Bead size guide
Best Bead Size & Colour for Coho in High & Coloured Water
Quick answer: a 16mm bead (14–16mm) in Chartreuse, Hot pink.
Bright and larger for low-vis, aggressive coho.
The acrobat — pound for pound, the fighter of the family. That makes reading the water the first real decision on any Coho trip — before size, before colour. In high & coloured water, fish see the bead clearly and have time to inspect it, so presentation matters as much as pattern. Bright and larger for low-vis, aggressive coho. For coho specifically, that means leaning on chartreuse, hot pink in the 14–16mm range rather than a one-size-fits-all pick. Quick ID if you're new to the species: black mouth, white gums; spots on upper tail lobe only. The recommendation below (built around a 16mm bead) is the starting point — every Coho 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. This page covers coho 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 coho beads for high & coloured water
Common questions
- What size bead should I use for coho in high & coloured water?
- 16mm is the starting point (14–16mm covers the range), sized for high & coloured conditions specifically — Bright and larger for low-vis, aggressive coho.
- What colour bead works best for coho when the water is high & coloured?
- Chartreuse, Hot pink are the recommended families for this combination. Bright and larger for low-vis, aggressive coho.
- Does the right bead change if the coho water condition changes?
- Yes — Coho respond differently across low/clear, prime, high/coloured and blown-out water. This page covers high & coloured specifically; use the Bead Match tool to see the full breakdown across all four conditions.
