red glass bead size for Olive Willie

[flyty]

What size bead do I need for a #10 Tiemco 5263 hook? By the way, Spirit River sells those red glass beads with the silver square hole.

[Ouzel]

So do many craft stores and a lot cheaper for a more in a bag. Most beads will work on three - four different hooks and suggest you take a few various hooks with you to a store.
The concern I've always had about buying from a craft or hobby store is you get 15 yrs. worth off material for much the same price at a fly shop or cat. house, then you've created an inventory problem. :-)

[cheech]

I agree with Ouzel. Take some hooks into the store with you, and try them out. You don't want it too big.

Cheech

[flyty]

I went to a craft store but the beads they have are in packages that you can't open, and they look too small. I find the problem with trying to find stuff at craft stores is that I have to spend a lot of time hunting the materials down, and I don't need the large quantities(as far as I know now). I don't really mind spending a little more at a flyshop or the same price for a smaller quantity--it saves me a lot of hassle and I usually get all the material I need.

I'll try FishTech tomorrow.

Ouzel,

I looked for those scissors you showed me last night(the ones with the notch in the back of the jaws for cutting wire, etc.), but I didn't find them. Do they still make those?

[flyty]

For future reference: the Spirit River glass beads, size LG, fit on a size 10 Tiemco 5263, and though they don't fall off a size 12 Tiemco 101, they do cover the hook eye.

I found those scissors too.

[Ouzel]

Sorry to be late in my reply. The sissors are Dr. Slicks and since by now you've been to Fish Tech and found they carry that brand and others. They may not have the curved tip model in stock as the last time Mickey had to order that model. Dr. Slick's have the heavy cutting notch on most of their sissors. Good design.

[flyty]

You're right, I found them at Fish Tech, and I used them last night while tying some Olive Willie's(yes, the marathon bead search finally ended in success). They're great: I really like that curved blade, and the very fine tip.

[flyty]

red bead follow up:

I knew the beads I bought were larger than the ones cheech used, so today I was in Michael's and I decided to buy the tiny glass beads with the square hole similar to the ones in other stores, but which I previously determined were surely too small, and wonder of wonders they fit a size 10 5263--even with the barb still on the hook. I think the package has about 7,000 beads in it all for the price of 99 cents.

You know what's really disappointing: when you're about finished tying a beadhead fly and you suddenly realize that you forgot to put the bead on. I read about a trick that I'm going to use from now on: lay out all the hooks you're going to tie, and put all the beads on first, then start tying--that way, you can't forget the bead.