Beads for Steelhead

[big bug]

This is my first year out of ten that I finally gave in and started using beads for trout. I have to say they work better than glowbugs, other bugs and soft hackles behind salmon. I was on the Yuba last week, not a salmon in sight and the fish are still hitting the right color bead. I have yet to gill hook a fish, and have had a few fish on the outside of the mouth. Many guides use them now. I realize I am cheating, but it seems you can catch more fish. The latest Fly Fisherman Mag says the bead is common in Alaska. I also have found that you will not catch fish if you are not using the right color bead. There is some science to the whole thing. Are you guys using beads for steelhead on the Feather and American?

[Fats]

Nope... still a glow bug guy.

[Bob Laskodi]

SHHHHH!!!!!!!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/laskodi/Picture581a.jpg

[BigOkieWhiteBoy916]

SHHHHH!!!!!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/laskodi/Picture581a.jpg

That poor steelhead never knew what happened. It was screaming so loud Bob had to Shush him. lol

[big bug]

Nice chromer there!! Looks like a caramel 10 or 12mm. Corner of the mouth.;) Is that from Alaska?

[matt johnson]

If I am fishing to steelhead that are actively feeding behind spawning salmon, as happens here in the Central Valley, then yep, I use beads. Beads are deadly in this situation.

However, If I am fishing on the coast or wherever and the steelhead are not feeding behind salmon but are just migrating, I never use beads, only glo-bugs. I like the buoyancy of glo-bugs better than the sink of beads in this application, and glo-bugs are nice and chewy. In my experience, when I get a bite, the steelheads will really hang on to the glo bug and you hook em'.

I don't think beads are cheating. Just a great idea!

This steelhead was happy about a big, quarter sized glo-ball! Matt
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee281/ozziebooboo/orangeglobug.jpg

[Mike R]

Ten-foot pole rule here.

Mike

[Notch]

For me the bead has always been the go-to on the Feather. I first started using them back in 02'-03' when the river was thick with salmon. It's been nowhere near as good as it was back then, but I'm sure the bead will still produce. This was THE spot to throw beads on the Feather back in the day:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v512/Notcher/Outlets-9lbs.jpg

[big bug]

Another nice fish there Matt! Did your bead slide down to the hook during the fight? I usually use a set up like Bob. Bead at 1-2 inches from hook. That is one of best colors though, orange mottled. A good way to keep the bead from sliding is to thread your line through the bead three to four times, the bead does'nt slide and you don't have to use a toothpick.

I prefer to use big soft hackles, and big bugs like October Caddis, Isonychias and Golden Stones on the Trinity. One of the best flies is the black and orange muddler that I have only seen at the Trinity fly shop. Fish come out of nowhere to grab that thing.:D

[bclem81]

8mm orange beads but painted a special color, sorry boys aint giving the color up, but go to your local girly nail polish spot and look around, u will see some sick colors.

[Mike R]

Pretty-in-pink is a good color but some of the frosted colors from troutbeads have cut down on my purchases of nail polish (my purchases for bead painting, anyways).

Mike

[BigOkieWhiteBoy916]

but go to your local girly nail polish spot and look around, u will see some sick colors.


Or just look at your toe nails lol

[Ed Wahl]

:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:


Or just look at your toe nails lol

Somebody had to say it.:lol:

Ed

[WhipperSnapper]

Notch, wasn't the bead used just to make it legal? I always thought the salmon never hit the bead, but you're actually lining them... I used to fish it about 5-6 years ago.

[big bug]

Brian,

Here you were trying to wade in quietly and your buddy threw a rock at the tailout! That was funny!!:p

[bclem81]

hey big okie dont u remember i raided your bathroom cabinet for that orangey pink color. u was prancing all around your placing saying "look at this SSSeXXXXXy new color i got, doesnt it go great with my SSSauCCCey figure!!!!!"

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh114/bclemens81/fatbuu.jpg

man u forget so easily these days, must be those fumes from the nail polish. i told u to stop sniffin that crap.

[BigOkieWhiteBoy916]

hey big okie dont u remember i raided your bathroom cabinet for that orangey pink color. u was prancing all around your placing saying "look at this SSSeXXXXXy new color i got, doesnt it go great with my SSSauCCCey figure!!!!!"

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh114/bclemens81/fatbuu.jpg

man u forget so easily these days, must be those fumes from the nail polish. i told u to stop sniffin that crap.


Picture isn't showing up. If you're going to try a comeback do it right man...

[shawn kempkes]

Whipster, you are consistent, I'll give you that.

It's very easy to get your insinuation, Aren't you really just snagging?

What you are not, IMHO, is respectful, courteous, polite, or even just nice in the way you react to other posters on this board.

Did you ever hear the one about 'if you haven't anything good to say'?

Here's a little mantra you may want to try next time a negative reply crosses your mind, and I'm sure it won't be long.

It goes like this.

"Let it slide", "Just let it slide."

Take a deep breath, nothing posted here is going to change the world. So just chill. And let it slide.

Ed (my real name)

Ed I think you are missing something. That picture notch took was at an area that is notorious for snagging salmon. In fact you have a snow balls chance in hell of flyfishing in that spot. The feather river snaggers use a long leader and a bead and floss the fish.

[BigOkieWhiteBoy916]

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh114/bclemens81/fatbuu.jpg



That looks nothing like me. The hair is all wrong!

[Notch]

I think you're right about using the bead to make it legal. I would usually wait to fish the outlets until the salmon season ended, then fish for the steelies with a bead right above the hook. It worked pretty good even without being pegged.

[big bug]

How do we know, you always have that beanie on!! Haha good stuff guys!:unibrow:

[WhipperSnapper]

Whipster, you are consistent, I'll give you that.

It's very easy to get your insinuation, Aren't you really just snagging?

What you are not, IMHO, is respectful, courteous, polite, or even just nice in the way you react to other posters on this board.

Did you ever hear the one about 'if you haven't anything good to say'?

Here's a little mantra you may want to try next time a negative reply crosses your mind, and I'm sure it won't be long.

It goes like this.

"Let it slide", "Just let it slide."

Take a deep breath, nothing posted here is going to change the world. So just chill. And let it slide.

Ed (my real name)

Ed, I was not bashing at all. I used to fish the outlet for salmon with a bead and I would line them. Everybody does that. I was asking a serious question. When I said "you" I meant everybody in general.

[Jgoding]

Last time I checked that wasn't a salmon in the picture. Just thought I'd throw that out there.... I think beading for salmon is one thing but steelies is totally different as they actively feed on eggs.

Honestly I would never bead myself but that's just me. For a lot of people it's very effective and it's a legal method of take as far as I know. Personally I'd like to see an underwater view of what the hell goes on but I assume the fish are taking the bead most of the time.

Here's my stance on a lot of stuff I disagree with.... to each his own. I fish for a challenge and beading doesn't seem very challenging, just like sight fishing steelies behind redds and stuff.... But hey, people want to catch fish so they do what's easy, maybe they're the smart ones compared to myself.

[WhipperSnapper]

Last time I checked that wasn't a salmon in the picture. Just thought I'd throw that out there.... I think beading for salmon is one thing but steelies is totally different as they actively feed on eggs.

Honestly I would never bead myself but that's just me. For a lot of people it's very effective and it's a legal method of take as far as I know. Personally I'd like to see an underwater view of what the hell goes on but I assume the fish are taking the bead most of the time.

Here's my stance on a lot of stuff I disagree with.... to each his own. I fish for a challenge and beading doesn't seem very challenging, just like sight fishing steelies behind redds and stuff.... But hey, people want to catch fish so they do what's easy, maybe they're the smart ones compared to myself.

I think were looking at different pictures...lol. The first few are steelies, but Notch's pic is a salmon. Notch, looks like you had the river to yourself... I didn't think that ever happens at the outlet.

[Ed Wahl]

Sorry about flying off the handle Whippersnapper(can we shorten that name?).

Still a bit overly sensitive I guess.

Ran out of Vagisil. :crybaby:

Ed

[bclem81]

try using beads on the yuba, or glo bugs, got to have the color almost perfect or they wont take it. (for the most part) i have gone through a lot of colors with both beads and glo bugs on the yuba with no fish, then finally i find the magic color and its on like crazy. but that goes to show the difference between wild fish (yuba) and hatchery fish (american) again for the most part.

[Notch]

That's actually a steelhead in my pic, and one of the biggest I've landed on the feather. It's a pretty bad photo but that fish was awesome. Yeah, the outlets are a ghost town once salmon season ends. The steelhead really stack up at the very top of the chute, and if you have the place to yourself you can get em' on a fly rod. I know it doesn't seem possible but I've done it before.

[Jgoding]

I think were looking at different pictures...lol. The first few are steelies, but Notch's pic is a salmon. Notch, looks like you had the river to yourself... I didn't think that ever happens at the outlet.

Oh Notch's fish, I was on the fence about that one, it is hard to tell if it's a steelhead or salmon but my first impression was steelheadish....haha.

[Mike R]

Fishing beads for salmon and fishing beads for steelies are totally different.

The salmon beads are small 4-5 ml beads used just to make it leagal-ish. Steelhead/trout beads are used to make the best imitation of salmon eggs possible. We use sizes from 6-10 mm and in eggy colors.

Please don't confuse the two, they're not even kinda close.

Mike

[WhipperSnapper]

That's actually a steelhead in my pic, and one of the biggest I've landed on the feather. It's a pretty bad photo but that fish was awesome. Yeah, the outlets are a ghost town once salmon season ends. The steelhead really stack up at the very top of the chute, and if you have the place to yourself you can get em' on a fly rod. I know it doesn't seem possible but I've done it before.

Oh, sorry man. I thought that was salmon... Mostly because of where it was caught.

[jbird]

Oh, sorry man. I thought that was salmon... Mostly because of where it was caught.

Are you serious? Look at that fish again, look at its head. If thats a salmon, I'm Tiger Woods.....eeeww bad analogy. :-)


MikeR nailed it. Fishing beads for salmon and fishing beads for steelhead is apples and oranges

[norcal tom]

Get out and go fishing or somthing :evil: I really cant belive this one is still going:roll:

[bclem81]

whats your guys favorite nail polish to use on beads

[WhipperSnapper]

Are you serious? Look at that fish again, look at its head. If thats a salmon, I'm Tiger Woods.....eeeww bad analogy. :-)


MikeR nailed it. Fishing beads for salmon and fishing beads for steelhead is apples and oranges

Yeah, I took another look... Initially, I thought the gums were black. Taking another look the darkness is on the outside of the lips. Nice fish Notch. When I used to fish the outlet the only steelhead that were being caught were 15-16 inchers. He must have giving you a ride.

[WhipperSnapper]

whats your guys favorite nail polish to use on beads

It's gotta be black duuude. Black rocks.

[wjorg]

Pretty funny to see picture of lined fish. Bobs fish has the hook on the outside of the mouth, and matts in in the front top corner...

They didnt tell you beads are supposed to work by hooking the outside of the face. Ask the guy who started it....

Beads in shallow rivers are ok. Deep rivers pose a problem towing the fish around by it maxillia.

Freaggin Sac fish are dying and mauled from idoiots and their beads...

If you dont like it. I dont give a hoot.

[SHigSpeed]

I have a tech question regarding pegging beads... Why peg them any more than a half an inch away from the bead? I have a hard time thinking that Bob's fish DIDN'T take the bead, but the inevitable outcome of this with the length of "leader" there is that it's hooked on the outside of the mouth, just like in the pic (and like the Moffit system).

Anyone?

_SHig

[Fats]

Pretty funny to see picture of lined fish. Bobs fish has the hook on the outside of the mouth, and matts in in the front top corner...

They didnt tell you beads are supposed to work by hooking the outside of the face. Ask the guy who started it....

Beads in shallow rivers are ok. Deep rivers pose a problem towing the fish around by it maxillia.

Freaggin Sac fish are dying and mauled from idoiots and their beads...

If you dont like it. I dont give a hoot.


So... I take it you don't support fishing with beads?

[Kurt P]

For what it is worth, the few times I have had success with the bead technique (for trout/steelhead) I had gone through several color changes without getting a single fish, then when I found the right color, I'd catch quite a few. That was often without changing location, or the rest of my set up, casting technique/line management. (I secure the bead in position by passing the line through the bead several times.) This has happened on more than one day. It seems to me that this means the fish is actively pursuing the 'right' colored egg. If it was all just 'lining' (I am not sure even what this means/is, but it sounds like it must be evil), wouldn't you catch just as many fish regardless of bead color?
As I understand it, when the fish bites the bead and the fisherman reacts, the hookset will often drive the trailing hook into the outside of the mouth. Is this 'lining?' If it is, I don't understand why that is evil. It is not like you are trying to drag a hook into the side of a fish that is just passing by. Aren't all forms of fishing just trying to trick a fish into biting what's on the end of our line? (And of course, if we are lucky, so we can hook it and feel it's power and pull it in to look at it?)
I have never salmon fished (except bait fishing in Alaska years ago), so my comments/questions are from ignorance, not meant to be inflammatory.
Kurt

[troutbm]

Its a never ending debate ! Its like beating a dead horse ! I think it was mentioned that if you use beads for salmon you are "lining" them, Thats not always true, I used to fish the nisqually river in washington quite often for chums with bright green beads and a smalll peice of matching yarn and I have seen many times with my own eyes a salmon bite a bead out of reaction.

[Fats]

Anybody want to talk about religion? Maybe some politics?

Anyone???

[Nailknot]

The idea of pegging a bead a few inches above the hook came about as a way to mitigate the deep hooking common to fishing egg flies. In Alaska, where the technique originated, the rainbow fisheries are catch and release. Fish tend to swallow egg flies, often leading to fatal hook sets.

[medfly]

when fishing beads, YES, the fish often do strike the bead and a hook set results in the hook piercing through the outer jaw. then the technical folks come in, cause a hook on the outside can be considered lining the fish despite the fact that fish did take the bead. not that lining a fish cannot happen but when people use the word lining its often used along with snagging, and often times fishing a bead doesnt actually snag a fish (although it can and does at times). look at that new system in all the magazines now (cant remember the name) where the fly is hookless and tied inches above the actual hook. it catches fish and those fish are not snagged. also, that system is stupid and using a bead is cheating.

[BigOkieWhiteBoy916]

My head hurts......

[Fats]

Ok,.... Sorry I brought this up. Just another "no win" situation on the ol' Steelhead Forum.... :roll: :roll:

It's a valid question you raise, it is just some folks have a really strong opinion on the subject. Their minds are made up and nothing will change it. Personally, I don't have an issue with it as long as you aren't snagging a bunch of fish with it. Beads are an awesome egg imitation so... you will have some folks pursue it.

[loganmike]

The popcorn has just finished, the beers are iced, and i am ready to follow the silliness of this well beaten topic.

[nightgoat]

every year....

http://i596.photobucket.com/albums/tt50/nightgoat/beatdeadhorse5.gif

[nrthcsteel]

Actually for this thread I believe it would be ...........

"Beading a dead horse"

And for the record I think any thread with the words "nail polish" should be immediatly removed from any fly fishing board.

[big bug]

You guys were doing so well for awhile there. :eek: I say if you can't bead 'em join 'em. The bead of the week has been a very light orange mottled 6mm. :rolleyes:

[troutbm]

Hell may as well keep it going. How bout B.Clemens, He says something like " I'm not telling how I like to paint em" , But some posts later the dude asks how you guys like to paint em ? What the hell? I think theres some inspiration here...A new bead pattern ? Perhap Somebody should call it the douschbag. It might turn out to be a real winner. Beat the horse boys !!!

[trinity]

How about a bead swap:)

[Fats]

How about a bead swap:)

Or a nail polish swap?

;)

[wjorg]

Pathetic.....how about a roe or luer swap?

[SHigSpeed]

How about a bead swap:)


Or a nail polish swap?

;)

Too funny guys.

So, how would a glo-bug tube-fly rank on a snagger to purist scale? What if you took that glo-bug tube fly and doused it with UV cure goo?

Hmm...

_SHig

[shawn kempkes]

Too funny guys.

So, how would a glo-bug tube-fly rank on a snagger to purist scale? What if you took that glo-bug tube fly and doused it with UV cure goo?

Hmm...

_SHig

you joke about it but some body actually sells a glo bog tube fly.

http://www.otetackle.com/xcart/home.php?cat=89

[Fats]

you joke about it but some body actually sells a glo bog tube fly.

http://www.otetackle.com/xcart/home.php?cat=89


I believe that is why he "joked" about it!