Favorable Spider Characteristics

In your opinions, what makes a spider a holdback? Reduced pattern, certain colors, high whites?

Also, would a certain characteristic make a better bumblebee than another if paired with a pastel?

It's all dependent on what you want and what you need. You are pretty limited on what to hold back based upon what sex animal you want. For instance if you were looking to hold back females and you only hit 1 or 2 females then you choices would be pretty limited and vice versa with males.

With that being said....

I prefer a tri-tone spider with a nice light gold dorsal stripe and nice light tan coloration down the side where it meets a nice high white side. I also look for lots of orange and yellow speckling throughout the sides and bellies of my spiders. I prefer them to have as reduced a pattern as possible specifically on the head. At this point though, I would only hold back females, so I wouldn't care what they looked like as long as they were girls :P

Here is a picture of one of my hold back spiders. Notice the light gold stripe on the spine, and the light tan on the sides with plenty of white. This spider displays almost no head pattern and has no spots throughout it's pattern. This is by far one of the best spiders I've ever produced/seen.
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/j...PM-10-01-4.jpg

Traits in snakes are so dependent on each persons individuals taste.
I like fully striped, all golden colored, high white with a full head pattern.
Reduced pattern spiders just don't do it for me.
We have one reduced pattern that I like, but mortly because she has yellow belly in her too :P

Vendetta ~ 08 spider male
http://i968.photobucket.com/albums/a...a/SDC12062.jpg
http://i968.photobucket.com/albums/a...a/PICT0806.jpg
http://i968.photobucket.com/albums/a...2635Medium.jpg

Spider yellowbelly ~ reduced pattern :)
http://i968.photobucket.com/albums/a...T3675Small.jpg

if breeding a spider to something else why holdback a spider, and not the combo...... if you produce the combo and it thrives thats my holdback

Reduced Pattern, High White and High Gold.

Don't forget low wobble.

Gotta have high white LOL

I like very little wobble, reduced, low white, high gold!

It's ALL preference but I would say full striped, low white, hi color, lo wobble :)