A lot of the new hooks for flyfishing are micro-barb, so they don't pose much 
of a problem.
I rarely squash a barb flat, unless the hook is brittle and the barb doesn't 
bend.
I prefer to bend the barb down to a very shallow profile- east to remove & set, 
but it won't just fall out.
If I'm setting beads, I just squash until they fit, or find a smaller barb hook.
The barbs on my ol Mustads are really big compared to the barbs on the new 
hooks today.
Mike is right about glass beads- the hole size and bead length vary quite a bit.

As far as bending the hook, every maker and every style and every size will be 
different, 
as far as how much bending they will take.  
Some snap with the 1st movement, and some you can almost tie a knot it.
Forged vs wire vs gage vs tempering- all account for bending flexibility.

Style is something you can take into account when you match hooks to the fly 
design.  
Tying barbell-eye streamers?- limerick bends are fine.  
Going to be using cone-heads, beads, etc.?, buy perfect or round bends.

D
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Michael Bliss 
  To: [email protected] 
  Sent: Thursday, January 07, 2010 12:48 PM
  Subject: Re: [VFB] Tiny Fly Question


  One of the things that Tony said was what I would say - pinch the barb down.  
Next get the right size bead for the hook.  Glass is not as flexible but I have 
found that they are not consistent with the sizes.  You can try several and 
some will work and some won't.  Tony's idea of bending the hook is interesting 
but I would worry about that causing metal fatigue.  Someone smarter might be 
able to answer that. 

  Mike



  On Wed, Jan 6, 2010 at 6:43 PM, Chuck Alexander <[email protected]> 
wrote:

    OK all you tiny fly tying experts LOL.. I am stumped with a problem.. I 
took the advice of tying a bigger fly, then working my way down in hook sizes 
till I get to where I want. Problem is, I'm tying (or TRYING) my Pink Panfish 
Producer, and I'm down to a size 20. Problem is, the gold  bead for the head. 
The ones I have are either too small to go around the sharp bend in the hook, 
or they are too big, and they either fall right off the eye end of the fly, or 
get stuck, with the eye buried halfway inside the bead. I have tried the beads 
front wards, backwards and sideways. Is there a secret to this??? Should I just 
make the "gold=bead head" out of gold tying thread, or tiny tinsel?? Or do you 
just not tie flies this small with a bead head on them?? Thanks for ANY help, 
Chuck


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  -- 
  Mike Bliss
  Aloha from Hawaii



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