Yes, beads! Seems like you can’t talk about trout fishing in AK without including beads in the discussion. Sizes, colors, glass, ceramic, plastic, paint and nail polish/lacquer preferences etc and so forth and so on.

I’ve found the most productive bead, overall, is an 8mm, washed out tangerine and that seems effective over thelongest seasonal period. On some bodies of water a little 6mm natural roe color works great and even 5mm orange beads when the rainbows are coming off the spawn will turn fish.

While all of the sporting goods stores in AK offer small packs of “Gucci” beads manufactured by various outfits I prefer to get a good base bead and do up a custom job using a selection of paints and nail polishes/lacquers to get the right blend of color and texture.

By placing beads in a paper sack, hitting them with a little spray paint and giving them a toss, or rolling beads around in just a little bit of nail polish in an old tuna can (check the local recycling bins if you don’t own a cat) I can get a pretty good effect.

Does anyone else have any exciting techniques or tips to offer regarding beads or bead fishing?

Always eager to learn more!