Fly Tying With Tungsten Beads Product Demo
Beads
- A must for every fly tyer
- Add fish attracting flash to your fly
- Large assortment of sizes, colors, and varieties to choose from
A huge innovation in nymph fishing
Most fly fishermen agree that the use of bead head flies originated in Europe in the early 1980’s. Several innovative tyers added beads to the heads of their flies for extra flash and to give their nymphs extra weight to sink them deep in swift currents. These flies were so successful that word of their effectiveness spread like wildfire and within a very short time fly tyers world wide began modifying existing patterns and designing new ones utilizing beads.
Bead head flies became popular in the U.S. for many reasons:
- In heavily fished waters the extra weight of the bead head will sink a small fly deeper than it could have been fished previously. As a result, nymph fisherman started using smaller and smaller flies and began catching more fish than before.
- The added flash from the bead often attracts trout, especially those that have been stocked in public water.
- The extra weight of the bead reduces the need for split shot on the leader: thus it is easier to cast with fewer tangles.
- Many bead head flies are very simple in design so they are fast and inexpensive to tie.
- The advent of tungsten beads made it possible for fly fishers to sink even tiny flies down deep.
Lots of beads to choose from
As the demand for beads grew, manufacturers increased the sizes and colors available for the tyer. Beads are available in the following styles:
***NEW*** Plummeting Tungsten Beads A new bead we are offering in every size and color imaginable. These beads which we offer through Hareline hold 20 tungsten beads per package as opposed to the packs we are used to. If you are tired of the “black tungsten” looking more like silver or nickel, the jet black bead is your answer. Need a heavy red bead to get a San Juan Worm down? Try the metallic red!
- Colors: White, Red, Jet Black, Metallic Brown, Metallic Olive, Metallic Red, Metallic Insect Green & Hot Orange
- Available in sizes: 1/16- 3/16″
- Carl Pennington tying a baetis nymph with olive colored tungsten beads
Tungsten Bomb Beads are twice as heavy as brass and even heavier than lead. These are sold 10 per package.
Cyclops Beads are made of brass and are expertly polished and drilled especially to be used on flies. These are sold 24 per package.
Killer Caddis Glass Beads are the highest quality japanese beads available. The uniform shape, size and color selection makes these the beads of choice amongst serious fly tiers. In Colorado, you would be hard pressed to find a midge pattern in someone’s fly box that didn’t have a 1.5mm Killer Caddis glass bead on the front of the fly. We have come to know these beads as the “Mercury bead.”
Fly Tying Video: Mercury Black Beauty Midge Using Killer Caddis Glass Beads
