Tying a Clyde Style Fly the Hen Blackie (Variant) with Davie McPhail

Materials Used;
Hook, Fulling Mill All-Purpose Medium size 14s and 12s
Thread, Yellow Silk
Body,Yellow Pearsalls Gossamer Silk
Wing, Starling
Hackle, Natural Black Hen

[@waynedavies5569]

Hi Davie, What wonderful piece of history you have there with a selection of original Clyde Style Flies, even tied on the old style hooks. Love your version of the Hen Blakie too. Regards, Wayne 😀👍

[@jamesgallacher7560]

That's such a beautifully tied fly Davy 😊 love it mate.

[@brianeaton3734]

Really nice Davie…. Would be nice to see the rest of those Clyde’s tied up….

[@GHuber-xh5vv]

It is a very interesting way to tie the wings. Great fly.

[@double531]

Still a great fly on Black Cart river in Renfrewshire Davie. Awesome.

[@bobbell5265]

Taken me back 50 years Davie when I first tied this fly and fished it on the River Coquet in Northumberland. 👍

[@Adipper]

Beautiful folded Starling Wing!!

[@hirkojs]

I’m still just learning to tie and I’ve never seen this way to fold feather fibers in thirds to make a wing. I really like that & I’ll be sure to incorporate it it some of my future wet flies. Mega Thx for all the details in your videos. I usually watch them several times

[@kinnellian]

Lovely, and what a great selection of Clyde flies - they just leap off the card saying "fish me!" Timeless. The rolled wing is great to see - for me it's often preferable to a paired wing - they are initially more buoyant, will stand up to multiple takes, hold their shape and perfom just as well (or better) as they thin out. Great as a team on broader rivers, but on 'tighter' waters I'll fish them on the dropper above a bead. They'll get hit all the way down - from splashy takes within inches of the surface (as a dry/cripple) and as they get chewed and more 'nymphy', they'll fish deeper, quicker and keep getting hit - great for searching all depths. When 'fished out', stroke them slowly back along the bank... Trouty teeth snag on silk more than skinny uni-threads, so definitely varnish the head, if not a drop on the shank too! Clyde flies - canny beat them - tie plemty, you'll need them!

[@davep2322]

Ah Interesting

[@davidfraser4083]

Hi Davie, you've taken me back at least 65 years when I last tied this fly

[@davidfraser4083]

I fished it at Hyndford Bridge( Lanark Angling Association) on the upper Clyde for many years with great success. Thanks, Big Davie

[@edbosley1138]

Very nice pattern thanks for sharing

[@burtonbrocious171]

Nice little wet fly davie love wet flies

[@donaloflynn3922]

Interesting Fly thanks Davie

[@sootyolive1]

great demonstration of thread control and basic techniques every tyer should (learn to) master, love it!

[@diceman2004]

I like how you folded the feather fibers to create the wing .

[@AllanMHutton]

Great to see this video I find the history of Clyde style flies and other regional traditional flies so interesting and intriguing. More of this kinda stuff for me please. 👍

[@ross1458]

I'll second that. The waters here in West Virginia USA must be similar to those in Norther England and part of Scotland. These simple flies are very effective here.

[@Abcd12342600]

A true master, what a great way to make wings

[@MyPancho1]

I'd wager the fish haven't seen this offering too frequently as of late, so probably works a treat!

[@ross1458]

More flies I love. Silk and wild hackle. Even though the wings vex me Ill give this a go. I love these old flies and they still work so well during a hatch. This comeing year I promise to learn to swing. Up until now it's all been upstream. Thanks for teaching me more than the handful of patterns I know.

[@FlyTyer1948]

Very elegant.

[@TERRYBIGGENDEN]

I love flies like that. I'm a big fan of traditional sets and variants and tie them. Thanks. for showing the originals as well. :-)

[@WeeManSham]

The Magpie and silver is a good Dollaghan fly! 👌🏻🎣

[@moonstarer55]

Fine Clyde fly - the Hen Blackie. Not a lot of parts to it I might have a go at it.

[@АлександрПлахотный-ю1д]

Благодарю,Дэви! 👍🤝🇰🇿

[@policewitnesssurprise1743]

I’ve always been told Clyde style flies were smaller . I’d love to see some others tied by you , like the cran swallow or corncrake.

[@comesahorseman]

I wonder how old that Pearsalls silk is? Because, even when waxed the colors still jump out at you, a combination of yellow and light green. Interesting. Thanks Davie. 👍

[@kinnellian]

Depending on the wax, it does impart an olive sheen to Pearsalls primrose/yellow of varying hues. Darker brown cobblers wax can really impart beautiful olive colours. I could stare at waxed Pearsalls for days - and have - I love it! 😀 If you fancy experimenting and have no Pearsalls (or want to ration what you have) I'd suggest Morus Silks. Davie uses Veniards wax I believe, but for deeper complex olives, I'd also suggest Bill Bailey's Cobblers wax (I think Steve at Cookshill Fly Tying still imports it) I've tried so many different waxes (and combined them) to try and replicate the ancient, now tiny piece of cobblers wax I use for my 'Greenwells' patterns, it's ridiculous - verging on mania! 🤪 Why I don't know - the trout don't care! Morus is as near as damn identical to original Pearsalls/Langley Threads - as far as I can see under a jewellers loupe anyway. Possibly, infinitessimally narrower individual filaments and a photon brighter if I recall. My last old spool of Pearsalls primrose could be slightly dirty/faded by now with less tension/moisture in the filaments - though I did pull off a good length to get to the more 'virgin' silk for comparison. Anyway, I needed a lot of magnification and staring time to discern if any difference existed at all between an old spool of Pearsalls and brand new spool of Morus - waxed, or not. Certainly, as you note, Davie's spool of Pearsalls does have a particularly vintage look to it and I'm not sure how consistant silk production and dying was historically. His spool could well have an unique property - even compared to other comtemporary spools of Pearsalls. 👍

[@comesahorseman]

@@kinnellian thanks for this good input! 👍

[@davep2322]

The rolled wing was an Interesting concept, could this be used or is it used on north country flies, great tying thanks davie

[@fiestamans]

Beautiful, when do you favor wets over anything else, what determins using wets. How small would you tie wets

[@АлександрОстринский-т1с]

👍🍻

[@minimal_enthusiasm5971]

Cheers Davie, I do like these Clyde style flies and find them really effective. Can anyone tell me if the Hen Blackie is meant to imitate a specific fly? I was thinking maybe a sedge/caddis with its low swept back wings; or is it more of a general non-specific fly? Thanks!

[@joshualane9675]

Hi David, I still very new to fly and I was wondering how you would fish this and when

[@bohumirhrncir1078]

🇨🇿CZ. 👍🏻 super 👍🏻👋🏻

[@quincym-e4680]

I really struggle with matching up wings 😩

[@kinnellian]

If you mean you are trying to achieve a seperated wing (wet or dry) and you're really struggling with a matched pair - you could just fold a single slip in half once. You can then tie in and seperate the halves with a needle etc. not the prettiest to look at mind It won't have perfect symmetry, or win prizes - one half will be slightly longer and its taper will be upside down - but it will still fish! You can even the wing up by pinching/tearing the slightly longer tip off with your nails if you want (don't cut with scissors) The trout won't care, even a perfectly tied matched wing, isn't so perfect anymore once it has been chewed! Do still practice pairing wing slips though. It will come to you eventually and is a skill worth having 👍

[@АлександрНовиков-ч2в5л]

👍💪