Fly-tying Knowhow: Tungsten Beads
The bead you grab by default is often the wrong one…
By the J. Stockard Team
Tungsten Versus Brass Beads
Most fly anglers default to tungsten when tying flies–these beads are heavier, sound more serious and the packaging generally implies that anything less is a compromise.
So, the brass beads sit in the assortment tray, compartmentalized and largely ignored, while the tungstens get threaded onto everything from size 22 midges to size 6 streamers, without much thought about whether that’s actually an intelligent (or the right) fly-tying call.
It usually isn’t. At least not always.
