Egg Patterns & Beads
The presentation every spawn article here points you at — fished below the redds, not on them.
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Every salmonid article on this site draws the same line: fish below the redds, not on them. Fish holding downstream of clean gravel are actively feeding on drifting eggs and are fair targets; paired fish working the gravel are not. An egg pattern is how you fish that lane.
Why the Egg Patterns & Beads stands out
It targets the fish you are allowed to target
Brown trout, brook trout, steelhead and rainbows all stack below spawning gravel to intercept drifting eggs. That is a feeding fish in a defined lane — the opposite of casting at a paired fish on a redd.
Works the whole autumn-to-spring window
Brown and brook trout spawn in autumn, steelhead and rainbows in late winter and spring. Something is dropping eggs in a Great Lakes or Rocky Mountain river across most of that stretch.
Match the size to the species
Salmon and steelhead eggs are noticeably larger than brown or brook trout eggs. Carrying two or three sizes covers the run you are actually standing in.
At a glance
| Species | Steelhead, brown trout, brook trout, rainbow trout |
|---|---|
| Season | Autumn through spring, depending on species |
| Where to fish it | The run below spawning gravel — never on it |
The verdict
The one presentation that is both the most effective during a spawn and the one this site is willing to recommend. Fish it below the gravel and it is honest fishing.
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