How To

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                            Here you will find helpful tips, great innovative ideas and step by step how to's from supporters like YOU... to experiment with using TroutBeads and EggHeads... Happy Fishing

The TroutBeads Knot

                        
                              NO MORE PEGGING !!!

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Fish that are feeding on spawn tend to inhale egg imitations. Tying your hook one and a half to two inches below your bead will keep 98% of your hook-sets on the inside rim of the mouth and away from the throat, tongue and inner gillplate.

Using the "TroutBeads Knot" eliminates the need for pegging devices.

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95% strength!

TroutBeads Knot developed and designed by Paul Garrison
Instructions hand drawn by Cameron Hawthorne Jr.

The Bead Egg Yarn Fly

A selection of Dave Kilhefner's favorite bead-egg yarn flies

Materials Needed:
#1/0 to #2 octopus-style hooks, TroutBeads EggHeads, Super Glue, Glo-Bug yarn, 10 lb. monofilament line, scissors and a fly-tying vise (or similar).

Position the bead at the bend of the hook and pull the yarn into the bead, then remove the monofilament.

Put the hook in the vise, slide on a bead and run a loop of monofilament line through the bead and place the yarn in the loop.

Slide the bead and yarn forward while running a drop of super glue along the hook shank.

The bead egg yarn fly

Trim the yarn at this point. It takes the super glue a couple minutes to fully cure.

If you think it needs a little more glue, flip it over and add another drop or two. You'll see it "wick" up into the bead.

The Beaded Steelhead Jig

An assortment of winter steelhead favorite jigs

Materials Needed:
Pre-drilled beads (such as TroutBeads EggHeads), 10 lb. monofilament line, thin Super Glue, marabou, jig heads, fly-tying vise, scissors

1. Cut about 3" off the marabou feather's tip.

2. Slide two EggHeads on the hook, in the fly vise and thread a loop of monofilament through the beads.

3. Slide the marabou tips through the loop and slowly pull forward.

4. The marabou stems will fold over and slide inside both the beads. The fit should be snug.

5. Place a drop or two of thin Super Glue between the two beads and also between the top bead and the jig head.

The finished beaded steelhead jig

Photos, jig design and step by step how to's by: Dave Kilhefner

Photos, fly design and step by step how to's by: Dave Kilhefner

Making a pegged Trout Bead set up

Line: I use the lightest flourocarbon leader possible in every situation.

Hooks: I use any sharp "scud" hook in sizes 6, 8 and 10, depending on the size of the bead. (The bigger the bead, the bigger the hook)... and ALWAYS pinch down your barbs.

"Pegging" is just jamming a toothpick inside the bead hole and breaking the excess off. Thereby holding the bead above the hook at your desired distance.

The purpose for pegging the bead began when fish were drawing the bead in too deep and were being hooked in the back of the throat and inside the gill plates. (Common sense plays a big part here). So the pegging distance should never exceed the neccessary distance required to hook your fish on the inside rim of the mouth.

Weight: Just enough to get your bead to drift naturally along the bottom. The smaller, the better.

Strike Indicator: I use a "corky" and hold it in place with a toothpick. Leave a piece of the toothpick hanging out so you can adjust the distance when needed. The distance should be about one and a half times the depth of the water, or whatever is necessary to get the bead to drift along the bottom.

This is what you need to get you started: a few round toothpicks, bead hooks, weights, a bead (of course), some very light line and a strike indicator of some kind (I use a "corky" they work great).

String the bead through the line, tie on your hook. Pick your desired length (between hook and bead) and jam the toothpick in the bead hole and break off the excess.

Add a few split shot weights (roughly 14 to 18 inches from the bead).

Add your strike indicator by sliding it on the line and jamming a toothpick in it's hole and breaking off just enough excess to be able to adjust as necessary.

Jim Victorine's SALMON REDD

When constructing the bead/mono armature, first thread 15 to 20 Trout Beads 12 to 18 inches up a length of mono. Set electric stove coil or flat iron to medium heat and test to determine the correct temperature for melting the mono. Gently flatten mono end against warm surface.

Here is a simple to tie pattern by master fly tier Jim Victorine of Loomis, California that works for both Steelhead and Pacific Salmon

Slide one bead down against flattened end. With side cutters, cut mono armature 1/2 to 1 inch in length, depending on hook size. Hold bead against flattened mono end. With razor blade, taper one side of mono to a point. Nick mono to roughen tying surface for a super grip. For each fly, repeat process, using a different heated area to flatten successive ends.

Hook: Sizes 8-2 Mustad # 3908 STD
bronzed, X-strong

Thread: Size "A" Nymo or equivalent
(white)

Armature: 60 to 80 lb. hard Mason mono-
filament (shock tippet material)

Egg:                  6 to 10mm plastic bead (Trout
                          Beads were used in the picture
                          above; Sun Orange, Ruby Roe,
                          Fluorescent Orange, Orange
                          Clear, Glow Roe and Natural Roe)

Body: Diamond Braid, silver

Wing: Arctic fox mask, white

Head: Tying thread

Other:             Super Glue, head cement
                          razor blade, electric range or
                          flat iron

Start at hook eye. Wrap tight consecutive turns to start of bend. Return to one eye length from eye, half-hitch. Place bead/mono armature atop threaded shank, shaved tip at head space. Wrap tightly down. Return thread to head space. Place one or more drops of Super Glue on flattened end of mono at bead: glue will wick along entire thread base.

Tie in six to eight-inch length of Diamond Braid. Coat shank with Super Glue. Wrap braid to bead, then back to head space. Tie off, trim excess. Half-hitch.

Pull or clip a tuft of Arctic fox fur from mask. Tie in atop shank at head space, extending a quarter-inch beyond bead. Form neat thread head. Whip finish, clip thread, cement head.

Here is a picture of Mr. Jim Victorine tying his flies at the International Sportsman Exposition

Brad Hanson's BEAD EGG

Innovation is a key ingredient in most fly fishers list of skills. Whether it involves creating an original pattern or modifying an existing one to new conditions, versatility and problem-solving talents are useful, at home on the vise or along streamside.

The imitation egg is one of the most successful patterns used by Alaskan flyfishermen. Nearly every stream or river which flows to the sea supports one or more species of salmon runs and native residents like rainbow trout, arctic char or Dolly Varden, grayling and whitefish rely heavily on salmon eggs as a vital source of protein and carbohydrates during their late summer and fall feeding frenzy in preparation for winter.

This pattern, tied by Brad Hanson, has exceptional realism in imitating nature and is very simple to tie. Its versatility is enhanced by the wide variety of colors available in glass and plastic beads and as the astute flycaster knows, there are important decisions to be made in choosing the correct color to match what is occuring in the stream. There are subtle variations in the color and size of salmon eggs between species as well as a difference between the color of fresh spawned and fertile eggs and those which are dead and beginning to decay.

The beads used to tie the Bead Egg pattern are readily available and come in a multitude of colors, shades and sizes; translucent and opaque.
Pearlescent fingernail polish can be added to give a sheen similar to the membranous sack that hold eggs in the skein, or a small tuft of white marabou can also be added to enhance this effect. The beads can also be painted to achieve custom shades that are effective but not commercially produced. The potential variety of bead egg patterns is only limited by the imagination of the tyer.

Glass or plastic beads are generally found in fly shops or hobby & craft stores and have an assortment of colors and sizes. For fishing deeper or faster waters, glass beads are heavier and will sink quicker than plastic.

The strength of this pattern allows full exposure of the hook during a strike and results in more hookups than those patterns which are tied with other materials that reduce the bite of the hook.

1. Body - Glass or plastic bead
2. Thread - Match bead color
3. Hook - #6 - #10 Egg hook
(depending on bead size)
4. Monofilament - 10-15 lb. test

Tying:

1. Apply a thread base to the hook shank halfway from the eye to the start of the curve.
2. Tie in a 12" piece of 10 lb - 15 lb. monofilament laying it flat along the top of the shank with one end starting at the eye and the length of the mono extending rearward out the back leaving one free end. Firmly wrap this down on top of the base formed in step one.
3. Slip a bead onto the free end of the mono that's extending rearward, then bring the free end back toward the eye and tie it down on top of step two. Tie this in at the halfway point on the base wrap's and leave a few inches extending over the eye to grab hold of. During this stepapply 3-4 firm wraps to tie the free end down, letting the bead dangle on the large loop that's been formed. The wraps should be firm but still allow the mono to be pulled underneath with mild effort.
4. Pull the portion of the mono which extends over the eye through the wraps drawing the bead into the base wrap, leaving the remaining free mono extending out the front. When the bead is pulled tightly against the base, reposition if necessary to leave the bead sitting squarely on top of the hook shank just behind the eye. Make several firm wraps in front of the egg to secure it into this position.
5. Double back the remaining free section of mono along the shank of the hook towards the rear. Make several firm wraps completely covering the mono between the egg and eye of the hook. Whip finish and cut the mono where it extends rearward from the wraps underneath the bead.

Note: Step 5 was developed to prevent stripping off beads on fish that had taken the fly, but during the hook set, the point didn't find the purchase and the fish held the bead, resulting in the mono being pulled from the wraps and the bead being lost.

Hope these tips and suggestions help

Good Fishing to ALL !!!

TM