Rick,

OMG!! - Do you realize that you have just disturbed the balance of the fly tying world? What were you thinking? Get a hold of yourself man! LOL!! Psychologically, I feel better looking at all the pretty colored spools of thread. Practically - not needed. Since I'm more psycho than practical (nods of agreement), I'll keep using what the fly "calls" for. I will make a few extra flies just to use up an almost spent spool. For the purpose of being practical - you could get away with white, and if you need a different color head, use the colored pens, as has been suggested. (very good tip for the traveling tyer, as per- Steven McG.)

Rick - I have a same sort of dilemma going on with a bunch of white nylon paint brushes that are to be converted to tailing materials (micro fibbets?) Do I try to dye them?, do I just use sharpies?, or do I just leave them white? (translucent actually) The fish don't care one way or the other, but its something to play around with.

I read somewhere, quite a few years ago, where a tyer used hot orange thread on all the heads of his flies that were weighted - that's not a bad idea. Carrie Stevens - streamer tyer/pattern designer from Maine used a 'signature' color-banded head on all her streamer flies - so well known was this method, that, out of respect for Carrie, most people who tie her patterns, do not use it, because it is one of the unique ID features of the flies showing Carrie Stevens provenience. How cool is that! BTW, there's no law that says you have to abide by this unwritten self-imposed rule(?), just thought I point out the degree of respect some have for those who came before us!

My arsenal of thread and bobbins are not as bad as Flyfish Dog - as far as I know?, and I might have to eat those words if I were to take an actual inventory! LOL!! Down the road - when my current supply starts to dwindle, I will have to re-think my excesses, and have to - by economical necessity, become PRACTICAL- GROOOAN!!

Best regards, Dave the thread (and hook) monger.