Bead size guide
Best Bead Size & Colour for Chinook in Blown Out Water
Quick answer: a 19mm bead (16–19mm) in Chartreuse, Red.
Below a clearwater trib only; go big and bright.
Getting the bead right for Chinook starts with reading clarity and flow, not guessing. The biggest of them all — the King salmon. In blown out water, fish see the bead clearly and have time to inspect it, so presentation matters as much as pattern. Below a clearwater trib only; go big and bright. For chinook specifically, that means leaning on chartreuse, red in the 16–19mm range rather than a one-size-fits-all pick. Quick ID if you're new to the species: black mouth with black gums; spots on both tail lobes; biggest fish. Use the 19mm recommendation below as your first tie-on, then let the fish tell you whether to size up or down. Keep a few sizes and colour families on hand so you can adjust without a trip back to the truck. This page covers chinook specifically in this water condition — use the interactive Bead Match tool linked below to compare all four conditions side by side, or to switch species entirely.
Shop chinook beads for blown out water
Common questions
- What size bead should I use for chinook in blown out water?
- 19mm is the starting point (16–19mm covers the range), sized for blown out conditions specifically — Below a clearwater trib only; go big and bright.
- What colour bead works best for chinook when the water is blown out?
- Chartreuse, Red are the recommended families for this combination. Below a clearwater trib only; go big and bright.
- Does the right bead change if the chinook water condition changes?
- Yes — Chinook respond differently across low/clear, prime, high/coloured and blown-out water. This page covers blown out specifically; use the Bead Match tool to see the full breakdown across all four conditions.
