RC, I think it comes down to the same idea I've seen discussed here before: Do fish have the capacity to learn?? I tend to believe they do, and I think what I'm seeing in my ponds may be a result of that.
I had to chuckle at your lazy fish comment, as I have wondered that exact same thing myself. Is it too much effort to pursue my bait, now that easy floating targets are distributed freely every evening? Does feeding to satiation in a smaller BOW make the fish less prone to be caught, simply because they're "full" most of the time?
I can't help but think that "Stubby Steve's" exist today because someone saw a need for the product, quite possibly due to experiencing what we are discussing right here.
