With the bead as the dropper in your nymph rig, the bead will still be free to move about the current When you drop something off of a bead setup, I think that hurts the action of the bead as it is being dropped off of. Sometimes that is worth the advantage of getting something else in the water, sometimes it isn't.

Color and size both matter. When I am fishing with another person or two and working down a run in a line, someone farther down the line often pulls a fish out on a different color after the first few have worked it really well.

Sometimes it seems like the big beads turn fish off and smaller ones work better. Sometimes it is just the opposite, like the smaller sizes aren't worth their time and the big ones turn them one. Like with flies, have a few you can fish confidently, and then mix it up from time to time. It is all greek to me.

Not exactly purist fly fishing here, which is why I often fish this rig on a gear rod as well.

A few bead eaters from this season.