I was shipped a HUGE sample pack with 12(50ea) different colours by Great Lakes Steelhead Company(Trick Em Beads) as I had gotten to know 1 of the co-founders through another forum. They look so real that I thought for sure another thing to add to the arsenal but had more confidence with what worked before. I have only used beads a handful of times but did hook a small doe holding in a pocket in fast water a couple years ago. Last year fishing with 2 buds; 1 using steelhead roe, I was using a jig and another buddy just using a tiny trout bead.
We started fishing a stretch with some long pocket water and first down was my buddy with steel roe while 2 of us were taking our time chatting and slowly making our way down. At the top of the run after buddy with steel roe had worked it with no bites, my buddy behind me batting cleanup gets two hits right away with 1 resulting with 1 chunky Bull. The first big pocket, our buddy with the roe says he may have had a bump but never had a solid hit after. I had a good feeling this pocket had a fish or 2 in it cause it looked too fishy not to, I ran my jig through it a few times before our buddy batting cleanup had caught up. I said I'm gonna throw the jig in that spot a couple more times before switching to a bead and on the second drift through my Buddy's float/bead was literally half a foot behind mine when his float rockets under and you see his line rippin to the other side of the river. We knew this was no small fish as his rod was fully bent and wasn't slowing the fish down. To make a long story short, he eventually landed a chubby 16-17lbs wild buck with a tiny bead and there was already a roe bag recently broken off in the roof of it's mouth. He then went on to out fish us that day. I personally think it all has to do with confidence and if you stick with it as well as presenting it properly then it should work.