In not too many weeks from now, the big spring buzzer hatches will begin on our stillwaters. I don't do enough stillwater fishing these days, but I always try to get out a few times to one of my local fisheries - Barnsfold reservoir - because the fishing to midge hatches there can be spectacular.
There is one fly which excels in this situation - the suspender buzzer. It simply outfishes sub-surface patterns and is only run close by the Shipmans. I've lost count of the number of 20-plus fish sessions I've had on Barnsfold with this pattern and there's no reason why it shouldn't work elsewhere.......dead simple to tie too!
I have most success fishing black or olive and pretty small - #16 or #18, but it could be varied to suit any colour or size of midge.
Nothing original here, but well worth knocking a few together.....
Hook: Any lightweight curved hook. I've used Varivas 2200 #16 here
Thread: 8/0 uni
Rib: Olive spanflex (white over black thread works well too)
Thorax: Yellow micro-brite (or peacock for the black 'un)
Thorax cover: 2mm foam sheet
1. Run on your thread and catch in the spanflex.
2. Keeping the spanflex under tension, bind down with touching turns to the point where you require the abdomen to end and then run the thread back up the shank, again in touching turns.
3. Rib the spanflex back up the hook in open turns to a point where you want the rear of the thorax to be. Bind down securely and cut of the waste.
4. Cut off a 3mm wide strip of foam from the sheet, about 30mm long. Now use your scissors to cut a point into the end of the strip which will be used as a tying in tag. Offer this point up, just behind the eye and bind down the foam strip back towards the bend, to the point where the rear of the thorax will be.
5. Now take a short length of micro-brite, strip off the fibres from a couple of mm at the end, and tie in to the rear of the thorax.
6. Wrap the micro-brite back towards the eye, tie off and trim the waste. I use slightly open turns so the thorax doesn't become too bulky.
7. Now pull the foam forwards to about 1mm behind the eye and secure with a couple of thread wraps. Don't pull the foam forwards with too much tension as this diminishes its floating properties - just ease it forwards and then tie down securely; this creates a nice 'bubble' of foam as a thorax cover.
8. Nearly there! Bring the thread back under the foam tag and perform a secure whip finish around the hook shank just behind the eye. Trim off the foam tag to the required length (in this case about 4mm) and add a drop of head cement to your whip finish.
All done. Go get 'em!!
Matt
Olive Suspender Buzzer
SKB tackle supporter. I love Furled Leaders.
I'll be rowing into a 20 on Malham before you can say "We shoulda went on Stocks" 
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