What it is
Hareline Plain Lead Eyes are lead dumbbell eyes joined by a short cylinder link. Being lead, they add a lot of weight for their size and get a fly down fast. They also help flip the hook point up for an inverted ride, though the material is softer and less durable than harder metals.
What to tie with it
Use them as the primary weight and “keel” on streamers and other bottom-contact flies by figure-eight wrapping and locking them down with thread and cement. They’re a go-to for inverted, weedless bottom-bouncing patterns, and for crab, crayfish, and general creature flies where the eyes also help tune swimming and jigging action. They also fit right into flats-style versions of patterns when you need the same profile but more sink.
Flies and the fish they're for
Clouser Minnow and Foxy Clouser are classic dumbbell-eye baitfish flies for smallmouth and largemouth bass in rivers and lakes, stripers in current, and also for saltwater fish like redfish when you need an inverted, snag-resistant presentation. Chernobyl Crab and EP Spawning Shrimp are used on the flats for species like redfish and bonefish, where the eyes help the fly track hook-point up and stay in the strike zone. Intruder and Comet-style flies use weight like this to control depth and jigging action for migratory fish like steelhead and salmon in moving water.
How it compares
Compared with Hareline Brass Eyes, lead is heavier for the same size and sinks faster, while being softer and less durable. The shapes also differ: these are a dumbbell connected with a cylinder link, while the brass version uses twin cones that form a V, and brass fishes slower-sinking.