I saw this on the Fly Tying Bulletin Board, and thought I
would use it for a "Tying Tip" Article ~ Steven
"I recently had some great success with a bead head pattern
that I bought last year. Any help in matching bead/cone head
sizes to hook size would be greatly appreciated. I only have
two sizes of beads 5/32 and 1/8. Is there a range of hook sizes,
am I limited to just one size? I have "medium" cone heads and
plan to wrap some Bead Head Nymph's and "Wool Sculpins," the medium
in cones is pretty big!" ~ myS&toes
Beads come in many styles, sizes and weights. And there are
charts that show which size Bead to use for which size hook
(but I find these Bead charts, are of no value). All hooks
are not created equal. Different hooks have different designs
to the curve of the hook, and this curve is what the Bead has
to get around. I have found with most hooks I use, I have to
smash the barb to place the Bead unto the hook (this is okay,
since I fish barbless ).
Do not ever bend the hook's curve for placing a Bead unto a hook.
This only weakens the hook. If the curve's shape is changed to
place a Bead onto the hook, the hook's curve will do one of the
following:
I try to size the Bead I wish to use judging the proportion of
the Bead in relation to the hook. Sometimes it is a tight fit,
and I have to use a needle nose pliers to get the Bead around
the hooks curve. But I do not ever, bend the hook's curve, to
get the Bead Head on the hook.
Once you have the Bead on the hook (you may encounter this problem),
the eye of the hook is maybe too small, for the Bead to stay on the
hook. Or you may have put the Bead on over the hook. This you can
correct by forming a head behind the eye, using thread, and whip
finishing it. Then you will have a 'stop' so the Bead Head will
not come off at the eye.
Another method of getting a bead around the bend, is to crimp
the bead with pliers, to make the hole more oval, to allow the
bead to move around the bend.
Beads are not just placed at the eye of the hook, there are
patterns that call for them elsewhere on the hooks shank.
Bead Heads are usually just a substitution for non-lead wire,
used for weighting the fly hook. The placement of weight on
a hook, will change the way a hook maneuvers in the water.
~ Steven McGarthwaite
Please check out the Fly Tying Section, on the Bulletin Board, here at FAOL too.
If you have any questions, tips, or techniques; send them to
publisher@flyanglersonline.com
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