Tying the Magnum Golden Retriever with Jim Finn

[@bruceallen6377]

Thanks for starting a channel! I’m looking forward to your fly tying tutorials and flies that really work well in Maine! Thanks again!

[@FlyTyer1948]

Thank you for sharing your pattern. I’m in the process of tying up a dozen Golden Retrievers for my local Healing Waters chapter. I can no longer fish, but I really wish I could have fished your fly myself. My friends in Maine tell me that it works extremely well for landlocked salmon & brookies in the West Branch of the Penobscot River.

[@joef1299]

Clearly many years of experience in those threads wraps. Would love to see you demonstrate some more tying.

[@MilesHopkins-o9p]

I started tying a version of the Golden retriever fly to fish rainbow and brookies in the interior lakes of B.C. a couple of years ago, after getting a pattern from a friend who fishes it in a trout lake some idiot released gold fish in. We use a jig hook that has a pin tied in to hold a tungsten bead in front of the eye. This is then balanced with a piece of leader thru the eye of the hook so it hangs horizontally. The tail is tan marabou with a piece of Chrystal flash doubled over and tied in. The body is golden retriever wool combed from our dog KT, that is dubbed onto the tying thread and wound from the tail to the bead. The fly is then tied on with a loop knot and hung in water to check that it is hanging horizontally. If not, adjust the distance the bead is in front of the hook, when you tie the pin to the hook. We use this fly as a leach pattern, hanging under an indicator, or jigged while ice fishing in winter. It has become our go to leach pattern for me and a few friends. Try it in your trout lakes, good luck, Milo and KT.