If you are new to fishing the bead, setting up your first bead leader rig can seem confusing. Everyone has their own tried and true methods for bead rigging and there's a lot of information out there on the subject. The way we see it, there are two ways most commonly used, the basic rig and the advanced rig. To simplify things we created two short step by step videos explaining the process.
How to Rig a Basic Bead Leader
The process is quite easy. In this video we demonstrate how to set up a simple bead rig using a standard 9 foot tapered leader. It covers pegging the bead, where to place your split shot and how high to set your strike indicator.
How to Rig an Advanced Bead Leader
In this video we show how to construct a bead leader out of two sections of tippet. It covers connecting knots, using a bead swivel as a connector, and explains the advantages of using this leader over the basic version.
Products for Bead Leaders
Airlock Strike Indicators
Trout Bead
Pegs
Bead Swivels - Trout Size
Gamakatsu C14S Hooks
Do you use Fluorocarbon leader or tippets?
For most rivers in Alaska you can get away with nylon leader (Maxima Ultragreen or Rio Salmon/Steelhead are standards) and tippet for bead rigs. Some folks tend to use fluorocarbon in technical situations or in fast/deep rivers when getting down fast is required.