Chironomid beadhead

[Rory McMahon]

Which color do you use when tying chironomids? I was using the regular gold colored, but that doesn't seem very much like the color of a chironomid. Well i guess most bugs dont have that color in them but chironomids especially.

[Nagasaurus]

I've seen some very nice patterns tied using gold bead heads but you'll also see black being popular, various colors of glass beads, and of course white for the "snow cone" style patterns. It really comes down to personal preference and what you'll have confidence in fishing with. The tier who taught me my first chironomid pattern swears by his version which uses a few lead wraps for weight and forms the head with thread and is my go-to chironomid pattern as well.

Try a two fly setup and put the gold bead version head to head with another color of bead and see what happens. Down in the depths that little bit of gold just might make the difference...

[cabezon]

Hi folks,

I prefer clear glass beads. I do tie some with white-painted metal beads as well. If allowed, I like a three fly system, a metal bead chironomid tied to the leader, a glass bead chironomid tied off the hook bend, and a smaller glass bead chironomid tied off the middle fly. While I usually start with black-bodied chironomids for all three, I will start switching body color (red, olive, brown) if nothing seems to be happening.

Steve

[capmblade]

White for the snow cone. I think it is supposed to suggest the air bubbles in the gills. Works for me anyway - I don't use anything else which kinda keeps it simple.

[Rory McMahon]

It sounds like most people don't use the standard gold bead, ill probably get a few different beads, probably black, clear, and white. Thanx for the help

[GVanKommer]

I actually prefer silver or gold the white doesn't quite have the shimmer that the naturals seem to under water. with the small size of a chironomid I like a little something to set my fly apart.

[Wayne Jordan]

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m280/wj35/th_BlkChr.jpg (http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m280/wj35/BlkChr.jpg)
http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m280/wj35/th_SnoChr.jpg (http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m280/wj35/SnoChr.jpg)

A couple of my personal favorites... I like copper beads more than gold or silver, just my personal experience...

[Big Tuna]

Usually Spirit River black nickel...sometimes straight black. I use white also, but not as often. You can also buy brown olive; they're made by cyclone eyes. One of my most productive patterns on one of our eastern washington lakes uses gold beads w/ an olive body.

[Flyn'dutchman]

My chiro box is full of white bead heads. All sorts of colored bodies and ribs. The white is supposed to simulate the gills and is far easier to tie than putting antron out the front before you pull the bead over it and add the body. The other color is the black nickle. These go on chromies. If I had to choose two patterns it would be white bead with black body and either fine silver wire or white wire rib and the chromie with nickle bead, silver body and fine red mylar rib. the chromie has white antron over the eye for gills.

[flytire]

http://www.myfishingpictures.com/img/084354.jpg

[Wayne Jordan]

I went to one of Brian Chan's seminars last year and he suggested taking a black marker to cover up some of the white on the bead if the fish are shying away from you fly...
Just something else for you to try...

[Irafly]

I know it's off topic, but nice ties flytire.

Ira..

[Daryle Holmstrom]

:thumb: Yep, sweet, send a few dozen my way.;)

[Curtis King]

Rory,
Interesting I only saw one reference to silver or nickel, which is my go-to bead. My all-time killer Chiro has a black body, fine silver rib, nickel bead, and one or two white ostrich herl wraps behind the bead. Couldn't count how many times it has outfished others right next to me.

:thumb:

[Desmond Wiles]

Black tungsten beads. The added weight will also help straighten your 15'-20' leader out! ;)

[Grey-Sedge]

heck, they all work. You just need a lot of variations to fill up those CF boxes (I have two of them) that hold 36 dozen chironomids. I suspect the truth is that I could throw them all away and stick with a few black chironomids with gold heads but I would never admit that to be the truth or I would look stupid!