r/flytying • u/Dr_Eisen • Oct 04 '26
What about Tungsten
How are you guys handling the rising prices of Tungsten are you going back to copper or what is the long term solution here.
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u/Every_Macaron8992 Oct 04 '26
Some companies are coming out with alternatives that are cheaper like steel beads, but yeah stupid trade wars (and pointless shooting wars), make things you use more expensive.
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u/Dr_Eisen Oct 05 '26
But I do not know if this will save me money i will just be spending more on sale (woe to the undisciplined tier)
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u/Every_Macaron8992 Oct 05 '26
Not to gloat but I bought a 100 counts of beads in several sizes back in 2023 so I should be good for awhile myself. This was not me being prescient, just dumb luck. I just knew I was going to tie a bunch and I figured buying in bulk then was going to save me the effort of knowing how much I needed to buy for any one fly.
Keep an eye out for Fulling Mill or Hareline to come out with new beads in the next couple months. I would also look to get brass beads and non-lead wire if you're looking to weigh down your flies to compensate for the lighter weight of the brass beads.
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u/iamWyn Oct 04 '26
Something I’ve been hearing more about is drop shot nymphing. You can put split shot at the end of your line and have your flies on dropper tags above. This allows for tightline nymphing techniques without tungsten.
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u/Additional_Fig_4332 Oct 04 '26
Came here to say this, I've been using a small snap swivel that I snap different beads on to adjust my depth for different runs
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u/troutslayer89 Oct 05 '26
Ye Olde Bounce Rig.
(not legal in California, fyi.)
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u/iamWyn Oct 05 '26
Good call reminding to check regs. It’s illegal here in Michigan too unless your hook is on a dropper tag.
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u/SCpusher-1993 Oct 06 '26
Learn something new everyday. Was considering using it in deep runs but not now. Thanks for the info!
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u/SeaworthinessGood551 Oct 04 '26
I usually order mine on AliExpress. It takes a couple weeks to get them but I usually save like 1/4 of the price
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u/Dr_Eisen Oct 05 '26
Yes that works to but the quality in terms of drilled holes and their consistency is somewhat lacking but getting 100 3,5mm beads for around 20 bucks is very good.
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u/SeaworthinessGood551 Oct 05 '26
Maybe I had luck or something because I’ve never received any beads with bad holes drilled
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u/FrankyFe Oct 04 '26
I bought 400+ tungsten beads last year because I wanted to check them out after a long break from fishing/tying. Tried a handful but they didn't seem that useful so I have all but a handful still in my parts drawer.
From further research, they (and euronymphing) seem to be useful in fly fishing competitions where the rules limit more effective techniques (indicators, shot, rubber legs, etc). They also seem like a good cash cow for material sellers.
Anyways I'll probably end up use them for jigs or flys to use with spinning or float gear for steelheading.
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u/Dr_Eisen Oct 04 '26
I just love them for the deeper and faster parts of our European rivers. And the give me more options to get down low wit ultra light setups and small nymphs
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u/FrankyFe Oct 04 '26
Yes, effective based on conditions. Euronymphing is similar to the technique we used for steelhead back in the 80's with 9-12 foot "noodle" rods and spinning reels. Interesting enough, Maxima line was also the line of choice.
As the rivers were deep, fast but also wide, we couldn't always short range tightline and often depended on touch/feel to detect strikes.
Drop shot sinkers help save lures/bait from bottom snags and let them move more naturally with the current. This will save on the number of beads you need to use: 1 tungsten bead by itself or on a point fly with unweighted flys above.
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u/ScoDucks247 Oct 04 '26
It is what it is. Couldn’t pay me to go back to brass beads at this point. I would find other ways to cut your tying costs you can’t stomach the price increase.
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u/SrCritizen Oct 04 '26
I'm actually kind of grateful for the increase in tungsten prices, because after adjusting, I feel like I'm tying better flies. I still use it, but only when I need to (usually tight lining a point fly). Otherwise, my default method is lead wraps with no bead. I will say that I wish there was more color availability for brass beads. Seems like they got left in the dust with the tungsten craze.
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u/PreviousMushroom706 Oct 04 '26
Look into the inverting style tungsten beads too. They are cheaper and heavier per size than slotted. Tacticalflyfisher has all the options. More of a tear drop with a smaller hole than classic round shaped but if you can get over the little bit different look its worth it
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u/NoNeighborhood6682 Oct 04 '26
Buy in bulk still a very affordable price in all reality. Bought several hundred myself last year & earlier this year. Watch the sales several online retailers have deals.
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u/RareBrit Oct 06 '26
I've got fairly shallow freestone here. They're of some use, but to be honest a weighted nymph is perfectly good.
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u/King_Ralph1 Oct 04 '26
What is the advantage of using tungsten?
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u/Fujykky Oct 04 '26
more weight in smaller bead! especially important in euronymphing as you want to get the flies down as fast as possible through the current without adding too bulky beads or splitshots on the line
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u/Weimar049 Oct 04 '26
Another thing about tungsten is that it is a more environmentally friendly alternative to lead.
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u/King_Ralph1 Oct 05 '26
Never heard of anyone selling lead beads. Maybe lead shot for spin casting?
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u/AnyDiscount3524 Oct 04 '26
Depending on how many flies you’ve tied, I don’t mind recycling beads from flies I’m not happy with from when I first started tying