Best Bead Size & Colour for Chinook in High & Coloured Water

Getting the bead right for Chinook starts with reading clarity and flow, not guessing. The biggest of them all — the King salmon. High & Coloured water asks a different question than clear water does: is the fish finding the bead by sight, by silhouette, or barely at all? Lowest visibility on the biggest fish — the largest, brightest beads. For chinook specifically, that means leaning on red, chartreuse, orange-roe 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. The recommendation below (built around a 19mm bead) is the starting point — every Chinook trip still rewards experimenting once you're on fish. Water conditions shift day to day and even hour to hour, so treat this as a confident starting point, not a fixed rule. The full picture for chinook across every water condition — low, prime, high and blown out — is available in the interactive Bead Match tool, linked below this recommendation.