A bead head nymph is a nymph fly pattern that has a weighted bead at the head of the fly and differs from a traditional nymph pattern in which no weighted head is added to the fly.  Bead head nymphs weigh more and obviously sink faster than non-bead head flies. Most fly anglers swear that one type is better than the other, but as someone that fishes both types regularly, I think they are both equally effective fish catchers. However, one type is definitely better for a particular nymphing rig type and nymphing scenario, and I’ll walk you through these instances below.

Non-bead headed nymphs work best with a Provo River bounce nymphing rig, also called a drop-shot rig. The extra weight of beaded head nymphs tends to sink the dropper sections of a bounce rig; causing an excessive amount of tangles and making the flies look unnatural.  Furthermore, your dropper sections are already tied at the depth of the water column you want your nymphs to drift in, and the extra weight may cause the nymphs to drift underneath a fish.

Beaded head nymphs tend to work best with a standard nymphing rig -although you can absolutely use unweighted nymphs with this rig as well. Water currents often apply tension to your leader and tippet with a standard nymphing rig, which prevents your nymphs from sinking to the bottom, or pulls your nymphs up off the bottom. Since beaded head nymphs are heavier, the extra weight helps to reduce this tension, allowing your flies to sink quicker and reduces the tendency of them to drift up off the bottom.  

I tend to use both nymph types equally with a dry fly attractor nymphing. If my attractor fly is very small and not buoyant, I tend to use unweighted nymphs. I’ll apply sinket to the nymph fly and the tippet above it, and apply floatant to the attractor fly and leader above it. This ensures the attractor fly stays afloat and the nymph fly stays submerged. I’ll use a beaded head nymph if my attractor fly is very buoyant because the added weight won’t sink the attractor fly as easily, and will help the nymph will sink further down into the water. However, I often use the attractor nymphing rig when trout are feeding just below the surface on emerging insects when I do not want the nymph to sink to the bottom because fish are elevated off the bottom. In this scenario, I’ll use an unweighted nymph and again apply liquid sinket to it. If trout are feeding just below the surface, a beaded head nymph is likely to sink below them.

More information on trout nymphing can be found in my guide book SIMPLE NYMPHING FOR TROUT IN RIVERS & STREAMS.

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