 "Fulling Mill Slotted Tungsten Beads - COPPER")
 "Brass Fluorescent Streamer Eyes - CHARTREUSE")
 "Tungsten Fluorescent Streamer Eyes - PEARL")
 "Fulling Mill Tungsten Beads - NICKEL")
 "3D Streamer Beads—Small - BLACK")
 "Mottled Slotted Tungsten Beads -")
 "Double Pupil Lead Eyes - BLACK CHARTREUSE BLACK")
 "Slotted Tungsten Beads - BLUE")
 "Fish Skull Living Eyes -")
 "Bead-Head Beads - SILVER")
 "Prepainted Fly Eyes - SILVER")
 "Double Barrel Popper Heads - WHITE")
 "Cupped Face Foam Popper Heads - WHITE")
 "Coneheads - SILVER")
 "Round Tungsten Beads - GOLD")
 "Glass Rattles -")
 "Plated Bead Chain -")
 "Foam Diver Heads -")
 "Tungsten Coneheads - Small - BLACK")
 "3D Streamer Beads - BLACK")
 "Slotted Tungsten Beads - GOLD")
FAQS
Tungsten beads are twice as heavy as brass to get your fly down fast. Tungsten is non-toxic and heavy, but also tends to be more expensive. Brass is a common bead material for fly heads, and glass often is used as an inexpensive material for flies size 20 or smaller. Glass is lightweight and reflective, making it a good choice for flies that need to float higher in the water column or mimic emergers.
Choose the bead and cone size and weight that matches the pattern you’re tying. Pair your bead size with your hook size using a standard fly-tying weight chart. Use heavier beads and cones to get on or near the water’s bottom, and lighter ones to stay in the middle of the water column or near the surface. Fly-tying expert Tim Flagler offers some expert advice for choosing beads and cones.
We suggest using eyes and beads made specifically for fly tying and not similar materials like doll eyes or craft store beads, which are made for other purposes and can’t endure the demands of fly fishing. For lifelike flies, we offer pre-painted fly eyes to save time, as well as fluorescents in brass for tying fresh- and saltwater streamers.
3D holographic fly eyes are the most realistic ones available, and they’re used to tie baitfish and sculpin patterns, or flies that target bigger predatory game fish. For clousers and streamers, we recommend ultra lightweight double pupil eyes.
Glass rattles are most effective for zonker patterns that target largemouth and smallmouth bass, trout, and snook.
Yes, we offer time-saving pre-colored coneheads in black, silver, and gold to match your patterns.
Most fly tyers wrap non-toxic wire thread around the hook shank, and then push it up under the conehead to lock it into place. Be sure to wrap the thread around only a few times so you don’t add too much extra weight to your fly.
The Best Selection of Beads, Cones, Eyes, Heads & Rattles
Find the best collection of beads, cones, eyes, heads, and rattles for your fly pattern recipes at Orvis. When you’re at your station tying up the most realistic streamers, poppers, saltwater flies, and nymph patterns, you need the most reliable materials. We offer top-quality choices in tungsten bead heads to sink your fly fast, and 3D beads for creating articulated streamers that fool even the most wary fish out there. Browse mottled tungsten beads ideal for realistic wet flies or flashy fluorescent dumbbell eyes for convincing streamer patterns. Diver heads make tying diving bass flies easier, so you can land the five-pounder that’s been eluding you for a few seasons. You’ll find all the conehead sizes you need in various colors to match your creation. Add lifelike eyes to give your fly realism that earns more strikes. For tying zonkers, our glass rattles are the ones you need to take your pattern to the next level. Stock your fly-tying inventory with the right beads, cones, eyes, heads, and rattles to cook recipes that look exactly like your target’s favorite meal.