Fly fishing weights: split shot, putty, beads, eyes and sinking lines

A fly weighs almost nothing, so fly anglers add weight in three places: on the leader, in the fly itself, and in the line. Each place changes how the fly drops and how it moves. This guide goes through them. It is general technique in our own words, with sourced numbers where it gives any.

Split shot: the slit lets you pinch it onto the leader and remove it later.

Weight on the leader

• Split shot: a small ball with a slit that pinches onto the leader above the fly. Add or remove it as the water changes. Tin shot is a non-lead choice; soft lead is the traditional one. Pinch it gently so it does not nick the line. Orvis lists its tin shot from size #6 (0.1 gram) up through AB (0.6 gram) in one pack and up to SSG (1.6 grams) in another, and says the matte coating keeps it from sliding on the line and the double-cut design makes it reusable. These are the maker's own figures.
• Moldable putty: a soft, tungsten-filled putty you press onto the leader. It lets you add a tiny amount, move it and take it off without damaging the line. The National Wildlife Federation lists tungsten putty among the nonlead choices.
• Where you put it matters. Closer to the fly drops it faster and gives a more direct feel; higher up keeps the fly free to move. Move it a few inches to change depth instead of adding more.

Weight in the fly

• Brass bead: a lighter bead that sinks the fly moderately and keeps it near the top of the water. Often used for shallow runs and pockets and for panfish and small trout.
• Tungsten bead: a denser bead that sinks a fly much faster at the same size. MidCurrent gives densities of about 19.3 grams per cubic centimeter for tungsten, 11.34 for lead and 8.7 for brass, and reports bead tests in which tungsten sank about three times as fast as the same size of brass.
• Slotted bead: a bead cut so it sits on a jig hook with the point riding up, which keeps the fly from snagging. Fly Fisherman says jig hooks need slotted beads to fit their shape, that the hook eye sits upright with angles from 60 to 90 degrees, and that the flies ride point up and resist snagging the bottom. Common for fast, tight-line nymphing in riffles.
• Conehead: a cone-shaped metal head that pushes the fly nose-down, giving a darting, jigging motion when you strip it. Often used for streamers in current.
• Dumbbell eyes: a pair of metal eyes tied on the shank so the hook rides point up. The weight and the eyes make a fly that bounces along the bottom, the idea behind a Clouser minnow. Often used for redfish and bass flies.
• Wire wrap: fine wire wound under the body so the fly sinks evenly with no bead. Often used for woolly buggers and stonefly nymphs. Fly Fisherman's jig-hook tutorial wraps ten turns of .015-inch lead wire behind the bead, and one competition angler it quotes weights his jig flies with lead wire as well to keep them tight to the bottom.

MidCurrent also says that doubling a bead's diameter roughly quadruples its sink rate in still water, so a larger bead often beats a heavier one. In moving water the gain is smaller, about 1.4 times for each doubling, so fast water may call for more weight than a still-water chart suggests.

Weight in the line

• Sink-tip: a section of heavy, sinking line at the end of a floating line. The tip carries the fly down and the floating line stays on top so you can mend. Sink-tip numbers and colors differ by maker, so read the maker's chart for the sink rate instead of assuming one.
• Sinking leader: a tapered sinking leader that loops onto a floating line to turn it into a sink-tip rig without a second reel. Choose the sink speed the maker lists.
• The National Wildlife Federation suggests that sinking, intermediate and sink-tip lines and leaders made with tungsten coating can get a streamer to the right depth with less added weight on the fly.
• MidCurrent says a sink-tip is the better tool for sustained deep presentations, while weight on the fly and leader suits quick depth changes and easy recasts.

What about lead?

The National Wildlife Federation, in March 2023, said lead split shot is a primary source of lead poisoning for common loons, and listed nontoxic shot and tungsten putty as replacements. Some waters and wildlife areas limit lead, and Texas has no single statewide rule that we found. The sinker and weight guide covers what we found for Texas. Check the water you are fishing.

Picking a weight

• Start with no added weight. Add the least that gets the fly to the fish's level, because every extra bit makes casting harder and tangles more likely.
• Change one thing at a time: move the shot, change the bead size, or swap the tip. Then you know what worked.
• In fast, deep water use a dense bead or a sink-tip. In slow, shallow water use brass, a small bead, or just a little putty.

Keep reading

• The sinker and weight guide
• Fly fishing in Texas
• The fly hook guide
• Fishing for stocked rainbow trout

This is general technique and the figures from the sources below, read on the dates shown. Sink rates and sizes differ between makers.

For more reading, we suggest these articles

• MidCurrent (2026): How to add weight to bass flies (checked 2026-10-18)
• National Wildlife Federation, Drew YoungeDyke (March 8, 2023): Lead-free fly fishing (checked 2026-10-18)
• Orvis (a maker): Non-toxic split shot (checked 2026-10-18)
• Fly Fisherman, Charlie Craven (Nov. 18, 2025): Why competitive anglers swear by jig hooks for tying bead heads (checked 2026-10-18)

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