I have probably 25 different colors/sizes of hard beads that would be suitable for steelhead/salmon fishing, but I never fish them. I like to look at them, but I always rig up a soft bead when I'm in a bead mood. I feel that the soft beads sink better and get down + stay in the strike zone. Whereas I feel plastic beads are a bit too buoyant to get/stay down, especially in the type of steelhead water I typically fish. Plus, I have heard that steelhead/salmon/trout will hold on to a soft bead a lot longer (feels more natural to them), giving you a bit of extra time to react and set the hook.
Just looking for some other opinions here. I do like the myraid of interesting colors and color combos you can get in hard beads that you just can't get in soft beads.
Typically if I rig up a bead I'll peg it about 1.5 inches up the leader with a trout bead peg for hard beads, or t-stop for soft beads. I see some guys/gals with 2 foot + leaders. With the water I typically fish, especially for steedhead, I feel the bead (especially a hard bead) is floating way out of the strike zone with a leader that long. Not saying I am right, just how I perceive what my presentation is doing during my drift.
In more colored water I'll typically go 12mm or even 14mm soft bead pegged above a #1 hook, 12-16 inch leader of 12lb flouro. For more low clear water I'm more likely to tie on an 8mm or 10mm egg pegged above a #2 or even #4 hook, 14-18 inch leader, 8lb or 10lb flouro leader.