To Bead or Not to Bead… No Question.

The crew in our last get-together had a heart-rate elevating debate about a few issues facing fellow Alaska Flyfishers. One, Pebble Mine. This was a no-brainer as we are all dead-set against the open-pit toxic waste dump in the nursery of Alaska’s main salmon fishery. Second issue of the evening, beads. This was a much more heated debate as CT and I raised the challenge and held the stance of no more beads. Listed below is an outline of the debate’s nitty gritty: 

The debate… No more beads.

The arguements against… too easy, we want more of a challenge, too harmful for trout.

Arguements for… it’s easy, we’re lazy, we don’t want to be skunked. (okay, okay, readers may notice the author leaning a bit towards one side).

Let’s let the issue be argued by photos and the stories behind them:

Bead-Free Steelie on Swinging Leech| Photo by D.Yi

This was arguably my favorite fish of the year. A monster plus 32″ Anchor steelhead hooked on the swing with a leech but not landed. This was only one of 4 steelies hooked between D and I that day (2 of 4). However, this is the fight I remember most vividly when reminiscing back on 2007.

Why?

• The immense challenge of searching out pockets where metalheads may lay
• The patience of trying every pattern in your flybox
• Standing for 12 hours in the cold October wind and rain as you re-try yet another seam and another cut-bank
• Spey casting for steelhead with a good friend (doesn’t get much better in my mind)

On this October day, D and I came accross numbers of fishermen who were camped out at choice holes flipping beads over and over staring at their indicators for strikes. In my mind there is no difference between this method and sitting at a desk doing a mindless and repetitive task. The quality of the experience far outweighs quantity. This is THE reason that CT and I have challenged the crew for a beadless season.   

Nice dolly, but is there such a thing as too many?| Photo by T.S.

This nice dolly was taken near the end of a 50 trout per angler day on nothing but beads. Many trout were hooked so many times they looked as if they had birth defects. The dark patch near the mouth of this fish was actually a large hole.

Flesh on swing| Photo by D. Yi

This was my only landed steelhead of the entire 12 hour day on the river. After 7 hours of fishing and a count of 0 for 2, I noticed something very different from bead fishing. Our intensity level was on a steadily increasing slope. D and I read the water like our lives depended on it. Each rock, each pocket was studied and investigated with a swing through and then another. This was a zone that we had not been in for quite awhile. Up until recently, D, the crew and I had been enjoying 50+ trout per day on beads. But now things were much different. Our senses were heightening and our skills put to the test. Our reward for 12 hours of labor was one steelhead each. But in my mind the one fish far outweighed a 50 trout day.

Bead Bow| Photo by T.S.

This 22″ rainbow was caught by B in July. The trout put up a good fight but was marred with old scars both on its fins and around the mouth.

29″ Hogzilla on spey| Photo by T. S.

This rainbow was caught on an infamous trophy rainbow stream by RP. This catch was the result of many things.

• Knowledge of the river and its monster trophy trout
• Determination and motivation
• Mad spey casting skills
• Proper fly selection and technique

Bugger Fun| Photo by T. S.

The photo above was from a great day on one of my favorite small rivers. Most of the 2 dozen or so trout that slammed our offerings were caught on tiny leech patterns, nymphs, and dries. In all we fished over 4 miles of water taking turns through runs.

Bead fishing tends to promote an opposite tunnel-visioned approach to fishing. Many beaders can be found camped at a choice hole for hours at a time or sitting comfortably in the chair of a drift boat. Up until this past season, not unlike the trout that are deceived by it’s design, I was one fishermen who fell prey to the bead. But quite frankly, I am tired of it. Each time I look back in my memory banks to re-live great days on the river, I inevitably conjure up trout caught with flies and not plastic.

A memory from this past season that is burned in my brain was when D and I crossed paths with a fellow spey fisherman on the Kenai. Unfortunately, he was fishing a pegged bead with a huge bobber and weight set-up…    

Spring Leopard on a Leech. Convinced?| Photo by J. Hasegawa

More photos and commentary to follow…