Dana, thank you. No, I do not have a preferance between gold or brass beads. For that matter, silver either.
The one color of bead I struggle with the most is the black. Be it shiny or dull. I use black beads, and catch fish with them. For some reason I have less faith in them.
Silver seems to be the O+ blood of my bead world. I can use it on any pattern and have faith.
I think Yellow, Olive, and Brown flies look best with brass or gold. Still, there is nothing in my world of weird patterns that says one color bead is better than another.
I am told by many podcasts and internet articles on fly fishing/tying that trout get use to seeing certain color beads and will ignore them as they suggest danger after time. I do not know if that is true. I am just glad that fish cant see those hooks sticking out of a flies butt, and dont put 2 plus 2 together to figure out the danger aspect.
Thank you again Dana,
Wayne.