Stacy sent me some of their new product to try. The weather has been terrible the past few days as most of you in the Midwest know. Here it's post cold front/post storm, 32°F out, heavy overcast sky and still snowing.

First cast:


They are now selling colored Stubby Steves pellets in 2 sizes (roughly the size of AM600 and the size of AM LMB) and colored worms. They come in white, red, brown and chartruse. That's one of the red worms in the snow by the trout.

Way to go Stubby Steves!

I just got my sample package...I am going to sneak 30 mins at the pond today after work and I left them in the fridg,,,,,DARN

Im gona have to get some of them for opening day of trout. how big is that trout in the pic im guesing 15 in.

I didn't measure or weigh it, but you're right, I'd say 14"-15". It's back swimming in the pond now.

Pretty looking fish... Is that a Rainman delivery?

No, I went and got them myself from a supplier in Michigan.

Pardon my ignorance...

Does Stubby Steves have scent infused or does it just represent something the fish normally feed on?

It smells just like Purina AquaMax fish food.

But, for some reason it doesn't only work in ponds that have fish feeders on them. I've used their pellets in a local public lake and have had increased catch rates when used in conjunction with an artifical lure.

PM me your mailing addy and I'll drop a sample package in the mail to you.

Can't wait to give Chubby Steves a shot at some cats this spring.

Nice fish Scott. Those are Golden Rainbows, yes? Ever caught a true Golden Trout? Boy, they are amazing.

I can't wait to try the Subbys the size of AM LMB. Sure will beat having to make pellet flies that size and might be good for multiple use.



PS: I'm envious you're catching fish in open water!

Yes those are Golden Morphs of Rainbows. No, never caught a wild true "Golden".

The Chubby Stubby's are great! Those are the ones the size of AM LMB.

Oh, are they Chubby Stubby's? I've been calling them Chubby Steve's. Steve probably doesn't appreciate this.

What the...I thought it was Stubby Steve's? Man, I'm WAY off.

The original pellet is Stubby Steve's. The company is Stubby Steve's. They have new forms of their imitation lure. They broke out a larger one, similar in size to your AM Largemouth called Chubby Stubby.

Heck, I don't remember what they're called. Where's Stacy when you need her?

Ya'll are too funny! It's bad enough to have the nickname "Stubby", don't add "Chubby" to it. Both are funny stories anyway....

Josh is correct, the company name is "Stubby Steve's", the small original pellets are called "Stubby Steve's" or "fish food pellets". The larger AQM LMB size is called "Chubby's" (the brown is "Chubby Stubby", the red is "Bloody Chubby" - that name came to us while having a cold drink at the Buzzard Bar.... and "Lightnin' Bug" Chubby).

Then, there are the "Fish Food Worms". AWESOME!!!!


Everyone knows we only made one lure up until the last Pond Boss Convention. Thanks to one T.J. Stallings (our booth neighbor),... we started making the red and then the white and the crappie tournament guys talked us into the "Lightnin' Bug" color. The worms were a happy accident that happened and they have the neatest "action" in the water.

Everything is made with the same formula, same scent, just different colors and sizes.
Anyone concerned about their fish having a bad experience or memory by being caught with the brown pellet now has/have other options. Even we are pretty dang impressed with how this stuff works!

Pond Boss Convention does alot more than make new friends!!!

I am about 2 weeks away from trying several of the new items.

The old ones are unbelievable. I have out fished live bait with them 20 to 1 on BG. 25 BG on one pellet. Pellet was still good it was just time to stop jerking the BG out.

Go Stacy and Steve.

Where do I get a sample? I could use a pack of regular stubs too?

Anyone know?

Have you tried getting in touch with Stubby Steves?

Good idea!! Lol sometimes I lack common sense.. Honestly hadn't put much thought into it til i seen the thread..

Try these. Great people in every way !

www.stubbysteve.com

stacy4stubby@gmail.com

Tip for Stubby users - I crimp the barbs on my hooks - not for fish sake but for my fisherlady at risk of getting hooked.....Stubbies don't last very long on barbless hooks.
I use Mustad "bait hooks" with barbs on hook shank - seldom lose a Stubby.
George

I got mine today – I see a huge potential for some innovative fly tyin’ with Stubby worms!



I recently have been tyin’ using Owner “Wacky” hooks that Allen (FireIsHot) put me on to – they work well for flies and come weighted for spin gear.




I’ll be substituting Stubby Worm trailers on many of my flies in the upcoming weeks – I will report results.


Thanks Stacy and Steve,
George

I LOVE it! Might have to turn the tables and have YOU send US that "Lightnin' Bug" fly! Looks like a winner. I bet our trout would go nuts over it... We can't wait to hear your results.

George, I'll bet those will be killers.

When you're done using them, put them in a plastic bag and put them in the refigerator. They'll last longer that way.

Thanks for the "fridge tip" Scott!
You know we fish a lot - know what tho?
We keep our fly tackle "rigged and ready" with fly rods strung and sometimes Stubbys still on hook.
They still will catch fish after even a few days!
G/

George's Stubby Lighting Bug. That is a mouth-full !

Yeah right Eric. I just left George's and he wouldn't even let me touch it. I walked out with a box full of his hand tied flies, but a Lightning Bug somehow wasn't in there.

I've never seen a fly with a padlock on it before today.

George's LOCKED UP Stubby Lighting Bug --- --- --

ROFLOL !!

Ok I have a question for all you S and S experts out there. How should I fish these pellets? I bought 4 or 5 packets last year and I could not get a bite on them? Of course I don't have fly rods so I was bobber fishing with a small sinker about 3 inches up the hook. I had been feeding my fish AM600 all season. I thought maybe they just are not hungry at the time, but I put on a real worm and BANG fish on?

So is it something I am doing? I would really like to get them to work for me as it's not always easy to get worms.

Or are they made more just for fly fishermen? Maybe I didn't catch that when I bought them???

Not trying to be negative here at all just want to make sure I am fishing this product right before I give up on it. As I think it's awesome and would love to use them verses worms any day!! Maybe the stubby worm would work better for me?? Any help or advise would be great.

Thanks,
RC

RC. I cannot imagine why Stubby pellets will not work for you - even under a bobber?

Don't I recall you have CNBG and HSB - Mrs. G and I have caught so many on flies on fly tackle, I wouldn't even hazard a guess as to how many?

What size hook - how deep - have you tried to chum with AQMX 600 pellets prior to casting?

Betcha if you try a Stubby worm rigged "Texas style", you will catch a HSB.
Any feed trained LMB?

Maybe Scott or someone has an idea.
George

Hey George your right I have RES, CNBG, BG, LMB, HSB.

No I didn't chum first with AM600 prior to casting I could try that kind of get them in that area first. That's a good idea.

I think it was a #6 hook or 8 I can't remember for sure. It wasn't real big.

I don't have any feed trained bass but my HSB are feed trained.

I know the pellets look great! I only tried them twice each time for about 15 minutes or so. I am not giving up on them yet just wanted to make sure I wasn't doing something wrong. I figured if anything I would get some small ones pulling on it but not even that. I will try the chuming though that may work.

I know I really want to try the worms. I bet my HSB will love them and maybe my bass too.

Thanks George for the chuming idea. I will try both again this year and see what happens.

I am picking up a bag of AM400 and 600 Saturday and going to start feeding again. Time to get things rolling again!!

RC that is very strange. I can go right now and catch 25 big CNBG & RES off the dock with a cane pole and 1 SS pellet. Fished with a bobber or not. I have never seen it not work even when crickets and worms struck out. Never have chummed.

I've never used a fly rod with the pellets. My method is usually to chum a bit, then thread one on a #10 Owner Mosquito Hook (very light weight and sharp) with no bobber or weight. I'll use #2 or #4 test line. Using that hook, the pellet will float most of the time. If I need to get more casting distance, I'll thread 2 pellets on the hook. One I'll push up over the knot, the other one will stay on the hook, making sure that there is enough clearance for the fish to be easily hooked.

Maybe it is the difference in the smell/oil/taste that the fish are accustomed to. A wiggling worm or a bug is pretty natural, and bred into their genes.

Something that looks like a naturally occurring fly, bug, or worm would be of interest. But, if they haven't seen a pellet all winter, or if the Stuby Steve's pellet doesn't look/smell like what they have been trained to eat -- will they sample it?

I would question whether a truly wild fish, never having had pellets, nor having had pellets for quite some time, would be interested in something like a Stubby Steve's lure.

We need to remember that many years ago our good friend Cecil Baird introduced us to making "Cecil's Pantyhose Pellet Lures" to catch feed trained fish from our ponds.

Except maybe for a few perverted fish in the wild, none would attack a pantyhose bait. Yet, many of us have had great success catching our feed trained pond fish using this technique.

What I'm about to say may be illegal, but I can't find anything that says it is illegal.

Where Stacy and Stubby live (I'm just across the state border from them) we have a lot of public waters that are stocked with 11-14 inch rainbow trout during the cool months of the year, from about October to early May.

The local trout hatcheries and farms mainly use Melick's Aquafeed for raising trout. At public waters, during this time of year, I "chum" with a few handfuls of Melick's pellets. Then I throw in a hook, whether a spincast line with a hook under a bobber, or from a fly rod.. In any case, they are baited with one of the original Stubby Steve's pellets.

I did it last Friday evening at a local state-maintained lake, with snow all around on the mountain tops to the shoreline. I was the only one at the 80-acre mountain lake. It had been stocked about a week-and-a-half earlier (out of a two week stocking cycle).

Within about 15 minutes after chumming, I caught two nice fat 12 inch rainbows on Stubby Steve's pellets. That was all I needed for an Easter dinner appetizer.

The trout got smoked and turned into more than a pound of spread/dip that disappeared in seconds after it is put on the kitchen island with some crackers and chips.

.... yep, that's a keeper name

Can I put in an order for one?!?
Mr. Glazener has BIG plans for that bugger! We can't wait to hear about it....

I'm SO glad you gentlemen fish so much that you can answer these tough questions for us! We are constantly learning from you. Thank you.

Steve is home making his first prototype of a Fish Food Crawfish lure.... The Stubby Mud Bug, or Bruneaux Bug (I'll explain the "Bruneaux" thing a little later when I'm allowed to)... we're thinking the bass will go nuts over them! Hopefully I'll be able to take a photo tomorrow when I see it!

I’m not to sure about all this genetic “imprinting” for LMB – maybe other species but LMB are funny critters. Avid bass fishermen use scented plastics for years with garlic, anise etc. and even heard of WD-40.

I recall as if yesterday, the first bass I caught some 80 years ago – about 8 years old at the time – fishing worms on a cane pole.
Ran out of worms on a nice spring day and picked a berry blossom and put it on my hook and caught a fat little bass!
George

Stacy and Steve have asked me to test their new Stubby worms on Largemouth Bass, so I came up with a plan:

http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=328603&#Post328603

Thanks for the confidence guys – we will give it our best shot.
“Team Glazener”


PS: I have some "doozy" bass bug fly ideas for these Stubbys!

Hey Eric,

Yeah I know most of you guys can catch fish right away? Which is why I questioned maybe I was doing something wrong. I don't know? I am not going to give up just yet. I will keep trying to see if things improve this year. I will be at my land this Saturday setting up my feeder and all so maybe I will try them again for a while.

I have as you suggested a mix of AM400 and AM600 that I will be using.I will keep everyone posted on my progress with the Stubby Steves as I use them and we'll see what happens??? I just don't want anyone to think I am bashing their product I fee it's more user error on my part. It's easy to see a LOT of folks are having great luck with it. I hope I can join in at some point!!! Then again like CAT said maybe my fish just don't like them????

thanks

Should be throwing some Stubby Steves next weekend Stacy. You've definitely been talking to the right guy up here.

Hey, Josh! I can't wait to hear how it goes! Remember to take photos!

You're right, we've got the right guy on it!

Hello, gentlemen! I hope all is well. This note is from Steve:

I thought I would weigh in on the thread pertaining to Stubby Steve’s and its acceptability to non-pellet trained fish; in particular the very valid questions raised by Catmandoo as to the relevance and efficacy of our lure with wild fish. As the inventor I had the identical questions. This lure was invented because, correctly or not, I was convinced that my Aquamax fattened trophy fish became more difficult to catch with traditional tackle and techniques. We produced this lure exclusively for personal use. However, in our initial tests, its efficacy far exceeded our expectations. Unbelievably, the first fish I ever caught in our 2nd test pond was a non-pellet trained LMB. We knew there would be a small market directed towards pond owners who also wanted to catch their pellet accustomed fish. However, we wanted to know more. We wanted to know the answer to the very question Catmandoo raised- does it work with wild fish? In the past five years we have sent out approximately 50,000 sample packs to every fishing venue we could acquire, including 5.000 packs to NAFC and FishHound field testers. It is important to preface the following by declaring what I am about to say is based on hundreds if not thousands of calls and emails over the past 5 years, plus the results of the NAFC and FH which they were required to forward to us. Bottom line – the vast majority of fish caught with SS have never seen, tasted or smelled a fish food pellet. Many of their results are posted on our website. There wasn’t a species of fresh water fish that wasn’t equally represented in their catch results, including LMB. There is however, I feel, a very scientific reason for this. I wish I could share this with the PB community but I would be relinquishing very important proprietary information. Jardan inc. (Pure Fishing/Berkley, et. al.) is already breathing down our neck, so best I shut up. Since the shape of the brown pellet is very unfamiliar to wild fish the attraction has to be the smell. To help validate this I can relay a recent incident. We are now involved in the crappie tournament trail. In our first four tournaments in which some of the anglers used our product we procured 4 first places, 4 second places, 1 third 3rd, and 3 biggest fish (professional and amateur divisions). As most of you know, avid crappie anglers usually tip their jig with an odor attractant. They will tell you their success rate is much lower with the jig alone. In one tournament Jo Carter, who has been fishing the tournament trail for 20 years, and has always used minnows, was having terrible success. Half way through the one day event he had caught no fish. In desperation, he switched to the SS he had received as a sample pack. He very rapidly caught his 7 fish limit and won 2nd place. The following week, he won first place by such a large margin (3.2lb) that the rumbles of “what in the world did he do?” started. He declared at the awards ceremony he will never use minnows again (“coincidentally”, Berkley/Pure Fishing ordered a bunch of our lures the following week). Correct me if I am wrong, but my understanding is that crappie don’t take to fish food pellets well. I do think that with the invention of our lures and the likes of Gulp products we are in the very beginning of realizing how important the correct odor is in the day to day affairs of most fish most of the time; in particular as it pertains to catching fish. Thanks again to the Pond Boss community for their support; you gave us our start. Also, I recently recruited Eric West as an expert to draft an “affidavit of effectiveness” for my patent attorney and the patent inspector. In an unassuming way, Eric displayed his tremendous ability as a writer, an attorney, and his extreme knowledge as a scientific sportsman. Of course, he would not consider financial compensation for all of his hard work. I hope the PB community realizes how fortunate they are to have the “likes” of Eric West. One day I’m going to sit down with all of the scientific thinkers like Catmandoo and explain how this silly little product is made. Then you’re going to say, “that explains it!”. I promise you there is more to it than meets the eye. I feel this brown pellet and the favorable results with wild fish shows that a lot of the time if it smells right it doesn’t matter what it looks like. With the introduction of our worms and soon to be available crawfish and shrimp we will have the combination of familiar appearance and odor. We will be sending them to some of the PB folks for testing, if they will. Our worms are already in the very capable hands of George and associates. Thank you for your time and support,
Steve
aka Stubby Steve

-- --


Steve I believe in helping good people succeed and I believe in the product based on my own results. Plus I think a lot of Stacy and her efforts

Eric has some fun work ahead! Kinda like me playing with Roller Coasters, except I get paid for part of it

Esshup, you selling SS stuff?

My brothers birthday is coming up in short order, and I need to get him something unique! PM me and we'll get this ball rolling.

Oh,....Mr. West, that is really kind of you! It means a great deal to me. -- -- I love what we are doing and am so proud to be a part of it from the very begining. The website is my pride and joy. I can't imagine how dull my life would be if I didn't have all the challenges that goes along with this huge project. Steve is a good man and is such a hard working perfectionist. He always does the right thing and never "cuts corners" or half-way does anything. I procrastinate and am scatter-brained but we some how make it work! We do strive to do everything we say we will. He believes customer service is as important as making an awesome product. We'll be forever grateful for many people we've met here on the forum. People who go out of their way to help us just because they belive in us or what we're doing... people whom we consider friends. You made my day,
Stacy

JKB, Yep. I just haven't added it to the website yet. Send me a PM. We're in the clear because we're a paid advertiser. We're listed in the electronic Resource Guide, and will be in the next printed guide too.

The pellets flat out work. They stay on the hook for a long time too. This batch was caught with 3 or 4 pellets; I used a #10 hook and 4# test line.

Scott, can you share your website?

Sure! There's still about 50 items to add to the store, and not all the pages are done yet. There's days when I feel like my eyeballs are bleeding!!

http://www.hoosierpondpros.com/

Scott, website's looking great! Web work can infact make your eyes bleed.

Let us know when you're done, I can't wait to start shopping.

Looking good! Very happy for you. You have a new follower on Twitter.

Ya beat me to it!

Work me up a price for a half dozen pkg's of every flavor of the SS stuff, and I'll shoot you out the cash.

Man, I only have 9 days to mess around with this.

BTW: My brother is permanently disabled, due to a doc's screw up. He has had more surgeries, spinal blocks, and all the drugs you could imagine, but still in pain! He has surgery coming up to try fix something in his spinal chord at his neck. Over 15 years of this BS now.

He loves to fish tho, and can deal with that. I would like him to take home the prize of a Great Day of Fishing!

The website is looking great!

SS is some good stuff...

Thanks guys. JKB, I'll send you a PM.

Scott, I'm fish challenged, but what fish are in the pic?

"Scott, I'm fish challenged, but what fish are in the pic?"

Ones that got caught

Scott, PM sent with order request.

JKB, PM'd back.

FIH, those are goldfish from a clients pond. The pond is surrounded by 4 different houses, and he's the one footing the bill to make the pond nice. I think somebody is putting goldfisn in the pond on a yearly basis. I've seen them in 4 distinct size classes, and the whole pond winterkilled 4 years ago.

Whew, I thought the 5 were but didn't know about the others. All my fish are green.

Guy sounds like a stand up neighbor if he's doing this, good for him.

He is. I've installed a Vertex aeration system, Texas Hunter feeder, and stocked fish for him. I removed about 2,000 stunted BG 2 years ago, IIRC close to 700 of those Goldfish, around 400 Bullheads and 5 snappers that weighed a combined 120-125 pounds. The pond is .8 ac and is an old Boy Scout campground. The pond has about 60" of muck on the bottom of it. The BG almost tripled in size the first year. We stocked some LMB that *might* be able to control the goldfish, they were feed trained LMB from 2# to 4# each.

He also has me fill the feeder 2x/month. I bring enough food for him to do it himself, but he'd prefer me to swing by, fill the feeder and keep an eye on the pond.

This year we're going to start on a bacteria plan to try and reduce the muck levels.

I meant to take a picture of his waterfall/stream, but forgot the last time I was there.

Anyone ever try Stubby Steve's on COHO?


How about WE?

I am transferring this post from "Stocking a Stunted Pond" to "New Stubby Steves works!" thread so it won't get lost..

"Stacy, at risk of being sanctioned for hi-jacking "Stocking a Stunted Pond" thread, I think we are OK talking about stocking Hybrid Stripers - my favorite pond fish on the fly!

OK, we are in the clear...
“Last one I caught over a year ago was 10lb 12oz and it was on a 8/9 wt fly rod with a 12lb leader - He said we'll have to go up to salt water gear!”

Tell Steve the Temple Fork Outfitters MiniMag series fly rods are salt water fly rods modified for Largemouth Bass in heavy cover.
They are 3 piece rods with butt section engineered with high modulus “S” glass, mid section “hybrid S glass/carbon fiber, and tip section high modulus carbon fiber - almost indestructible! They are my favorites - smoothest action ever for me!

I recommend the 6-8 model, uplined with a WF-9-F fly line, the best suited for Hybrid Stripers tossing Stubby Steve flies IMO.

Yeah, I am prejudiced - I did most of the field testing for these fly rods.
More important, Todd Overton of Overton fisheries is a TFO dealer - give him a call!

Finally found someone to talk to about fly fishing for HSB!
Thanks Stacy - Stubbys rule!
George Glazener


PS: 1st photo HSB caught on prototype MiniMag - all were caught on Stubby Steve pellet flies.
G/

Trophy HSB:





1/4 acre pond:

Well I was at the pond Saturday and setup my feeder. It wasn't to long and I had fish hitting the surface and eating my AM600. So I thought no better time then the present to try my Stubby Steves again. I put one on a hook just so the tip was barely pushing out and a bobber up about 2 feet.

And once again I have failed to catch anything with this setup... Every once in a while I would get my bobber to bounce just a bit but that was it???? No hard hits no take the bobber down or nothing? The bobber was not very big either. I put worms on and caught about 6 or 7 BG one was about 8 inches.

I just don't get it? Maybe the key for me is to put SandS on a small popper and see if they will hit it? I don't know? I really don't want to take up fly fishing to make these pellets work?

Any ideas would be apprecaited. I would love to make these pellets work but I guess my fish are VERY picky!!!

RC

I don't really have any tips for you but I know what that scene would have looked like I see it pretty often when fishing with my dad

Water is still cool, so they are more picky. They are feeling the resistance of the bobber and spitting it back out.

Ditch the bobber.

I very rarely fish with one. I've fished SS with a bobber, but the bobber was just there to add more weight to be able to cast further. The hooks that I use are small enough and light enough so the SS floats. If when you cast, watch the bobber. Right before it hits the water stop the line coming off of your spool. The bobber will stop, the SS/hook will continue to go, and if you do it right it'll land as far from the bobber as the line will let it. If you don't stop the line right before it hits the water, the ss and bobber hit the water in the same spot.

That makes a lot of sense. I noticed in my pond If I use a bobber the fish see it, and won't even look at the bait much less bite. but the second I take off the bobber the fish go nuts.

Now that's a good tip. Never thought of that in my 99 years on this earth...

RC, I just don’t get it either - maybe the bobber is the problem – let’s try something.
Get out your old cane pole, tie on a mono fishing line with a Mudtad #6 or 8 bait hook – the kind that have barbs on the shank – hook Stubby and slide up the hook shank over barbs so doesn’t foul the hook gape – toss out Stubby pellet and it will sink on these hooks – watch your line and when it moves you got a fish …. If that don’t work I’m gonna find a tall building and jump…..
Good luck,
George

Ps: I cut a cane pole from the creek and have it curing in the garage – if you were closer I would bring it to you…..
The latest rage in fly fishing for the pseudo sophisticates is the Tenkara fly rod for ultra light nymph fly fishing – nothing but a 10-11 ft cane pole….IMO...
G/

I have had great luck with them, No bobber though just toss it and let it sink natually. Hook attached of coarse.....

Hey thanks everyone. I will try it without the bobber. I wonder has anyone put a splitshot about 2 feet up the line and use it like a carolina rig? I was thinking of trying that too to get a litte more distance when I cast.

George I have those exact hooks thanks I will try it. My water is quite clear so maybe it is the bobber or the hook is a bit to big? I am not giving up just yet.

Thanks,

I can't wait to try them. I ordered a bunch from esshup. Esshup said they have 4" worms now, but I think I'll have enough to play around with for a while

I'm gonna have to get me a few new rigs now. The "Not Me's", who were using my stuff, pretty much broke everything

I have been having the same dilemma as RC51. The trout have been feeding well, with no luck catching them. Tried lots of different methods; small hooks, big hooks, with bobbers, without bobbers, flies, actual pellets glued onto hooks, etc, etc.

So I bought a package of SS and tried this morning again. Tried without bobber, but couldn't get a bite (because I don't think I can get it out far enough). Put bobber on, got a few nudges, but nothing. Took bobber back off, and finally caught one for the first time this year. However, that was it. Couldn't catch another one. Meanwhile the trout are hammering the feed all around it. I think they are extra cautious, and the SS is sinking compared to the floating pellets. The SS is also larger than the feed.

I think next time I will try cutting the SS to be the size of my pellets. Then will try a version of a cane pole and dangle the SS on the surface to keep it from sinking. I am not convinced that it is the size of the SS bait, because of me trying the actual pellet glued onto a hook and that didn't work. But in all my attempts so far, the hook makes the bait sink, so I am thinking it is the sinking action that has the trout wary.

Try chumming just a few pellets and use a heavy enough hook for a slow Stubby sink - I catch more on sinkers than floaters...
Match the hatch on size good idea...
Inexpensive fly tackle = Stubby success...
G/

george1- Do you normally feed floating or sinking pellets?

Thanks, Jim

Stubbies came in today!

Thanks Hoosier Pond Pros!



I got 3 of every thing they have, except the new 4" worms. Gonna pass them out to a number of people and see how they like them. My boss already want's a bunch to try in his 3a pond for an upcoming gathering. Said it sure would be nice to catch a few lunkers. Told him, give em a try and see how it goes.

Michigan has a bunch of water. Pretty much anywhere you go up here, a convenience store or gas station has some tackle, and bait. Ever hear of Walt's Crawlers? They are everywhere!

They set up little coolers (refrigerators) in these locations, and there has to be thousands of them up here, but worms die!, and isolated refrigerators eat electricity! They also sell fake worms and such, but I've never caught anything on a fake worm, except my finger

See where I am going with this?

We'll try them out!

The reason I asked about Coho. Is that last fall, I had to work on a dam up north of here. Well, the channel draining to Lake Michigan was lined with fishermen. I asked a guy, how it was going?, and he said he did not think there were any fish in the channel below the dam yet. A few hours later, I answered his question, when I had to close the dam. No turbulent water, can see quite clear to the bottom, and it was crowded! No one was catching anything!

Would a SS have worked in that situation? Don't know?, but if I were fishing, and had yelled out "Fish On", pretty much everyone is going to want to know what's up! That's when everyone is your friend

Jim, just plain old floating AQMX 600 for years.
G/

Just a tidbit about what we've found while fishing the different color pellets.....

trout seem to be VERY finicky when it comes to the brown pellet. You really have to "trick" them sometimes. If ours see a line at all or much of a hook,.. no bites. Steve thinks the trout are going for the brown pellet because it smells, but also LOOKS just like their food. If they see a hook or line, they get wary.

We've noticed this is not as much the case with the different colors. They are not going after those because they "mimic" their fish food. They are going for those because of that tremendous odor. So they don't seem to be as "shy" about it. And we've been told trout love the color "red".... Do any of you agree with that? Are there other colors you know trout love?

Steve went fishing today at his pond. He was using all the colors of pellets. He said the trout really hit the "white", "brown" and the "red" hard. He had MORE bites with the "Lightnin' Bug" color but they didn't hit it near as aggressively. ???


And..... he finally caught one of the baby HSB!!! It was the same size as the redfish I caught at New River yesterday. ~4 inches long if I had to guess. I'm pouting right now because he didn't have a camera and I wasn't the one to catch it!

I love it...a Stubby Steve's cooler franchise!

Smart thinking! I've made lots of new friends this way.

... Want to know the best advertising scheme I came up with two weeks ago? I was at a crappie tournament and when it finished, I went to a resturant. I was starved and thirsty. So, I sat at the bar and had a cold beverage and dinner. It was only about 6:00 but a gentleman was there already into many, many cold beverages and wasn't about to leave any time soon. Very loud and engaging. I happened to hear him mention he had been bass fising the day before. I closed my tab and grabbed a pack of SS I keep in my pocket book for just such occasion. I had to pass this gentleman on the way to the ladies room. I handed him the pack and told him this is what he needed to catch those fish. He asked if I was selling it but I told him for him, I was giving away. Before I even made it to the ladies room, I heard, "STUBBY STEVE'S, HA HA HA, STUBBY STEVE'S, HA HA HA. HEY, JIM, DOESN'T YOUR WIFE CALL YOU STUBBY, TOO? FISHING WITH STUBBY STEVE'S. I'M AFTER THOSE @#$%## BASS NOW!"....

That night at the hotel I was checking on web traffic. Thirty hits from Sumerset, KY. And I bet everyone of them came from diners at Ruby Tuesday!!!!

Stacy:

I use a short shanked, #10 hook. Fine wire. I push the pellet up over the knot a tad to keep the hook gape clear enough to hook the fish. I also fish it on 2#, 4# or 6# flurocarbon line. No weight or bobber. If I can't cast it far enough, I'll thread on another SS pellet about 2" up the line to give it more weight. If the fish are large enough, they'll take both pellets in one bite.

It has a turned up eye to help keep the gape clear. (at least that's my thoughts anyway)

Owner Mosquito hook

That sounds alot like what we do, Scott. Steve thinks trout like more than one piece at times and also like it somewhat sinking. But, that's just OUR fish. We'll check out that hook. Thanks a bunch!

Be careful with the small hooks - BG are bad about swallowing Stubby pellets on small hooks or gill hooking.
I don't like to kill my fish!

I use nothing smaller than a #6 bait hook and catch larger fish - pellets will slow sink and fish are less hook shy.
My experience - others may vary..
G/

Just a report back.

Tried the old cane pole with the SS. Cut SS up to a 1/4 size, 1/2 size, try to keep it near surface, let it sink, no bobber with any of these. Still no interest. RBT are there because they take the pellets instantly. I have tried different hook sizes 0f 4,6,8 but my hooks are longer shank and I thought they might be a problem. All I have shorter is a snell? type hook. I will look into hook type you mention esshup. I did notice that when I first tried a week ago it was with the typical gold color hook, and then I tried black and there was more interest. My conclusion so far is what esshup has said about the RBT being very sight particular.

Stacy- thanks for mentioning the color and trout. I did just buy the brown, so I might try some other colors if I can't get this figured out.

Are there any more pictures of catching results using Stubby Steves pellets?

I doubt anything would of caught them, aside from snagging them. Those are fish with one thing on there agenda, spawning. They have pretty much stop feeding, occasionally you can get a reaction strike from them but not worth the time in my opinion. Also, since they are nearing the end of their life they are not the best to eat. The Cohos we caught two weeks ago off of Portage, IN are the one you want to eat. Also nothing better than a spring coho out of cold water (except a shore lunch walleye in Canada).

Hey Fish I feel your pain bud! I have been fishing for 35 years and can't get these dang fish to bite this lure! It's fustrating because the SS bait looks perfect and so many folks are having success with them. I don't have any RBT so that's not my problem. I have HSB and BG smacking the water for my AM600 and I can't get them to touch a SS to save my life? I don't know? George says he gets more bites when it's sinking slow? You would think with a bobber up 3 feet from the hook it would be fish on??? Once again this bait has proven itself to work and work quite well so I am not bagging on the bait just ticked off I can't trick my fish into hitting it!!!!

RC

This is the one I caught on SS. Hope to add more to it. Sorry for the lack of product placement Stacy. I had my hands full as I was trying to fend off the dog who was taking an unusual interest in it. She Has never seen me have one of these before!!! The dog enjoys watching the RBT feed as much as me.

beautiful rainbow how big was it, and about when did you first stock?

Here are a few Stubby fish more pics at home. Yes we have some pellet feeding RES.

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c105/ewest1/starmay2010030.jpg

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c105/ewest1/starmay2010018.jpg

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c105/ewest1/starmay2010006.jpg

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c105/ewest1/bluegill.jpg

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i263/ewestmnw/mekonggiantcatfish2_zps0d92adef.jpg

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i263/ewestmnw/PB210089.jpg

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i263/ewestmnw/CNBGMurSS_zps373f80e7.jpg

1#--- 13.5"

Here are more - part of 25 CNBG on 2 pellets

[IMG]

[URL=http://s74.photobucket.com/user/ewestmnw/media/P1010012_zpsba310df7.jpg.html]

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i263/ewestmnw/P1010012_zpsba310df7.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i263/ewestmnw/P1010012_zpsba310df7.jpg





http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i263/ewestmnw/P1010011-2_zpse21eb78d.jpg







http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i263/ewestmnw/P1010018-1_zpsda185415.jpg

[IMG]

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i263/ewestmnw/P1010013-2_zps7ed89c2e.jpg[/IMG]

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i263/ewestmnw/P1010013-2_zps7ed89c2e.jpg

I've never run into Coho all bunched up at the end like that before. No way they could get over the dam. You can catch them when they start up the rivers, like the Muskegon River, but you are right, snagging may be the only way at the end. Illegal up here!

Best Coho are in the spring. We did quite well not too far from shore along the coast of Lake Michigan. You could limit out really quick when they are running.

Stacy,
What's the shelf life?

I know the note said to keep em cool and avoid heat.

Any boundaries to follow?

Thanks

Good morning! We have some in the refrigerator for almost 5 years now. If they get hot, they can get "sticky" (they are biodegradable and if they get hot some of the ingredients we put in them start to "leech out"). Some people think they work even better when they get sticky.

The pellets aren't as bad about sticking together but the worms are harder to pull apart without tearing.

We just started wrapping the worms individually and they did great in 89 degree temps all day long.

A cooler is perfect on the hot days if you don't want them to change at all.

I've had them in my jeep all summer and they were stuck together. Worked like a charm!

Have fun!

Those are great photos, Mr. West! Thank you!

The Stubby worms or pellets sticking together is a non-issue.
Just grind up a few fish feed pellets in a coffee grinder and sprinkle a bit into envelope....they won't stick after you pull them apart the first time and maybe extend shelf life IMO.
G/

The worms were sticking when I opened the first pack. Not bad and they peeled apart quite easily.

George was thinking the same thing I was. There must be some sort of coating you could put on these to eliminate, or greatly reduce the sticky stuff while they were in package/storage and it would dissolve after it hit the water.

Grinding up fish pellets would be something to try. Kinda like put them in a shake-n-bake bag, get em coated and then package them.

I just opened the pack of previously opened green worms that have been in my fridge for a couple days. It appears that the latex component is grabbing a hold on each other. You can see it stretch a bit when you pull them apart.

A coating process, like they do for candies and such would probably be more economical than individual wrappers.

Just something to think about.

Got dozens more if you need them...
Caught every fish species in our ponds on Stubby Steves except pure Florida Bass and will be giving that a shot this afternoon.
G/

Really Cool George!

The grinding up of pellets for the SS coating was an excellent idea!!!

Mrs. G is quite a fisherlady! She makes it look so easy! Great photos.... beautiful fish!

Mrs G is not only an excellent fisherman but a world class lure color designer.

So I noticed on one of Eric's pictures the pellet is all the way up the shank of the hook? Did the fish do this? Or is that where you put the pellet on purpose? Is there a spot that works better? I have been putting the pellet on the hook tip is this wrong? Or does it really matter?

thanks,

My only success so far has been when the pellet is on the eyelet of the hook.

To update my progress again, The best success so far has been with 2# flouro line with a shorter #10 hook with pellet as described above, no bobber. This is for RBT.

The trout will only take it when there is a small amount of feed thrown out with it. I see the line pulled by them, and I keep feeding the line out for a period of 1 to 5 minutes. They will then start to take off with it, and about 50% of the time they are hooked. The other times it is just spit out. Very sensitive.... the last one caught was spilling eggs.

When I fish with the SS pellets, if I see the line twitch, I set the hook. No waiting at all.

Right on Scott - have to be a line watcher!!
Also hook gape has to be larger than pellet or fastened near hook eye on a long shank hook - you guys are getting bit and not knowing it..
Gonna have to have our Lady fly fishers giving fishing lessons...

So maybe that's my problem. I am putting these pellets on incorrectly. I will continue my quest to catch a fish on these SS pellets if it's the last thing I do!!!

....and I will have to go back again and try setting that hook early on. Every time I have gone that route, I have got nothing.

What colors are you using?

me- just brown. Next order will include others. Funny part is last fall when I put them in, I caught them easily on a artificial fly. I thought that this spring it would be a breeze.......

They will still hit flies - we tried a little brown fly for BG a couple of weeks ago just for diversion and caught BG and HSB.
G/

I love stubby steves.

I handed out a number of sample packs earlier this year I made up with all the flavors.

Been getting reports back, and everyone really likes the product. I may have given out too large of samples tho. They really hold up to many catches.

I still use the original quadapus I made from a LB worm. Hammers the GSF! #8 bait hook on dental floss (nano) with a BB size split shot about 3.5' up. Wait till the split shot hits the bottom, then bounce it along the bottom with quadapus in tow. Yep!

A cousin used some Stubby Steve's pellets I gave them last week and caught 15 large CNBG in 20 mins from the dock. To them its magic to me its fun.

Eric, Stubby Steve's is Coppernose Crack.

Every time I get a fly casting lesson from George, I immediately head to the big puddle to practice. Sometimes it's hard to tie a real fly or popper on when I know the CNBG will hammer the SS's.

Like JKB, I have one #8 circle hook with a SS's pellet that's been repacked in the bag after use since June.

Hey, you guys! Ya'll crack me up! Wait till you try the new "BLACK," it's AWESOME!!!!!! First time out fishing with it, I caught 3 smb immediately. Really productive at dusk.

Testing out new "Black" Fish Food Worms

I was really excited fishing!

Looks cool Stacy!

Use this where you would use Leeches. YP Love Leeches!!!

Don't belileve her JKB, she's got a scuba diver down there with a basket full of fish. She casts the lure so it drifts to him, and he immediately pins on a live fish for her.

Nice going Stacy!!!!

Now that the tourists are pretty much gone, it might be worth a trip to the piers and see what's up. The YP came close, then the water warmed up and they headed out. A few Coho are hanging around now.

Guess they are doing well with the YP south of St Joseph.

The Black is an interesting color.

I love Stubby Steve's too! I got some pellets in June. I use them in a controlled way every three or four weeks to survey the growth of HSB in the pond. I catch three or four and then stop because I don't want to cause them to stop eating. Not sure if they would or not. I have caught the last eight on one pellet. Crazy stuff. Fish pellet mfrs should include an advertisement for Stubby Steve's on their bags - yes they are THAT good.

JKB, water will be cooling down quick. Low temp Friday is supposed to be 39°F in South Bend, and I suspect that it will be even less out in the country in low areas.

39; we can only dream of that. However, it will be a high of 90 on Saturday. Then back to 98 Sunday.

36°F this morning... A tad cool for September.

Went to the South pier to snoop around. All the parking lot's are closed for renovations. It's a long walk from the nearest open parking lot. Said they'll be done by Nov. 4th. Yeah, right!

I'll swing by the North pier later. Hopefully that is still open.

I gotta get a boat!!!

I just had to get Stacy's monster HSB out of hiding in the gallery folder....she's a winner and on a fly rod to boot!
CONGRATULATIONS Stacy!

Stacy, Stubby pellet/worm combo caught the FIRST non-feed trained pure Florida LMB from our pond!
Fire fly head - chartreaus body - neat how you can mix and match Stubby colors!
You fly fishing ladies are the GREATEST!

Wow George! That's a nice one. Where can I get some Stubby Steve's via PayPal?

Great looking fish! The water behind Mrs. G looks flat out awesome.

I have thrown SS on a nothing but a hook and regualr pellets even and same thing happens all the time. They come up and flash at it and swim away?? Whats up with that? I can then throw out a handful of AM 600 and they go nuts eating it. I throw back in there and all I get is a quick flash and no bite?

Maybe I need a fly rod

RC

Thanks Spark - IMO water quality credit goes to surface aeration. Pond survived hot Texas summer and low water conditions - so far September is the hottest temps on record.
G/

Yep, you need a fly rod...
Maybe we need to get Stacy and Mrs.G to give SS fly fishing lessons...

Something.... dang it. Oh and you can forget catching them with a bobber. We caught some that way this last spring but now they won't even go near that. They know better now. Fricken fish are to smart for their own good!

RC

Thank you, Mr. Glazener! It was SO much fun. I caught another one just a tad smaller. The fly rod you suggested helped tremendously!!! I wouldn't have gotten it in on our regular rod. They are just too large and strong!

This is AWESOME!!!! Mrs. G is amazing! I know how strong they are and how difficult they can be to get in on a fly rod,... Mrs. G is THE WOWMAN!

This is a wonderful photo. We're so excited about the catch. I love that she is the one to catch it!

We also use the different combos of pellets/worms. Steve's largest smb he's ever caught in a stream was on a "Red" worm tipped with a "White" pellet...

I caught several smb on a "Earthworm Brown" worm tipped with a "Lightnin' Bug" pellet.

...and, I really like the "Hemi Orange" worm tipped with a "White" pellet.

We don't know if the different colors make a difference or not... but it sure is fun trying all of the combos we can think of.... the "Black" worm tipped with a "White" pellet is pretty awesome!

Stacy, how long are the creatures and the crayfish?

Jwwann:

Send me a PM.

Hey! They are right at 3 inches long. Very durable!

You think Steve might try making a creature about 1"- 1 1/2" long? I'd bet it would be killer on BG and maybe Crappie too.

I'll gladly volunteer my BG ponds for product testing ...a smaller version for targeting lepomids sounds just like what the doctor ordered!

We are already working on something smaller....:)

You mean something like this



Google quadapus and this is the second image that shows up on the net.

I should draw up a mold or tool and have my buddy buzz it out on the CNC. You can squeeze/press this stuff into reasonable shapes. The legs need to take a good set in order to stay flared, which is difficult if you just cut them. This one still catches fish!

The Black has a definite gloss to it. A little light reflection works wonders. Leeches are shiny. Thanks Stacy!!! Keep the Blue in mind.

About the kid with the stick. No one has seen him since that day. Probably moved is what the neighbor said.

I realize I'm resurrecting an old thread; the good threads survive the test of time, don't they?
Are any of you PondBossers still using StubbySteve's products? After several years of mediocre luck hand feeding my fish, I finally got many takers this past season. So, I'd like to start fishing with something that imitates pellets.
Here's the rub: I'm feeding Optimal Bluegill. Does anyone have experience with the several StubbySteve's baits when feeding food shapes as Optimal is shaped?
Rather than PM Stacy4Stubby or esshup, I'll throw this out here on the forum first.

i love using stubby steves. i feed both optimal and aquamax. optimal sent me a sample of a fish bait similiar to their pellet last year to try. i never got around to it. i bet it will work though.

I've found that using an actual pellet inserted in the inside bend of hook works really good and is cheap

I've tried that trick before and it works, but with optimal the pellets are quite small and oblong. I wonder if you could use fly thread or sewing thread and tie the pellet to the inside curve of the hook?

Although Stubby Steve's are advertised to work in all fishing conditions, I have not found them to work in lakes around my house. I don't know if you need a pellet conditioned fish to eat a bait that looks like a pellet? Or maybe you have to switch over to the larger stubby steve's that look like worms or leaches or critters?

I still use Stubby Steve's, chumming with Aquamax first the way George Glazener taught me.

I switched to putting them on circle hooks instead of baitholders last year, and had a much better connection rate.

I thing more than anything SS lets you catch the more hungry fish and or aggressive, but from my experience they don't seem to be consistent. For this very reason I keep AM600 around in a separate container to use in the belly of my hooks. Specially if the kids want to catch a few it's dang near a hookup all the time. I like to use small spinners and Mepps and such even a small minnow for my bigger BG. Not saying SS doesn't work cause I have caught fish on them as well, but they don't seem to be the smoking gun I thought they would be.

RC

It’s all I use for bg. One lasts a long time. Never thought of trying a pellet. If I hook the ss right, they very seldom swallow the hook.

What Theo said.

We usually pinch off a piece of SS's, or add more to it to match the size fish food the CNBG being fed. We've often used the same SS's pellets for several weeks.

Thanks, each of you, for sharing your experiences with StubbySteve's.
I put some smaller trout, tigers (sorry, I didn't look up our acronym for these beauties) and RNBT, in my pond last fall. I purposefully have not targeted them, letting them put on some size.

3 and 4 years ago I grew some larger browns and rainbows. Along with the tubby 30+ inch GC that came up for pellets, the trout fed on the round pellets I was hand feeding. I found them all to be extremely selective about what they'd take, living up to the stories of wild trout ignoring a fisherman's fly while taking a seemingly identical living mayfly right alongside the fake. A pellet pressed, or glued, onto a hook floated or sank differently than a free-floating pellet, and consequently, was ignored! Picky fish indeed.

The GC are still in there, larger than ever; the trout have died of old age at up to 24".

I'm ready to order more Optimal. I'll ask them about the bait that may mimic their pellets.

Even though we have detractors that may believe our ponds are like "fishing in a barrel" (I've actually had that said to me!), it is still fishing, and Not Grocery Shopping, right?!

I think of it as "harvesting."

Think of it as management of an asset which requires harvest.

Yeah you need to remember your also doing it for the fun. I would say it's not about being skilled haha but I have had days on my pond that I swore all my fish had died.... It's not always easy peasy that's for sure....