Hareline Black Painted Lead Eyes

What it is

Hareline Black Painted Lead Eyes are painted lead dumbbell eyes you lash onto the hook shank. Being lead, they add a lot of weight for their size, help a fly sink fast, and flip the hook so it rides point-up. The lead is softer than brass, so it’s easier to dent and generally less durable.

What to tie with it

Use them to weight streamers and to build jig-style, hook-point-inverting rigs for bottom-bouncing, weedless presentations. They also work as the “eyes” on crab, crayfish, shrimp, and general creature patterns, where the dumbbell placement adds swimming and jigging action. Typical tying is a tight figure-eight and a hard lock-down so the eyes don’t roll.

Flies and the fish they're for

Clouser Minnows and Foxy Clousers are classic uses, fished for smallmouth and largemouth bass in rivers and lakes, and also for striped bass and redfish in coastal water when you want a fast-sinking, point-up baitfish. A Chernobyl Crab uses dumbbell eyes for crab-like weighting and is a common flats fly for bonefish and permit. EP Spawning Shrimp uses the eyes to help it ride and track like a shrimp, another flats-style pattern for bonefish. Intruders and Comets also take lead eyes when you want a heavier, jigging swing for aggressive fish like steelhead and salmon in bigger current.

How it compares

Compared with Hareline Brass Eyes, lead is heavier for the same size and gives a faster sink rate, but it’s softer and less durable. The lead version is a dumbbell/cylinder shape, while brass is twin cones with a V-shaped valley, and brass is the better pick when you want a slower sink and more durability.