Anyone Ever Used Trout Beads?

[jdmidwest]

Clarify-

Out fish-

Those that would fish a conventional yarn egg verses a bead- no comparison. I posted a pic somewhere on the forum where I'm holding a handful of real salmon eggs with one bead in the mix- you can't tell the difference. Neither can trout and char in AK. I caught and released one rainbow 4 times this fall on Idavain Creek. He never refused it.

Problem using them for most trout here- they don't make them small enough. 6mm is the smallest troutbead makes. Rainbow eggs are smaller. But they do take these beads, just not like trout taking sockeye and king eggs in AK.

You can make hot glue eggs of any size and color, they are attached to the hook, and they catch fish. This eliminates the pegging issue altogether. And, it is a fly in MO if you add a little thread. I believe I posted some pattern pics when I went to AK a few years ago on here in the fly tying section. I used them in AK and have used them here, they work.

[Terry Beeson]

"there are quite a few guides in AK who don't like beads... but we out fish them everytime."

A grass waving dry fly purist would probably hock-a-loogey on ME for swingin' muddlers, so who am I to say what's fishing and what isn't.

That's my point... Yes, everyone has and is entitled to their opinion... As long as I agree with it... (Just kiddin')

Duane... What have you got this girl smokin'?

[Gavin]

Beads do work...I started using them in AK a couple years ago, and I've been using them here...Its pretty rare when you dont hook one in the mouth if you rig them correctly... If your foul hooking with a bead, the distance between the bead and the hook is too long. An inch is about you need, but you wont catch anything if your bead gets pushed up against the hook. They work a lot better than yarn eggs thats for sure.

Pegging works OK, but a guide in AK showed us how to rig them so they stay put. Peg them, and put a snell knot on the tippet below the bead. It cant slide down that way. Another tip...bright beads dont work as well as painted beads...Most of the beads they fish in AK are orange, pink, caramel or red (smooth or faceted) and most of the time they give them a sloppy coat of flesh tone or white fingernail polish so it looks more like a natural egg in the water. Sometimes the bright bead works best, but most of the time its the painted bead. They use big beads over King Salmon beds, and the smallest trout beads over sockeye reds. The small beads 3-4mm seem to work best here. I make my own out of plastic craft store beads and a big of white or flesh tone nail polish. I add a bit of thread to the hook to make it legal in MO. Cheers.

[DD'sMC]

Duane... What have you got this girl smokin'?

[troutchaser]

OK, so I gather the correct answer would be yes, they work, use 2-4mm size, wear nail polish when you use them, keep them in your mouth 95% of the time so no one will think you're being unethical.

Seriously, thanks to everyone for a good answer. I think I'll hit the craft store to see if I can find something that would work.

[Don]

I have had a few for over a year and still have yet try them. I keep forgetting. I plan to use one as a dropper some day. Vanven, great pic, you injected me with humor. Thanks to Jeremy and Gavin on extra pointers. Also thanks to Terry B. I'll probably marinate a few in "shine" before I tie one on.

[Terry Beeson]

Since I've got some kind of bug making me cough my head off, I have somethin' even better'n shine... Did I reallly say that? Anyway, the stuff my doc gave me is pretty good stuff.

[shawncat]

Interesting.....first i've heard of this method beside Terry's post on beads and worms.Why do you suppose they take the hookless bead more readily than a hooked bead?