Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Stubby Steve

Fishermen are hooked on Stubby Steve's lure

09:50 PM CDT on Saturday, June 12, 2010
Ray Sasser

How many times have you come up with a good idea and never followed through? Maybe a year later, or five years later, somebody you never heard of brings your idea to market and slugs a hanging curve out of the financial ballpark.

A Virginia veterinarian named Steve Munsey watched fish in private ponds eating pelletized commercial fish food and had the same idea everyone else in that situation has had – what I need is a lure that looks like fish food.

Fly fishermen have tied flies to resemble tiny little brown chunks of fish food. Others have tightly bound fish-food pellets into a small piece of pantyhose and threaded it onto a hook. I've tried, unsuccessfully, to super-glue fish food to a hook and have cut brown plastic worms into fish-food-sized chunks.

Munsey took it a step further. He took actual fish food and mixed it with some form of natural rubber latex to create what is essentially a soft, flexible chunk of fish food that's easily threaded onto a small hook and, once there, incredibly hard to remove.

"I actually got the idea because my daughter and three of her friends wanted to go fishing when they graduated from high school," said Munsey. "I took them to a friend's pond where there was a fish feeder. There were plenty of fish, but the girls didn't catch them because the fish were so fixated on the feed they refused to bite anything else."
Like the rest of us who have been frustrated at the selective, piranha-like feeding frenzy when an automatic feeder dispenses pellets, Munsey was unable to get actual fish food to stay on a hook. Thus began a three-year quest that evolved into Stubby Steve's, The Artificial Fish Food Lure.
Fish feeders are very popular on private lakes, where growth rates of fish like bluegills and channel catfish can be considerably enhanced by feeding them a couple of times a day. A one-pound bluegill is a rare commodity in nature, but fish that size are common in lakes where the bluegills are fed.
"I knew that there are millions of private lake managers using feeders," said Munsey. "I figured if I could get their business, that's all the business I'd want."

A funny thing happened once Stubby Steve's got into the consumer's hands, however. Anglers discovered fish food attracted fish that had never seen it before. Munsey's website includes testimonials from anglers who have caught a huge variety of species, both wild and hatchery-raised, on his product.

He admits largemouth bass seem less influenced by odor than species like bluegills and other sunfish, channel catfish, crappie, trout and carp, but he's heard from bass anglers who use the Stubby Steve's as an additive to a traditional bass lure.

Munsey, who holds degrees in animal nutrition, thinks the shelf life of his product is about one year, assuming it's stored in a cool, dry place. Shelf life is one reason you may never see Stubby Steve's in major sporting goods stores.
"When we sell it via the website, we're shipping out orders of fish-food lure that were made two weeks earlier," Munsey said. "I hope to make a profit one day, but I'm also interested in helping people, particularly children, enjoy their fishing experience."

A resealable bag of Stubby Steve's costs $4.99 and contains 20 of the lures, which are light enough to be cast on a fly rod and will float a small hook. Munsey generously supports youth fishing events and welcomes inquiries via the website, www.stubbysteve.com.

Excellent article George. I read Ray's stuff regularly. I used some Stubby Steves last weekend for the first time and used the same small pc this weekend. It worked great on my 6 mo old gills.

Thanks for sharing George! Mr. Sasser wrote such a great article!
Stacy

Thanks George.

I've got some Stubby Steve's in the Traveling Lure Box, and I don't plan to use them!

Ok. I probably got somebody's attention with that. I want more people to enjoy what they can do. I'll use my personal supply to allow more people to sample the ones in the kit.

I hope to get a few minutes of fishing in this evening.

Ken

Congratulations Stacy - I posted that just for you ...

You spoil me George!!!
That's so neat you guys added us to the The Traveling Lure Box... it's an honor! We love following along with the stories!

If somebody needs some fresh SS to put in the box, let me know... I'll get it right out to ya!

Speaking of Stubbys. I caught this little fella to today.

I've still got too many in the pond. Getting toooo hot for them to survive...


About 17-18" and 2.5-3 lbs.

Awesome trout, Randy.
Did someone mention 1# bluegill on Stubby Steve's?










Note the small size of the head and tail on the very young male in the center. He had some good growth potential. He hasn't even figured out that he should be sporting spawning colors, but was full of milt.
That is a long, thin salt water blade on the knife.

Randy man i can believe you got trout still always later than folks think but can't believe you caught them in this heat. This shows the power of SS they are seriously stressed right now but yet abel to convince to bite. Awesome fish.

I had my best sell ever today. Sold the county 15 packs for upcoming kids rodeo told them how much easier it would be not baiting a worm after every catch.

Wow Burger! Those are some awesome bluegill!!! I've never seen any that size.....
Beautiful fish Rmedgar! Great photos guys!

Hey Greg! Good grief! You need more packs? Thanks so much for all you do

I added two new species to my Stubby Steve's list tonight:

Theo your a stud so what is total species up to now?

6. I still need to get one of my pellet trained Redears on a Stubby Steve's. But the Smallie was a nice surprise.

So does that saltwater blade work pretty good for BG?

Where could one purchase a set for himself?

Thanks

Nice fish, Theo. I notice that you and DIED put the SS up on the shank of the hook. Is that a baitholder hook, Or did the fish knock it up there?

MRHELLO, the salt water is just sharper and has smaller teeth. It has worked better for me on the Mr Twister. Got this at Academy.

After last year, I listened to george and got baitholders for my SS. I want to get some number 8's or maybe 10's and see if they do better on BG than the 6's I've got now.

I use on #8 short shank hook quite well. Stacy we got 7 bags left so hope to order soon.

BM, let me butt in here for a momento. I use #8 & sometimes smaller when I'm
fishing for the small bream that we use for striper fishing, and I have caught at
least ten 2.5# trout on those little hooks. I always bait on the end and the fish usually
knock it up the shank. That is all..10-4.......

I think I will start using baitholder and place them up the shank to fish for lmb or hsb. HSB are the problem. Whenever there is commotion around the pier/feeder, or even when they hear the buggie(UTV) pulling up, you can see the wakes from them coming in from the center of pond. There have already been too many lost by strightened hooks.
I never use smaller then #4 hooks on BG. I just put out a bait trap to catch live bait. SS over a smashed barb on #4 work well on BG, even catch 4-5 inches to maim and return to water.

Nice photos Theo. Better yet, NICE fish! I hate to show my ingnorance but what are the two fish? (I have limited knowledge on fisheys )

Way to go Theo! What were the dimensions of those beauties?

What a treat, I get to see some true bullgills and finally know what Burger looks like. Pretty onery if you ask me.

What a treat, I get to see some true bullgills and finally know what Burger looks like. Pretty onery if you ask me. [/quote]
TJ, have you been talkin to my wife?

http://www.ornery.org/about.html

Great pics Theo and Burger.

Theo how about an update on the SMB/YP/RE pond ?

Burger those Double Burger pics are worth at least 10X what ever you paid for the pond , fish and accessories. You are growing some top notch CNBG.