This is the hottest—and handiest—new steelhead bait

[easy-tweet tweet=”@Gord Pyzer explains why plastic beads are a better #steelhead bait than real eggs” user=”OutdoorCanada” hashtags=”fishingislife, coldsteel”]

For a more convenient yet still effective drift bait for steelhead, use plastic beads instead of real fish eggs. They’re so realistic, steelhead can’t tell they’re not the real thing; plus, their buoyancy matches the drifting quality of actual eggs. It’s best to place a single bead about two inches up the line from your hook, so when a trout sucks it in, the hook is ideally positioned to safely catch the fish around the lips.

Some anglers peg the bead in place with a toothpick, rubber bobber stop or piece of elastic band wedged inside the hole, but the easiest method is to simply run your leader through the hole in the bead, then back around a second or even third time before snugging it up tightly.