Trout Beads and Their Effectiveness

Posted On April 07, 2011
Fishing beads are becoming a staple in every Steelheaders arsenal of tricks to fool trout into taking the bait.   Some anglers take it one step further and use the bead on every set up to act as an attractor to whatever is tied on at the end of the hook; be it a fly, spawn sac or jig. 

Last fall I really put them to the test and when an egg bite would be on, they held up just as well to real trout and salmon eggs.  Beads can be used in most any type of condition but they tend to shine in faster to moderate flows.  I find that using beads in slow water gives the fish too much of a chance to inspect the bait.  In slow moving pools or frog water (estuary water), I tend to sway towards using the real stuff.  You can use them fly fishing or float fishing; doesn’t matter, they work both ways.

There are 2 main ways to rig a bead. 1) pegged with a rounded toothpick and trim the tag ends or 2) Tie it on with a bead knot (see http://www.fish307.com/troutbeadsknot.aspx).  The trout beads that I particularly fish with the most are in fact Trout Beads (www.troutbeads.com).  They have so many colours and sizes.  You can also make them yourself; just find some jewelry beads, dye the beads the way you want.  It’s actually quite simple to do if you have the time.

Next time you’re out, give them a try.  I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the results.

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About

Justin Elia
Justin Elia

Joined November 18, 2010

Justin is obsessed with steelhead and salmon - heading out on the stream or lake every chance he gets. His blog highlights his countless hours spent fishing for beautiful trout and salmonin the Great Lakes Region, as well as work done with the Credit River Anglers Association and product review on various items to help put you on more migratory and Great Lake salmonids..

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