What you’ll need:
- White thread
- Lead-free wire (0.025” diameter)
- Size 8 streamer hooks (ideally turned eye, bonus points for barbless)
- 3/16” tungsten beads
- Diamond wing fibre
Thread a 3/16” tungsten bead onto the size 8 streamer hook. Make sure the bead is oriented correctly (smaller hole toward the eye, larger bevel toward the hook shank). Having a downturned eye isn’t necessary but helps in cases where the through hole in the bead is a bit wide and eats up some of the eye of the hook.
Next, add 10-14 wraps of lead-free wire. There’s no magic number, but I usually use around 12 wraps.
Push the wire up snug against the bead. Note: if the bead crowds the eye of the hook, you’ll need to back the wire wrap off the bead a bit and move the bead a bit farther away from the eye. This can usually be avoided if using a hook with a downturned eye
Secure the wire with several wraps of thread.
Tear a bit of diamond wing fibre about the length of the hook. Tie it in so that it’s centered near the point of the hook. Take a few wraps upward toward the eye of the hook.
Next, double the fibre back toward the shank of the hook and tie it down with a few wraps.
Repeat this process up until you reach the bead. Note: you may have to adjust the length of the bit of fibre you’re tying in as you move up the hook (generally using shorter bits). When you approach the bead, it’s best to avoid making the bit too short so that it will lay flush with the rest of the body when you double it back.
Once you’ve made it to the bead, tie off with a whip finish. There’s no need to worry if you have a thread collar, though with enough practice, you’ll be able to avoid it by adjusting the amount/length of the fibre you add once you’ve reached the bead.
