2013/09/25 18:19:08
NAsteelheader
I am new to these. Do you guys have a favorite color? What is the best size in Pa waters?
Do you prefer to use beads over bait or flies?
 Thanks in advance
2013/09/26 05:01:51
pikepredator2
Don't use 'em myself but the oct/nov 2013 issue of IN-FISHERMAN has a 4 page article on trout beads beginning on page 54.  Hope this helps.
2013/09/26 11:08:28
steelhead1994
I'm pretty sure that they are illegal in pa, they are considered snagging devices because they are designed to hook the fish on the outside of the mouth
2013/09/26 11:10:11
steelhead1994
Please correct be if I an wrong, i actually bought atone if stuff to fish beads before I heard they were illegal
2013/09/26 19:04:25
pikepredator2
You know steel, after reading the above mentioned article in IN-FISHERMAN, I went to youtube to see how these things were rigged up.  One vid started out with the guy telling everyone that this wasn't snagging and that "his" definition (and it seemed like the only one he adhered to) was standing over a pod of fish with a large weighted treble hook.  And how he thought rigging tandem flies was more like snagging than trout beads were.  After I watched him rig the trout beads and describe how they catch fish I thought "oh man, this isn't gonna fly in PA".  It sure looked like snagging to me.  Now I may be dead wrong here.  Don't know if they're legal in PA or not, and like I stated in my first post, I don't use them so didn't bother to check the legality.  Let me know what you find out.  Judging by your post, looks like you'll be looking into this for yourself.
2013/09/26 20:38:36
deetz4352
I just bought some beads this year and I have already tried to fish them for steelhead this past week. I was fishing with egg sacks and had already hooked 4 fish and decided since I had the beads with me Id give them a shot.
 
Well after drifting the bead through the area I was fishing I hooked up on my second drift. The first thing I though was cool , they work and after landing the fish I looked to see where the hook was and how it had penetrated the fish. It was hooked right on the INSIDE of its mouth. So I drifted the area a few more times. Not only did I NEVER snag any fish , all of the fish I did hook while fishing that bead were INSIDE the mouth.
 
I was using a size 14 hook and pegged the bead 1/2 inch above the hook. So if you really want to gauge how far up from the hook I pegged it , then it was about the distance across your thumb nail.
 
Its just like site fishing in a bass tournament. You can target bass while site fishing but all your hook ups have to be proved to the judge on board that it is in fact hooked on the inside of the mouth for it to be a LEGAL catch. So if the hook is on the inside of the mouth while bead fishing for steelhead whats the problem ? 
 
If there are any factual answers that beads are illegal Id like to know as well. I personally dont care since I have never snagged a fish before in my life 
 
2013/09/26 20:47:23
NAsteelheader
YES. I sure hope that they are not illegal in Pa. I myself have invested a small fortune in the beads and equipment needed to fish them properly.
Also, I have been with guys that use these. It seems to me that if fished properly, It is not snagging. BELIEVE ME. I am a sportsman when it come to fishing. I am a catch and release kind of guy. I do not do anything that I believe will harm the fish.
For me, I will be fishing a trout bead approx. 2 in. above a single hook just big enough to slide over the bead.
To fish the way that I intend to is much more sportsmanlike that the way that I watch many other so-called fishermen out there. There are a lot of true snaggers that I see each and every day that I go out. I believe that it is up to each individual to do the right thing.
2013/09/26 21:04:05
deetz4352
Ive seen more fish snagged while tandem fishing flies on a fly rod. I am also guilty of snagging fish while I was fishing a tandem rig.( contradicting my previous post of never snaggng a fish EVER  ) AND that was the first and last time I ever fished a tandem rig for steelhead on a fly rod. I had more success with one fly anyways. I believe it has more to do with your presentation of whatever your fishing than anything else. Sacks , minnows , jigs , beads , whatever as long as your fishing for and not snagging fish , who cares what your using and how. JMO
2013/09/27 10:10:58
Kevin6wt
I replied to the same thread in the other forum.  Beads are not illegal in PA.  Nothing in the regs making them illegal.  I checked with 2 WCO's and both agreed that beads aren't prohibited in PA. 
 
The issue of legality relates to how the equipment/tackle is used and not that a particular type of tackle is legal or illegal.  Sure, a bead rig, if used improperly to snag, is a no-no.  But my experience is that a properly rigged (no more than 2" above the hook) bead properly fished results in clean hook-ups inside of the jaw.
2014/12/05 14:58:00
out4trout
steelhead1994
I'm pretty sure that they are illegal in pa, they are considered snagging devices because they are designed to hook the fish on the outside of the mouth

THAT THERE IS REAL FUNNY
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