Bead size guide
Best Bead Size & Colour for Coho in Low & Clear Water
Quick answer: a 10mm bead (10–12mm) in Peach / creamsicle, Natural / translucent, Pale pink.
Coho spook in clear low water — downsize and soften the colour.
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. When the river is running low & clear, the usual rules about matching a natural egg shift, because visibility itself has changed. Coho spook in clear low water — downsize and soften the colour. For coho specifically, that means leaning on peach / creamsicle, natural / translucent, pale pink in the 10–12mm 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. Start with a 10mm bead in the colours below and adjust from there as the day's bite develops. If the water shifts over the course of your trip, the size and colour that worked at first light may not be the right call by mid-morning. 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 low & clear water
Common questions
- What size bead should I use for coho in low & clear water?
- 10mm is the starting point (10–12mm covers the range), sized for low & clear conditions specifically — Coho spook in clear low water — downsize and soften the colour.
- What colour bead works best for coho when the water is low & clear?
- Peach / creamsicle, Natural / translucent, Pale pink are the recommended families for this combination. Coho spook in clear low water — downsize and soften the colour.
- 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 low & clear specifically; use the Bead Match tool to see the full breakdown across all four conditions.
