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DO KINGS EAT BEADS?
The short answer is YESSS! For as long as I’ve been fishing salmon, the great debate online is, ‘THEY DON’T EAT BEADS’. Great for the skeptic, because us ‘BEAD FISHERMAN’ will catch more fish lol. This is a divided fishing community and everyone’s stands their ground, with their own opinions. I find it rather strange that the skeptic, would only toss hardware and skein for Salmon in the river, solely. You could counter and question them, ‘What does a bead mimic?’ The only answer is an EGG. What is Skein? A cluster of EGGS connected by membrane. We fish skein...
HOW TO RIG BIG BEADS?
The best way to rig a bead for float fishing Kings would be the Double-Loop Bead Rig. I highly recommend this method, along with several guide buddies, it seems to do the trick best. I use to loop once, then peg, but had issues with fish being super aggressive and having the bead slide down to the hook, which they can use as leverage and pop off. No Bueno. Follow the diagram below.
WHAT'S GUNK'N?
Gunk’n is a simple, effective technique to get your bead smelling juicy. This method is not required but can be all you need to get some action. Its simple. Take your rigged bead and rub it on small glob of cured skein, it only takes a second. Get it nice and juicy. All you’re doing is scenting the bead up and giving the Kings something to sniff, activating that smelling sense.This method is perfect for folks that don’t have much skein and need to preserve it. It’ll help get more skein 🤣
WHAT SIZE BEADS FOR KINGS?
If I had to choose just one size bead to fish for Kings in MI, It would be 14mm. But I always carry 12mm and 16mm also, at all times. Rather be over-prepared then under.With great and poor conditions, sometimes they just want one particular size/color. You have to experiment and figure out the code. If fishing with multiple people, its best to have one person run one size/color bead, another person with a different size/color bead etc…..Also good to have someone run skein as well, to figure out what they want. Teamwork is best. My size choice would change,...
WHAT'S YOUR TOP BEADS FOR KINGS?
My top 10 bead colors for kings would be: 1. Flame Red Purple Haze2. Kangsta3. Kang of Khans4. Megan Thee Salmon5. Hot-Thot6. Kang-Berry Jam (non-uv) can be lethal7. Rad & Rougee Berry8. StingleBerry9. Dead Kang10. KangSlayer Thats what I can recommend for West/Northern Michigan (different systems vary with water-color, effecting how fish see the bead color)