Hareline Mottled Tactical Slotted Tungsten Beads

What it is

Hareline Mottled Tactical Slotted Tungsten Beads are heavy tungsten beads with a slot that helps them seat on the hook shank and around the eye. They have a matte, mottled, flake-like finish that reads more subdued and realistic than a shiny bead, while still giving you the weight tungsten is known for.

What to tie with it

Use them as bead heads on nymphs and streamers when you want the fly to get down fast without a bright, flashy look. The slotted design is especially common on jig-style hooks for Euro nymphing, where the bead needs to sit cleanly at the front of the fly and help it ride hook point up.

Flies and the fish they're for

Tie these on Euro and standard bead-head versions of the Prince Nymph, Hare’s Ear, and Pheasant Tail for trout in rivers and tailwaters when you need a fast sink and a muted head. They also fit right at home on a Woolly Bugger, leech patterns, and a Bead Head Zonker for trout, and they translate well to bass fishing in rivers and stillwaters when you want a weighted, more natural-looking streamer head.

How it compares

Compared to Hareline Plummeting Tungsten Beads, the Tactical Mottled beads stay in the subdued, matte, mottled lane rather than the fluorescent or shiny look of the Plummeting series.