[Jared]

I have several friends who, whenever they fish a weighted texas rigged bait, will place a glass bead between the weight and the hook. Some of them use red beads, some use black, some use smooth and some use facetted. I've used a bead sometimes myself.

I like to use glass beads with steel, tungsten or brass weights so I can leave my bait in one spot and shake the rod tip slightly to create a bit of rattle.

I am curious how many Bassholes will add a bead to their texas rigged bait presentations. If so, what color and shape? Also, what, if anything, determines if you use a bead or not?

 

[oldschool]

Texas rig without a faceted glass bead reduces strikes, in my opinion. The sound factor alone should be a good reason to add a glass bead, the bead also protects the knot and moves the hook back into the basses mouth so they don't bite the weight as easy. Bead colors should match the weight color. I'm not trying to push Top Brass, they make the best available glass beads, no sharp edges and I like there brass weights for Texas rigging. Tungsten are good for weights over 1/4 oz to keep the size down, however expensive and I tend to use 3/16 oz for Texas rigged worm most of the time.
Tom

 

[imonembad]

I do sometimes but not always. I feel like it takes away from a natural presentation especially when finesse fishing.

 

[OTTER]

I use a red bead the majority of the time. It is just psycholigical for me. I equate it to a bleeding bait or red hooks. Reguardless of the color weight I use, I like having that red on there toward the head. Just an Otter thing!

 

[bassass]

I don't normally use a bead. If I do I use one it's something close to the color of the bait I'm throwin.

bassass

 

[oldschool]

I do sometimes but not always. I feel like it takes away from a natural presentation especially when finesse fishing.

Iovino was the first to use the brass n glass doodling technique and coined the term "finesse" fishing using this presentation. It's ideal for 4" to 6" worms in clear water, in fact better, in my opinion, than the shaky head jig worm.
Tom

 

[Texas Bass Pro]

I never have used a glass bead on Texas rig, although I have inserted small rattles that were made for plastic baits.

 

[joe]

I always use beads on mine. I dark water I will use a red and a clear one. In clear water I go with clear. Sometimes I will fish a big creature weightless and add two beads with a piece of rubberband about 3" above the hook so my beads don't end up separating and not clicking.
-Joe

 

[hi steel basser]

This is something I have been expirimenting with lately, but I have yet to determine if it catches more fish or not. :-\

 

[hellabass]

I use beads quite a bit, and often around shallow cover I throw a texas righ with just two beads and no weight, very subtle presentation

 

[KeithsCatch]

Hmm, I used to use "glass beads" fairly often until they started to crack and thus cut my line off. I can't be the only person who has had this issue? Anyway, I quit using them as I just had too many instances where that glass cost me a fish.

 

[oldschool]

I haven't had any problems with Top Brass glass beads from Iovino. The fact that I don't use weight haveir than 5/8 ounce and usually 1/4 may account for that.
Tom

 

[mary dean]

I have never used beads on my Texas rig... Just never thought of it... I think I'll try it.

 

[fish4funinfl]

I never have used a glass bead on Texas rig, although I have inserted small rattles that were made for plastic baits.

Same here

 

[TampaCountryBoy]

I never have used a glass bead on Texas rig, although I have inserted small rattles that were made for plastic baits.

Same here

It will be a 1st for me, but sounds logical. I will give it a shot.

 

[Ouachita]

I use a faceted bead on a pegged T-rig if handy, unless it seems fish are only interested in pecking at the bead. That's one reason for matching bead color to sinker color. Sometimes I can't find the beads. My sole reason is as Tom wrote, to protect the hook knot. I usually peg the sinker on a T-rig, snug up to the worm, so there is no rattle from my beads. It just makes a bit of a "neck" for the worm, the sinker being the head, and allows the sinker "head" to swivel a little more. If I wanted to fish it unpegged then in my opinion a bead would just get in the way catching strands of weeds. With all the stop & go crawling of an unpegged T-rig I think weeds get mashed between bead and sinker, while without the bead whatever gets behind the sinker just glides off the worm easier.

I use glass beads with lead sinkers. When I began using tungsten and brass I began getting the glass breakage and cut/frayed line. Hard sinkers get those very expensive black composite beads (brand forgotten for now), plastic or metal beads. The metal beads in baitshops seem to cause line wear, while some I got in a craft store have a cleaner hole. Same goes for the glass beads. I guess the idea is they make better beads so a necklace won't break easily. Plastic beads are easiest on line.

I peg whenever I figure the lure would otherwise drape over a limb. I want the worm/lizard/etc in contact with the sinker. On smooth sand or gravel bottoms I'll go unpegged. A pegged soft plastic will result in a bass tossing it from the added leverage and weight, so why risk that when pegging isn't necessary? When a bass takes it unpegged the sinker slides up-line, removing the leverage needed to sling it out of the mouth.

When wanting some rattle on a T-rig I do as already written, insert a glass rattle past the hook or use an in-line plastic rattle up-line, or attach a jig rattle to the hook (EWG or 4/0+ only).

Jim

 

[oldschool]

To peg or not to peg is another topic altogether. The weight sliding away from the worm or creature on the descent through the water column gives the lure more action and time to reach the bottom. The free sliding weight and bead separates from the worm, the weight hitting bottom first, the bead slides down to the weight and the worm is still slowly being pull down by the weight of the hook with it's tail floating upwards. When you lift the rod tip the line tightens and pulls the worm to the bead and the weight. This initial worm movement is the high percentage strike time and the reason skaking the worm against the weight and bead is so effective. This lift fall, weight and bead separation with the worm following, the click of the brass & glass is what this presentation is all about. If you are fishing heavy weed or wood cover,I agree it's better to peg the weight and I prefer lead for pegging. Keep in mind that I rarely use weights over 1/4 oz for Texas or slip shot rigs and only use high quality Top Brass polished tempered glass beads.
Tom

 

[hellabass]

Hmm, I used to use "glass beads" fairly often until they started to crack and thus cut my line off. I can't be the only person who has had this issue? Anyway, I quit using them as I just had too many instances where that glass cost me a fish.

Were using glass beads with Tungsten? Tungsten often cracks glass pretty easy, either way, try Force Beads by Tru-Tungsten, never had one crack & they come in all kinds of cool colors to match your sinkers.

 

[oldschool]

I had a problem with tungsten weights cutting line initially before they started using nylon tubes to protect the hole. I believe the Top Brass and Tru-Tungsten use the same glass bead supplier, so whom ever has the best price would be my choice with polished tempered beads. The heavier than lead tungsten weights are smaller in diameter and length and great for weed pentration using heavy weights, something that I rarely get a chance to do.
The fisherman using tungsten warm me to be really careful pulling the weight out of snags because the smaller/heavier combination creates high velocity projectiles coming back at you more often than lead or brass. This could also be the combination of heavier test line and longer stronger rods, plus the smaller heavier weights, whatever use caution.
Tom

 

[hellabass]

Tru-Tungsten beads are not glass, they are a composite matieral, that does not crack or break