How to set up Trout Beads for Fly Fishing

Right now is my favorite time of year. No, it's not because I can get pumpkin spiced lattes or because the leaves are turning pretty colors. This is my favorite time of year because the salmon are spawning and the BIG trout are following them to the spawning grounds where they are eating the eggs that the salmon drop along the way.

I like to use Trout Beads as an imitation egg because they are easy to set up and super effective. We were fishing a stretch of river that had a lot of spawning Pink and Chinook salmon in it. The key to finding where to fish is to look for fish carcasses on the banks, which were everywhere, and to find the fish that are stacking up at the mouth of spawning channels; these usually lie off the main part of a river or tributary. Once you find the fish you will want to look for troughs and riffles with a run or a pool at the end behind the salmon, this is where the BIG trout will be holding and waiting for an easy meal. Sometimes these spots can be 50 yards behind the salmon.

Fishing the runs behind these spots you will want to run an indicator roughly 1-1/2 times the depth of the water. You will have about 12-18" of tippet off your leader with a small BB sized split shot above your knot and your bead attached about 1" from your hook. If you run the bead any longer that this you will run the risk of the fish swallowing the hook which will not end well for these beautiful fish.

When fishing the riffles with a trough or pool after it you will want to have your bead and indicator a lot closer together than the run set up. This is because as the eggs flow through the riffles they don't have the time to get near the bottom of the water column. The fish will be holding up off the bottom as well so as it hits the slower water they will come up and take the bead.

You will want to really work the water that hold these fish in a grid system. Start by fishing the area closest to you and gradually fish further and further out before moving down the run or to the next pool. Getting a drag free drift is also critical. If the beads are dragging through the water the fish wont see it as a natural egg and they will leave it alone. Having a variety of beads and egg imitations in a variety of colors is important. As the salmon first start showing up the eggs will be darker reds, pinks and oranges; when the eggs and salmon have been in the rivers longer then they start changing to pale pinks and oranges, peach, yellow and even white.

We got into some BIG fish yesterday. The big Bull Trout that I got was so full of eggs that his belly was 2-4 times bigger than it normally would have been. The big Cutthroat that my friend got was so fat from eggs that it couldn't jump. When it came to the surface it just rolled over like I do after Christmas dinner.

This is a super effective way to fish our rivers and streams over the next couple of months no matter how you fish. I prefer to do it on a 5-6wt fly rod but any set up works for this style of fishing. Come on in to the store and we will be more than happy to get you set up and give you advice for your first Trout Bead fishing experience. It wont be your last!
This article was written by Zach Copland of Friday Night Flies.
We would also like to thank the great folks at Hook and Vise and Halieus Outdoors for giving us a few hats to wear while we were fly fishing today. I can honestly say they are very lucky fishing hats!  A huge shout out to Sandy at Troutbeads.com . These Trout beads fooled fish all day long!  Come out on a fishing tour and lets put these Trout Beads to work. Call Toll free 1(877)905-8121 or email info@pembertonfishfinder.com We look forward to fly fishing with you, Pemberton Fish Finder. https://pembertonfishfinder.com/

We have added a short video of how to set up Trout Beads for your fly rod, Enjoy!