Fly Tying Focus: Donald Stewart
Donald Stewart returns to Fly Tyers' Row for the Glasgow Angling Centre Autumn Open Weekend, bringing more than 40 years of fly tying experience to the vice.
From the Water of Leith and Pentland reservoirs to the wild lochs of Assynt and the upper River Clyde, Donald's tying has been shaped by traditional Clyde Style and Highland influences. His flies are neat, sparse and practical, with every turn of thread serving a purpose.
For this week's Fly Tying Focus, Donald has given us a comprehensive breakdown of one of his own patterns, a Clyde Style Blae & Black. The fly combines a segmented black biot body with married wood pigeon wing slips and a sparse hen hackle, producing a traditional profile with Donald's own carefully considered touches.
Clyde Style Blae & Black Dressing
How to Tie Donald Stewart's Clyde Style Blae & Black
Donald's key principle: Keep thread turns to a minimum. If a turn of thread is not doing a job, it has no place on the fly. Unnecessary wraps add bulk and affect the finished profile.
Step 1: Select the Thread
Begin with a good quality tying thread. Donald uses Veniard Sheer 14/0 for a fine, neat finish, although the slightly thicker Veniard Wisp 8/0 is another suitable choice.
Step 2: Load the Bobbin Holder
Load the thread into your bobbin holder. Donald prefers an adjustable tension model, allowing the thread pressure to be altered as required throughout the tying process.
Step 3: Start the Thread
Secure the size 14 hook in the vice and cast the thread on a couple of millimetres behind the eye. This reduces build-up and helps create a smaller finished head. Trim the waste and wrap down the shank to just beyond the hook point. A short body suits the Clyde Style profile and Donald now ties most of his flies this way.
Step 4: Select the Turkey Biot
Select a black turkey biot for the body. Donald uses Veniard Turkey Biots, although this design can be adapted to suit many different colour combinations.
Step 5: Tie in the Biot
Tie the biot onto the hook shank with the correct edge facing upwards. One side has a more solid, block-like edge while the other appears almost translucent. The block-like edge should face up to create the required ribbed effect.
Step 6: Form the Body
Wind the biot slowly up the hook shank in touching turns. Donald works with his fingers, although hackle pliers can make the job easier. Keep steady tension on the biot so its raised edge stands out and use a fingertip to hold the previous wraps while checking the body.
Step 7: Secure the Biot
Continue wrapping the biot towards the eye and secure it with two turns of thread. Avoid adding extra wraps. Keeping thread turns to the minimum is essential if the fly is to retain its neat, slim profile.
Step 8: Prepare the Wing Bed
Cut away the remaining biot and use two thread turns to hold the cut edge at the eye. Return the thread a couple of millimetres down the shank in touching turns, creating a smooth and uniform bed for the wing. It is better to leave slightly too much room at the eye than too little.
Step 9: Select the Wing Feathers
Blae flies were traditionally winged with Starling, Teal or Mallard slips. Donald moved to Wood Pigeon several years ago because its feathers offer a full range of blae shades, form strong wing slips and withstand a good number of fish. Select one feather from each wing. They do not need to be perfectly matched to produce a satisfactory result.
Step 10: Cut the Wing Slips
Cut a slip of equal width from each feather and place them together on a flat surface with the far-side wing uppermost. Lightly moisten a fingertip to lift the lower slip, transfer it to the opposite thumb and forefinger, then trim 5 or 6mm from its blunt end. Return it to the surface with the outside of the feather facing upwards.
Step 11: Marry the Slips
Moisten the pad of your right index finger and use it to lift the shorter slip. Align it with the other slip, then press down to marry the two sections together. The small difference in length and slight moisture make the slips easier to control.
Step 12: Set the Wing Length
Hold the married slips firmly between thumb and forefinger and place them on top of the hook. Check the length before tying in. Donald prefers the wing to sit slightly longer than the hook shank, finishing around the point where the bend becomes noticeable.
Step 13: Tie in the Wing
Secure the wing with two turns using the pinch loop method. Hold the slips and hook shank firmly between the left thumb and forefinger without rotating your grip. Bring the thread into the join between them, allow the bobbin to wrap naturally around the hook and repeat for the second turn.
Keep the pressure on the slips and arrange the blunt ends over the eye to correct any slight movement. Tighten on the upward pull. Tightening too early creates torque and can rotate the wing around the shank.
Step 14: Trim the Wing Slips
Trim the waste ends as closely as possible to the tying loops, then add one more turn of thread over the cut ends to secure them.
Step 15: Cock the Wing
Donald likes his Clyde Style flies to carry a cocked wing. Add a single turn of thread around the rear of the wing to lift it slightly into position.
Step 16: Choose the Hackle
Select a suitable hen hackle. Donald favours a genetic Grizzle or Cree-type hen feather for this style. Covert feathers from Grouse, Woodcock or Snipe can also work very well, although they are generally less durable than a genetic hen hackle.
Step 17: Tie in the Hackle
Strip the base of the hackle to leave around 6mm of bare stem. Offer it to the hook with the outside face towards you and secure it with two turns. Fold the stem back and add another two turns. This creates a strong and reliable tie-in without unnecessary bulk.
Step 18: Wind the Hackle
Wind the hackle in front of the wing using two touching turns. That is all the hackle required for a sparse Clyde Style fly.
Step 19: Secure the Hackle
Secure the hackle with two thread turns. Stroke the fibres backwards as you work so none become trapped or protrude in front of the eye. Neatness is especially important at this stage.
Step 20: Finish the Head
Whip finish the head, cut the tying thread and trim or snap away the remaining hackle stem.
Step 21: Shape the Fly
Use your thumb and forefinger to arrange the finished fly. Stroke the hackle forward and encourage it to sit in the desired position. This also helps reset the wing and gives the fly its final profile.
Step 22: Varnish and Inspect
Add a small drop of varnish to the head, check that the eye remains clear and take a moment to admire the finished Clyde Style Blae & Black.
Learn from Donald at Fly Tyers' Row
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Donald will be tying throughout the Autumn Open Weekend and will be happy to demonstrate the techniques that are much easier to understand when seen at the vice. If you have struggled with married wing slips, keeping a small head or achieving the sparse proportions of a Clyde Style fly, make sure you stop for a chat.
Glasgow Angling Centre Autumn Open Weekend
Catch Donald Stewart on Fly Tyers' Row from Friday 25th to Sunday 27th September 2026.
The event is completely free to attend, with free parking, fly tying demonstrations, casting lessons, expert guests, weekend-only offers, prize draws and our Golden Ticket free gift.
Explore our full range of fly tying materials at Fishingmegastore.
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