Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations New Stubby Steves works!

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!