Cheap Beadheads

[Light Cahill]

I'm on the lookout for a cheap substitute for those expensive brass/tungsten beads you get at angling stores/warehouses. I've tried those glass seed beads, and they tend to shatter in pocket water as they bounce off rocks. I've even wondered if you can separate the beads on those chains that hold drain plugs.

[MOKE]

Light Cahill
Try Craft Stores and Bead Shops.
I buy beads all the time from bead stores. They have less expensive, though thin and weightless brass and copper beads. I like these as I tend to not weight my smaller nymphs, I depend on BB shot. I weight my big nymphs like crazy though.

Anyways.......These are affordably priced fly tying beads, but you have to buy them in lots of 100.
http://www.justflytying.com/beads.htm

As to your question of bead chain for tying use....save those for your W. Buggers and other bombers.

I hope this helps.

MOKE

[nhancock]

I was wondering the same thing last week. I found this article that really helped. It even talks about using the beads from the chain on a drain plug.

http://globalflyfisher.com/tiebetter/beads_and_eyes/index.html

Along with craft stores try hardware stores. Larger hardware stores usually carry beads. It is also a good place to look for copper (and other) wire.

Hope this helps.

[Don]

Does anyone know where you can buy the bead heads in bulk? That might bring the price down. I am sure you could find a couple of people to split the price if you ordered them by the thousands vs hundreads???