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golden retriever at a maine fly shop
May 1, 2012 Brett and Susan Damm

Golden Retriever

The Golden Retriever was originated in the Shenandoah River Valley in Virginia. It is tempting to call it a type of wooly bugger, but there are some distinct differences between the two patterns. My first experience with this pattern was accidental. Last fall, a customer came in and asked if I could copy a fly that was working well for him on the Upper Magalloway. It had been pretty much destroyed by the fish. As I inspected it, I recognized it as a pattern I had seen somewhere on the internet as the Golden Retriever. I ordered the needed material: a tinsel-like material called Estaz. During the winter tying classes, it became a favorite among tiers. It can be tyed in tan (the original color), root beer, olive, white, black, and more.

Recipe:
Hook – 9672 #10
5/32 bead,
0.025 lead free wire
Thread – red 6/0
Body – red floss
Tail – tan marabou
Hackle – crustacean tan Estaz, medium
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Comments

Tim Winters - April 5, 2026

I started fishing Mossy Creek years ago, with limited success. Stopped by a fly shop in Bridgewater? Asked the proprietor about a good fly for that stream. He, Jim Finn, sold me a couple Golden Retrievers, his creation. With a name like that who would not buy?
At that time there was a spring creek open north at Lacy Springs. In the open section to the left there was a streamside tree and just below it was a huge trout that would always disappear at my first cast. My plan- to float a streamer down to him from above the tree. My mistake – using Jim Finn’s fly. I could never get the fly past the crowd of rainbows before it was taken by one of them. In the end I think i killed one of the 5 assaulting rainbows by poor handling. I quit fishing. I’ve tried it on the Yellow Breeches with no success. Shouda tried the Letort but was worried about a Lacy Springs outcome.
Certain flies for certain streams. It is a spring creek fly.
My son and I fished our “home stream” the Rapidan, in October “for one last time” where we camped and fished for years, me using a walker to get me to a lawn chair midstream with the last some 8 years ago. The water was very low, as were our results.
But May is coming, a fall from my walker might land me in a cow pie instead of on rocks with a broken hip for my effort, but I will have a few of Finn’s flies tied up for the trip to Mossy “for one last time”. Will it be cheating? Yup. In my 80s I will. I never made it north of NY’s storied waters but the Rangeleys were on the never coming horizon; That said my vise turned out more streamers intended for your waters than any others so it took me there in dream if nothing else. Would love to hear if folks there had sucess with the Retriever and how they did it.

Paul A Cruser - September 10, 2021

The fly was first designed by Jim Finn for Mossy Creek near Harrisonburg Virginia. Jim knew his stuff and taught me a lot I have caught nearly every type of freshwater fish in Virginia on this fly.

Robert Greer - March 13, 2021

I was fishing on the fish river off my property Another fisherman came up to me I was doing good on Salmon He asked me what I was using and I showed him his first Golden Retriever That was close to ten years ago I see every couple years and remember’s me giving him a few .He tells me he kept showing everyone the flies He calms now every shop down state carries them now

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