Hunting Washington Forum

Other Activities => Fishing => Topic started by: metlhead on February 21, 2025, 07:24:28 PM

Title: Driftin' beads
Post by: metlhead on February 21, 2025, 07:24:28 PM: Had some spare time to dig through some boxes of gear my mom packed after my dad passed in '07. Found a case of these bags of 'Beads' my dad used years ago. I remember him helping clean out Andy's tackle shop that set above Blue Creek on the Cowlitz. He was a drift fishin pro.
Title: Re: Driftin' beads
Post by: metlhead on February 21, 2025, 07:26:09 PM: Some nice colors
Title: Re: Driftin' beads
Post by: Blacklab on February 21, 2025, 07:53:13 PM: Lol definitely old school👍 I believe Owin Hays out from Outdoor GPS was talking about those just the other weekend ago and said another company was trying to replicate them. Small little treasure😉🥃🇺🇸
Title: Re: Driftin' beads
Post by: Dan-o on February 21, 2025, 08:20:19 PM: Very cool.

Everything old is new again.

Beads are all the rag on some of the rivers these days.

It would be really cool to catch some Steelie's on some of your dad's old gear.
Title: Re: Driftin' beads
Post by: 7mmfan on February 21, 2025, 08:48:36 PM: Nothing like a good ol' okie drifter on a short leader in heavy water. Man they pound them. Hope you get a chance to get some of those wet.
Title: Re: Driftin' beads
Post by: metlhead on February 21, 2025, 09:36:16 PM: I plan to fish the Cowlitz for the next month and just swing them. Got his leader pips too. 2/0 Mustads on 20" of 12lb Chameleon. The Tadpollies and Hot Shots aint got much paint left and still catch fish.
Title: Re: Driftin' beads
Post by: actionshooter on February 21, 2025, 09:50:42 PM: Those are WAY older than 2007.... I have a pile from the 80s.... was our go to when I was a kid
Title: Re: Driftin' beads
Post by: Ingwe on February 22, 2025, 08:47:25 AM: I was using okies when I started steelhead fishing in early 1970’s. I still have some although I don’t fish much anymore
Title: Re: Driftin' beads
Post by: CastleRocker on February 22, 2025, 11:54:38 AM: Hahaaa! Boy those bring back memories! Still have some from back when the fishing was good...before the Mtn blew.

I think I saw that episode of Outdoor GPS, and if I remember correctly, Brads is making them again, but had to change the name to "Orkie" drifter.
Title: Re: Driftin' beads
Post by: metlhead on February 22, 2025, 12:02:28 PM: Prolly found 2lbs spin n glos also. Anybody remember the folks that ran that tackle shop. I believe Anderson was the last name. Wife was Agness? Dad would drop me off there to roam while him and the Steelheaders would work to clean up the hatchery after the mountain blew. That lady would wear those spin n glos as earrings.
Title: Re: Driftin' beads
Post by: 2MANY on February 22, 2025, 01:04:01 PM: Of course I remember Andy with his handlebar mustache and Agnus with her spin-glo or corkie earrings.
They were great.
Andy always anchored at the bottom end of the clay banks under the tree and sat on his engine console while he drift fished.
Right about then Fishing and Hunting News came along and ruined many a secret.
Title: Re: Driftin' beads
Post by: Alchase on February 23, 2025, 04:51:24 AM: I have not fished for Steelhead in 15 years, and I still have hundreds of pre-tied Okie drifters. A little piece of colored yarn below the Okie Drifter hides the hook. In pink, chartreuse, orange, and green depending on water color and conditions. My dad and I would spend hours the night before each fishing trip leader tying.
He had a refrigerator in the garage, full of boraxed eggs.
Title: Re: Driftin' beads
Post by: Bullkllr on February 23, 2025, 08:33:00 AM: Andy's was an institution back in the day. Great memories. Andy and Agnes could always crack me up at 4:00 am. They could have been a successful comedy team. We fished at night a lot back then, and they were one of the few places that stocked Mou-Jo bobbers.

They want crazy prices for those original Okies on ebay, fwiw.
Title: Re: Driftin' beads
Post by: ASHQUACK on February 23, 2025, 10:30:49 AM: I have a small backpack of pret-ied leaders with double hooks. I also have about a thousand of the original oakie drifters running around my fishing closet.
Title: Re: Driftin' beads
Post by: hunter399 on February 23, 2025, 12:11:37 PM: I know the beads are for rivers.
But......
I use them fishing off the bottom of lakes and slow water.
I put a tiny bead,then the floating bead right above the hook on my leader . So if I'm using worn and marshmallow and lose the marshmallow my worm still floats off the bottom.
Or if your using trout bait ,it looks like two balls of bait.
And of course I change colors up on the bead,try to get them to bite.

Just figured I'd share my little tricks.
Enjoy,give it a try.
Title: Re: Driftin' beads
Post by: metlhead on February 23, 2025, 02:02:31 PM: I would do the same with glow corkies to float a crawler a few inches off the bottom while night fishing cats and bullhead. Would actually catch anything in the lake.
Title: Re: Driftin' beads
Post by: Parasite on February 24, 2025, 05:45:19 AM: SportCo has em
Title: Re: Driftin' beads
Post by: metlhead on February 24, 2025, 04:59:49 PM: Imagine those would work just as well as originals. Read that they were 2 piece and hand glued together.