt it’s on another video-that I believe you watched.