Craft store vs Fishing store for beads?

[FlySmyth]

What are the differences in beads bought at the above mentioned places?

[flyty]

price

[Jason]

Size, shape, and color variety. (lack of) And yes, the price is lower.

[Coachman]

Can you buy brass bead heads at a craft store?

[Larry S.]

I've never seen brass beads for tying flies available in craft stores. They have the different size holes drilled into them so they will go around the hook bend easier. They are strictly used for this purpose hence hence you can only get them at fly shops or through catalogs, etc.

Glass beads from craft stores are usually OK. Just make sure you get the good quality beads. Some of them are not uniform throughout the package (hole size, width, etc.) but you usually save enough to make up for it.

You might try The Bead Gallery web site. They have a fly tying section.

[Caddfly]

I believe there is brass beads up at a craft store in Smithfield (across the street from Lee's Grocery). I went in there about a month ago and they had by far the biggest selection of glass beads ever seen! (believe me, I've seen some large selections before!) Then again, I wouldn't come up from SLC to get some, I don't know the quality of the beads for I didn't buy any.

Caddfly

[carpman]

Glass beads are very similar at both fly shops and craft stores. As mentioned, watch for uniform products, not all the beads are good. As for the brass beads, fly shop beads are counter drilled. Meaning they have two hole sizes. This makes it easy to slip over the barb and around the bend.

Also, try tying with tungsten beads, they are very effective. I tie about 80 percent of all my beadheads with tungsten..........

[Larry S.]

Carpman--

You have more money than the rest of us.

Oh, I forgot. You work in a flyshop! lol

[carpman]

Shoot, If I have more money than the rest of you, then I feel EXTREMELY sorry for all of you people.....




Tungsten beads just get me more fish. I do fish a large dry with a dropper quite often, and the heavier bead really gets down....

[traveler]

If you use the tungsten beads (heavy) then you handicap yourself
because that fly can only be used in the runs that are appropriate for that weight fly. If you use the the glass beads (art store) then you can apply the weight suitable for the water you are fishing. Right???

[carpman]

If you fish a nymph rig. I rarely fish that way. (not that I'm against it, I just like casting dries or dry/dropper rigs) I really haven't had a problem hanging up with tungsten beads. Adding split shot tends to screw up the cast, and sink the dry. Just my preference. If I do fish a nymph rig, I usually fish two tungsten nymphs with no weight. Of course in really heavy or deep water there is no alternative to simply adding weight, but I use it as a last resort............

[traveler]

I do fish "nymph rigs" ordinarily. I prefer dry fly fishing, but most of all I would rather catch fish. In my experience, one tungsten bead is more weight than I want. Nymphs are not always dragging the bottom.

[Matt Oviatt]

one tungsten bead is usually too much weight??? It takes a lot of weight to get to the bottom of the rivers that I fish. I've never had that problem.

[Ouzel]

Craft stores carry many similar items that can be used for flytying at less expensive prices. The problem being that you need 14 buddies to split with or you will have the material for a very loong time.