GuideSoft beads for salmon — sizes & colours by species
Salmon stop feeding when they enter freshwater — but they never stop eating eggs. A soft bead drifted through a travelling pod of coho or chinook draws savage, territorial strikes when nothing else gets a look. This guide covers exactly which bead colours and sizes catch BC salmon, species by species and condition by condition, built on what actually works on the Vedder, Fraser, Harrison and Squamish.
1. Why salmon hit beads
A migrating salmon isn't hungry — its digestive system is already shutting down. But two hard-wired reflexes stay switched on all the way to the spawning gravel. The first is egg response: salmon eat loose eggs drifting past them, partly as leftover feeding instinct, partly to remove competing offspring from the river. The second is aggression: a bright, egg-shaped intruder bouncing through a staging pod gets attacked simply for being there.
A soft bead triggers both. Fished under a float at the speed of the current, it looks exactly like the highest-value item a river ever serves. And because a soft bead compresses like real roe when a fish mouths it, salmon hold on long enough for your float to bury — the single biggest advantage over hard beads, as we cover in the complete soft bead guide.
2. Colour & size by species
Different salmon respond to different presentations. Match the bead to the fish first, then fine-tune for water clarity (next section).
| Species | Bead size | First-choice colours | Run timing (BC South Coast) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coho | 10–14mm | Cerise, Raspberry, Hot Pink | September–December, peak October–November |
| Chinook | 14–19mm | Orange Blaze, Flo Orange, Raspberry | July–October depending on system |
| Chum | 12–16mm | Chartreuse, Cerise, 50/50 BC Tangerine | October–December |
| Pink | 8–12mm | Hot Pink, Bubblegum, Disco Pink | August–October, odd-numbered years on the Fraser system |
Species identification and detailed run windows for each fish are covered in our Species Journal — start with coho and chinook if you fish the Fraser Valley.
3. Adjusting for water conditions
Whatever the species, water clarity overrides everything. The rule that runs through all bead fishing: the less the fish can see, the bigger and brighter you fish.
- Low & clear (1m+ visibility): drop a size and go natural or translucent — Amber, Orange Pearl, Plum for pressured fish.
- Steelhead green, dropping after rain (45–60cm visibility): the money window. Standard sizes, bright colours — Cerise and Raspberry shine here.
- High & coloured (under 45cm visibility): size up, maximum contrast — Chartreuse, Flo Orange, or a mottled pattern that throws a broken silhouette.
- Blown out: stay home, tie leaders, and watch the levels drop on our live river conditions pages.
4. The five salmon colours to carry
If your vest only has room for five packs, carry these:
- Cerise — the single most productive salmon colour in BC. If you fish one bead all fall, fish this one.
- Raspberry — a half-step darker and more translucent than cerise; the switch-up when fish have seen cerise all week.
- Orange Blaze — the chinook bead, and the closest match to a big loose skein egg.
- Chartreuse — chum candy and the high-vis option when the river carries colour.
- Watermelon — the natural-red option for clear water and late-season fish that have seen everything bright.
Real fish caught on these exact beads — with the river and colour tagged — are in our catch gallery.
5. Rigging quick reference
The full rigging walkthrough with diagrams lives in the main guide; the short version for salmon:
- Float sized to the water, mainline down to a swivel, then a 45–60cm fluorocarbon leader.
- Peg the bead 4–5cm (about two inches) above the hook — far enough for corner-of-the-mouth hook-ups, close enough to read the take.
- Hook bare, size 1–2 for chinook, 2–4 for coho and chum.
- Set float depth so the bead ticks along just off bottom — eggs drift low.
6. When to go
The bead bite tracks the spawn. From September onward, every fresh push of salmon brings eggs into the drift and switches every fish in the river onto them. Check the run-timing calendars for your target species, then watch the Vedder, Harrison and Squamish conditions pages — the day a high river drops back to steelhead green is the day to call in sick.
7. FAQ
What size soft bead is best for salmon?
For coho, 10–14mm; for chinook, 14–19mm; for chum, 12–16mm; for pinks, 8–12mm. In dirty water go to the top of each range, in low clear water drop to the bottom of it.
What colour bead do salmon hit most?
In BC rivers, cerise and raspberry account for more salmon than every other colour combined, with orange blaze the standout for chinook and chartreuse for chum. Clarity decides: bright in coloured water, natural roe tones in clear water.
Do beads work for salmon that aren't feeding?
Yes — that's the point of them. Migrating salmon strike beads out of egg response and aggression rather than hunger, which is why a bead out-fishes food-imitating presentations for river salmon.
Are pegged beads legal in BC?
Pegged beads are a widely used presentation in BC, but regulations vary by river, season and gear restriction — always check the current freshwater regulations for your specific water before fishing, especially bait bans and single-hook rules.
