Best material for suspender buzzers

[spratmolester]

Hi folks whats the best foam/material to use for suspender buzzers?

[flytire]

cant really say there is a BEST material as they can be made from almost anything you can come up with. within reason of course!

[shpeil]

I used to use a polystyrene ball wrapped in a bit of women's stocking with the stocking tied onto the hook. Worked well but the stocking was a bit fragile. Then i was part of a flyswap where I liked the look of suspenders tied with a small booby tube tied in by the end. (So not like booby eyes - just some of the tube coming forward over the eye of the hook.) I've converted. Still haven't caught anything, mind! Other folk reckon CDC is the way to go but I am never confident I can keep them afloat. I know other folk cut their foam from a square block - I forget the name of the foam. Veniards sell it and you can pretty much find it anywhere.

[greenie58]

I prefer CDC feathers, I had also problems keeping the hook suspended until I realized that the problem was that I wasnt using enough feathers, you need at least 4 for a size 14 and six feathers for sizes 12-10, you will lose feathers especially in a long fight like I did yesterday playing a very fit 8lb rainbow but lets face it flies are cheap as chips

[Angus McLeod]

Don't know about the best, but the cheapest must be the hollo fibre filling out of pillows and duvets. You can get two pillow fulls for around a fiver on the markets. Gently tease it out into bunches of the right size and off you go. A bit of floatant and it does the job just as well as that expensive Aero-wing stuff. Just make sure that the filling is hollo fibre, and not one of the other materials which are often used.
Cheers,
Angus

[wobbly face]

Ethafoam, plastazote, closed cell foam, polystyrene, CDC, aero wing/polyyarn, small plastic balls (with loop that slides over the hook, glued or trapped between thread wraps). Just take your pick.
I have tied some using booby eyes cut in half along their length, tied one end to hook shank back from the eye and then tied in at the eye, doubled back towards the bend on the opposite side of the hook and tied down (where you started but opposite side of hook). creates a nice round ball on the hook itself just before the eye which keeps the eye clear for tying on leader. Just need to test them on the trout.

[andypandy]

Think it totally depends on the fisherman but i think plastazote is one of the best.

ANdy

[SharkeyP]

We had our cavity walls insulated last Winter with millions of randomly sized polystyrene balls. Hundreds of them ended up in the garden so I've been using those and a bit of stocking material. It seems appropriate really, stockings and suspenders! They might only last a fish or two but you can get a nice angle on the dangle. A dab of Mucilin on the ball helps keep them afloat.

I've used small booby cord before and I found it best to use less as the more that stands proud of the water the more it pushes the buzzer under. I think they are less effective if the foam is clearly visible to the fish.

A very small cock hackle tied parachute style can be a useful addition.

The most effective bodies for me have been black thread with a fine pearl rib (dab of varnish) and peacock herl thorax or skinny hare's ear with a thread rib and a leggy hare's ear thorax.

SharkeyP

[spratmolester]

Thanks folks, will try a few ideas and repost with what sits best in the sink and any that take a fish. lol

Thanks again.

[robbiejam]

I've done a number of 'kitchen sink' tests recently and my favourite is the polystyrene ball in bit of ladies tights - it just doesn't sink! Unlike CDC which I couldn't really get along with.