CJ's Fly Box

CJ's Fly Box CJ's Fly Box offers hand-tied fishing flies for sale. We tie flies for trout, panfish, and bass fishing. Find us at http://cjsflybox.com.

My name is CJ Klenske, and I have been fly fishing and fly tying since about 2000. Although most of my fishing is done on the trout streams of the Driftless Area of Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, I also spend a lot of time chasing smallmouth bass and panfish. When my wife and I travel, I always try to find a little time to spend on the water in that area. So far I have been lucky enough to land f

ish on a fly rod in Colorado, Montana, North Carolina, Michigan, New York, and Maine. That still leaves a lot of places to try in the coming years. When I was still teaching, fly tying was my therapy. The more I did it, the more I enjoyed it. Now that I am retired, I have decided to expand my tying beyond just being a hobby. The flies that I tie are dependable patterns that can be successfully fished just about anywhere. If you don't see the pattern(s) that you are looking for on my website, just ask. I’m always willing to tie something new or different. In fact, one of my passions it to learn to tie patterns that are specific to an area I am traveling to.

Spent a couple of hours at Swiss Valley this morning. Wanted to try out a new fly pattern I found online called the Bae...
05/30/2026

Spent a couple of hours at Swiss Valley this morning. Wanted to try out a new fly pattern I found online called the Baetis Max. It worked pretty well before giving up the ghost - two Rainbows and two Browns. Final picture is the fly at the end of the day.

It's official now. CJ's Fly Box on Etsy is now closed for good. The tariffs and resulting shortages of some supplies h...
05/15/2026

It's official now. CJ's Fly Box on Etsy is now closed for good. The tariffs and resulting shortages of some supplies have done me in. I'll keep playing with new patterns and methods, so watch this space to see what I'm up to. Also hope to have more time to do some serious fishing of my own. Thanks to all who have supported my retirement gig over the years.

Met Doug and John out at Bankston this morning. Glad to report that the fish were hungry and the fishermen were happy. ...
05/07/2026

Met Doug and John out at Bankston this morning. Glad to report that the fish were hungry and the fishermen were happy. Followed up with burgers and beer at 7 Hills. Can't ask for anything better.

A heads-up to all of my loyal customers: my Etsy shop – CJ’s Fly Box – will be closing for good in the next few weeks. ...
04/18/2026

A heads-up to all of my loyal customers: my Etsy shop – CJ’s Fly Box – will be closing for good in the next few weeks. No definite date is set yet – I’m trying to use up some of my materials inventory.
In the past year the cost of my supplies has gone up considerably – you know, tariffs and all of that. I’ve always tried to keep my prices at a reasonable level, but that keeps getting harder and harder. In addition, some materials are hard to find at times. Plus shipping costs and sales fees keep climbing.
What started as a simple and enjoyable retirement gig has been getting harder and more frustrating. At this point in my life, I don’t want this to be a job. So as I run out of different supplies, different flies will be eliminated from the shop. Within the next month, I plan to completely close the shop.
Thanks much to all of the anglers who have supported me over the years. Even though I have never actually met very many of you, I feel that I’ve really come to know some of you very well. You have helped to make me a better fly tyer, and I really appreciate that.
I plan to keep my page and website active so you can see what I’m up to in the future. If you have held onto one of my business cards, you have my email address. Feel free to drop me an email or drop a comment on Facebook to let me know what you are up to.
Meantime, I hope you enjoy tight lines and great times on the water. Maybe our paths will someday cross on a great stream.
Again, thank you for your loyal support.
CJ

Guess whose birthday was last Tuesday. She's two years old already!
01/29/2026

Guess whose birthday was last Tuesday. She's two years old already!

01/29/2026

The Boss speaks!

On Jan. 12, the Dubuque Fly Fishers had the second session of the Beginning Fly Tying Class. 7 "students" worked with m...
01/21/2026

On Jan. 12, the Dubuque Fly Fishers had the second session of the Beginning Fly Tying Class. 7 "students" worked with mentors to tie an Elk Hair Caddis and a Wooly Bu**er Variation. All of us had a great time working together.

Spent a day last week at Bankston Park with Doug, Ray and John chasing holdover trout. Had a great day on the water, th...
01/20/2026

Spent a day last week at Bankston Park with Doug, Ray and John chasing holdover trout. Had a great day on the water, then lunch at 7 Hills.

Results from this year's State Fair fly tying competition.
09/10/2025

Results from this year's State Fair fly tying competition.

This last Saturday, Sept. 6, some of the local fellows helped put on one of the sessions at the Heritage Classic Youth D...
09/10/2025

This last Saturday, Sept. 6, some of the local fellows helped put on one of the sessions at the Heritage Classic Youth Day. Gary W, Gary K, Frank P and I did an intro to fly fishing, did a fly tying demonstration, and gave the kids a chance to learn to cast a fly rod.

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Dubuque, IA
52001

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