Beads... Gold Vs Black

[brownonbow]

If you look at most flys that are in the bins at flyshops the majority are gold beadheadeed. I was just wondering if anyone has noticed any difference in these two beads and the way the fish respond to them. Does one produce better than the next? What do you like to tie up?

[Christofficer]

If you look at most flys that are in the bins at flyshops the majority are gold beadheadeed. I was just wondering if anyone has noticed any difference in these two beads and the way the fish respond to them. Does one produce better than the next? What do you like to tie up?

Well, besides the obvious different weights that come in black like tungsten? I have my own basic pattern for caddis larva and I always tie them with different types of beads. As for one producing more than the other...... can't really say. I never really paid attention to which one caught more fish, I always used black for weight and gold for flash and I've caught fish on both. I don't think it has to get any more specific than that, for me atleast.

 

[flywiz]

good question, I typically use gold for all my most common bow nymphs and black for caddis larvae, and on lake chironomid (acts as part of the dark head) patterns.

 

I will say it is amazing how on a #16 pheasant tail that little gold bead can be seen in clear water from a meter away at times, I'm confident it helps attract fish

 

 

[proflytyer]

i tie many of my patterns with gold tunstens because they seem to work well. it also depends on what the fish want to take. it also will vary which patterns will use black or gold beads. i tie many of my major nymphs with gold beads but a couple of them will have black beads.

[SilverDoctor]

I use gold when getting an ermerger fly down for a lift. A lot of emergers use a bubble to rise to the surface. On standard nymphs I will sometimes use tungsten beads to get it down. I will use tungston beads in an under body of nymphs like golden stones, adds weight without lead.

[rhuseby]

There are times when fish will shy away from flashy flies, ie. those with a gold or silver bead. At times like these, a black bead will often produce.

[nebc]

I have heard from a reliable source that when fishing with chironomids, at times changing to a copper bead from a black, white or gold one makes a lot off difference in the rate of strikes. He as well as others have also mentioned that at times color really matters (not just with respect to the beads) but it is also known for certain that rainbow can become very selective on the size of fly they prefer.

 

I therfor have no doubt there is a degree of preference by selective trout as to bead color as well, however i am less than certain of either the trigger for this or how consistent it may be.

 

As mentioned before in this thread, a difference may be related in a variable related to how bright or dull the day is...or how early or late given high light intensity versus low light levels, dirty versus clear waters and all permutations thereof.

 

A brght sunny day with clear water may cause shy trout to move away from presentations of flies that are too flashy while at other times in lower light or colored water they might like them. After dark when the trout are feeding on things near the surface film, darker flies may have the advantage as they will offer the most contrast against the background of a lighter sky if the trout are 'looking up' toward the surface.

[maxwell]

i try too match my beed color too the color of my nymphs head! for some caddis mayflies and stones i will have gold copper green brownor black.. all depending on teh bugs natural color! it might help a bit but it makes me feel better knowing that they look more "real" but for years i used gold and caught tons of fish too! btu i think matching the nymphs propper color does come in handy specially in clear water conditions! for midges and emergers i like silver

[nebc]

Thanks for that Max. I had been planning to say something like that but it got lost, lol

I guess that looking in my chironomid and nymph boxes I do the same with far less thought about it, since I normally tie more in the evenings after a day of fishing that are based on one or more throat pump samples. I seem also to do the same with nymphs even though from time to time a gold bead is used just because I am not in reach of anything else, and I have no evidence it makes a real difference or not, as you also mentioned.

 

Last summer I tied three nymphs using Nymph Head beads with 3D eyes using the natural colors and all matched to stone fly nymph patterns. I fished those on the Columbia River in southern BC in early July and while I did get a few on them, once i got dialed into what really worked and where, the bead color did not seem to matter so much but only over a sample of 37 rainbow taken over one morning and three evenings .... and 8 of those were on a nymph with no bead at all.

 

The better catches came later using caddis emergers and black ants anyway.

[Guest 420FLYFISHIN]

i do the same as max said, i match it to the bug. chromies get matching or white for the bubble. Stone, caddis, mays all get matched to the body for the nymphs.

[Goldberg]

good question, I typically use gold for all my most common bow nymphs and black for caddis larvae, and on lake chironomid (acts as part of the dark head) patterns.

 

I will say it is amazing how on a #16 pheasant tail that little gold bead can be seen in clear water from a meter away at times, I'm confident it helps attract fish

Except every so often on a slow day, switching to non-beaded variants makes all the difference to success. I almost always fish beads unless they seem ultra finicky.