Bud Stewart Lures & Decoys bridge a few facets of our antique fishing lure hobby together in my opinion. The bring together not only antique fishing lures, but antique or dark house ice decoys. The difference in a lure and a decoy is semantics and verbiage and whether your using it as a noun or a verb. Either way dont get bogged down in the muck and mire and miss out on on the craftsman, artist and entrepreneur Elman Garfield Stewart.
Elman Garfield Stewart, affectionately known as “Bud Stewart”, was not only an American craftsman, his roots actually begin in Canada. Born in 1913 in British Columbia Canada. His parents would eventually settle in the late teens in the United States, in Flint. Flint is synonymous not only with Detroit, but with the auto industry. We see Flint mentioned quite often in recent years due to tainted and polluted water. How apropos, the we actually are speaking of a man who made his living off the water of the surrounding areas of Michigan.
Bud Stewart Lure & Decoy maker would get his start in the way many who would shape the fishing industry during the 20th century, his love of fishing. Folk Lore has it the Bud would save his money to buy a Shakespeare Swimming Mouse and that would be a catalyst for this artesian to build a better mouse trap. Bud would build his following and his clientele over the years the grass roots way. Bud Stewart would lead by example on the water, he would not only carve his lures for his own use, he would be very industrious in his approach and bring extra with him on his trips to the water. Allowing a curious fisherman to purchase his unique wares.
Buds first expose into a brick and mortar style business was believe it or not in a chicken coop. He would convince Ruby the shop owner to allow his to occupy and work out of Ruby’s chicken coop. in 1931, Bud would slowly build his empire one lure during a time when most we doing just the opposite. To have the faith, the determination, the skill and succeed at a time most business would fail in beyond the pale. Buds Crippled mouse would become the backbone of his business and success. The Rat man as he is known always took the approach of the wounded bait and or lure & decoy.
This would become Bud Stewart’s mantra, the wounded or crippled lure and decoy with what some might consider to be a graphic presentation. His work aimed to catch the Alpha predators of the deep. Being from Michigan Bud was fishing and providing fisherman lures and decoys to catch Big Game fish, Musky, Pikie, Walleye, Bass, the type of fish that jump at the opportunity to strike wounded prey. Bud would catch a lucky break like Jim Bagley of the Bagley Bait Company would, almost at the same time in 1956, when his advertisement for the Crippled Mouse and Wiggler would set Bud’s company on a trajectory for decades of success.
The lure that started it all for Elman Garfield Stewart “Bud”. The story is told that Bud saved his money to buy a Shakespeare swimming mouse. After purchasing it, Bud’s inner folk artist had to make a better more economical “for him” fishing lure, born was the Crippled Mouse.
The Bud Stewart Crippled Wiggler is one of the more widely changing or interpreted lure I feel in Bud Stewarts work. There are many variations and types of crippled wigglers that can be found. Some that I even think that are mice are signed Crippled Wiggler, so approach Stewarts work from a more abstract angle.
Remember were not talking about someone who was a mainstream corporate lure producer, like Heddon or Creek Chub. These lures were hand made at the beginning and for decades thereafter so much is left to artist interpretation. You have to remove the industrial mind set for repeating things exactly to appreciate and understand this antique fishing lure maker.
Besides the Ducks the Bud Stewart Snakes, Turtles and Frogs are my favorites. These are all large scale pieces of art the Bud has made not only beautifully but functional as Decoys as well. We see the maser level craftsman and artesian easily in his larger pieces.
Bud Stewart made lures for gamefish, his whole premise behind lures and decoys is aligned with the fish being a predator. Not the passive fish we envision today with characters like Nemo, but gamefish. Fish that will actively peruse wounded prey and opportunities to eat another fish or animal.
As stated above, there is technically only verbiage to separate the meaning of a Decoy or to Lure depending on weather ruse use things as a noun or verb. The fish decoy have no hooks, so I’ve classed them together in a group. Bud made some outstanding impression of Pike, Bass, Suckers and the like. He also made Decoys to imitate fish chasing fish as seen with his Double Trouble and Triple Trouble Decoy line up.
The Pad Hopper is another lure we see last for decades and come in many variations. From color schemes to size to hook placement the Bud Stewart Pad Hopper is a favorite among collectors and fisherman alike.
The Cockeyed Pad Hopper reminds me a of Surface type plunker lure. However, the face is angled down as well as there small wings that come out the side. There are two sizes of these shown.
