bead sizing

[Gandy Dancer]

I am looking for a chart for sizing beads to hook sizes. Also what are the best beads?
Thanks
Gandy

[Donald Nicolson]

What do you mean by beads?
Do you mean the metal beads(copper,silver,gold and black) for bead head nymphs etc or small glass beads for bodies.
As for sizes, it is all in the eye, a lot of bead heads I've seen have had over large beads to my eye. The best is to get a selection, have a look at some pattern pictures and try the beads on the same size hooks shown in the pictures.
There are, I believe, some charts out there but I haven't used any. No doubt someone will give you a site.
If you are interested in glass beads, try the Mill Hill site (or it may be Millhill).
The best are the 'seed' and 'petite' beads.
I use their gold beads for very small bead head patterns.
Here is the Mill Hill site [url=http://www.millhillbeads.com:46698]www.millhillbeads.com[/url:46698]


------------------
Donald/Scotland



[This message has been edited by Donald Nicolson (edited 12 March 2005).]

[gerri]

Hi Fisheagle,
If you can get a copy of the Orvis flytying catalog, you will find a chart of bead to hook sizes that will pretty much hold true for all beads of brass, copper and tungsten. Glass beads you will just have to go by trial and error.

Gerri (damselfly on the wva board)

[old geezer]

Bead Size, mm Bead Size, in Hook Size
1.5 1/16" 22 - 26
2.0 5/64" 18 - 22
2.3 3/32" 16 - 18
3.2 1/8" 12 - 14
4.0 5/32" 8 - 10
4.8 3/16" 4 - 6


------------------
I look into... my fly box, and think about all the elements I should consider in choosing the perfect fly: water temperature, what stage of development the bugs are in, what the fish are eating right now. Then I remember what a guide told me: 'Ninety percent of what a trout eats is brown and fuzzy and about five-eighths of an inch long.' - Allison Moir.

I wonder if he ever fished Saltwater.

[Flytyer37]

"Geezer"
Thanks, I needed that. I was just sorting my beads last night in a new box (go figure, I was using a box for beads) and wondered how to address the bead size vs hook size. I will now label my beads accordingly.
Frank Reid

[Buddy Sanders]

Frank,

I find that I tend to use different sized beads based more on how I want the fly to behave, rather than just the hook size.

First, of course, the bead has to be able to pass the hook point and bend of the hook.

After that, however, I'll put large beads on small hooks if I want the fly to have a large head and/or sink head down faster. Also, a small bead on a larger hook will change the attitude of the fly on the drop without adding too much extra depth.

You can use beads of diferent materials to get different actions as well. Glass is a bit lighter than the 'standard' metal beads, plastic is lighter still. Metal crimp beads (sold for jewelry making) are very light and can give you the 'look' of a bead head without adding much weight at all. Tungsten are very heavy, and you can now get 'rubber' beads that are soft and 'fleshy' feeling. Even foam beads that float.

Lots of stuff to play with.

Good Luck!

Buddy

------------------
[url=HTTP://HOMETOWN.AOL.COM/RSAN2708/INDEX.HTML:95703]HTTP://HOMETOWN.AOL.COM/RSAN2708/INDEX.HTML[/url:95703]



[This message has been edited by Buddy Sanders (edited 14 March 2005).]

[chewydog]

Here is a bead chart.
[url=http://www.killroys.com/charts/beads.htm:043a5]http://www.killroys.com/charts/beads.htm[/url:043a5]

And a comparisson chart for the hook numbers
[url=http://www.killroys.com/hooks/hookchrt.htm:043a5]http://www.killroys.com/hooks/hookchrt.htm[/url:043a5]