1. Troutnut Forum
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2. Fly Tying
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3. Thorax Bead Flies

I was wondering if anyone had any good websites or books on where you could find various patterns that have beaded flies tied with a hidden or thorax bead? They look intriguing to me and thought I might give them a whirl. My online searches have turned up some but it has been spotty at best. Thanks!

I'm not too sure I know what you are referring to...do you mean "hide" a bead in the thorax of a nymph? To what gain would that be? If you want to weight the nymph just wrap some .010" or .015" lead wire onto the thorax portion of the hook shank and wrap the fur around it.

I often tie bead head nymphs for steelhead and sometimes I put the bead in front right adjacent to the eye of the hook but other times I have affixed the bead to the transition point between where the abdomen stops and the thorax begins. Also what I do is if the bead is near the eye I bring the wingcase up over the dubbed thorax AND the bead and tie it off right at the eye. I have never seen a beadhead nymph sold in a fly shop tied like that. They also tie off the fur thorax in front of the bead and leave the bead 100% exposed.

http://www.flyfishsd.com/time-to-bury-the-bead-bead-head-nymphs/

I have a few flies with the wing case tied off in front of the bead that I got from a fly shop. Tungsten would give more weight than lead of the same size also.

wish i could remember the name of the fellow who had us tying a nymph with a bead in the thorax at The Fly Show some years back.
basically just like the guy said: slide the bead on, tie the back of the fly, and work around and over the bead as you come forward so the bead stays back from the eye, in the fat part--thorax. simpler than all that lead wrapping, and in theory the fly would hang horizontal in the water, not head down. or so the fellow said...
you might have to just gather your favorite nymph stuff and try it out.

Casey was it Troutnut Shawn Davis? He ties some nymphs this way, and they do look beautiful. The idea is that the thorax, not the very head, should show the bulge. Shawn does very well with these flies; he put on a clinic for me at Spring Creek a few years back. It was a delight to watch him work.

There are a few commercial sites that show nymphs tied like this. Google "nymph with bead thorax" and select "images."

no, Martin, it was not. the famous John Silver fly tied by Shawn Davis is indeed tied with the bead forming the thorax bulge. his directions are too long for me to copy, and i shouldn't do that any way. maybe all this snow has him out of school long enough to see this thread.
it may have been Dave Hughes in Somerset--it was A Big Name, but of course i can't remember which one.

Aha, you may have gotten a John Silver in a fly swap--or at some other meeting with the master. Have you seen the Goldrush?

Shawn is pretty busy with kids and family. I ran into him last spring on Spring Creek and we had a great day of it, though.