Bud Stewart Wounded Sucker Decoy
Signed Bud Stewart Wounded Sucker Decoy are becoming increasingly difficult to find. Shown below in the gallery is a Signed Bud Stewart Spotted Sucker Dark House Ice Fish. Bud Stewart was from Flint Michigan, and who’s work can date back to the 30s. This fish is a very nice example. As with many antique lure makers & decoy carvers his work often has his signature spotted paint finish. Bud Stewart passed away in 2003 and since his works have been highly sought after.
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Hello and I loved your article. My name is Tom and I am 66 years old.
A short Bud Stewart story……
In 1979 I lived in Detroit and was just starting my electrical apprenticeship. The weekend came and a friend named Brad and I headed up to Fletcher’s Pond which was 7 miles long and actually the controlled floodwaters of the Thunder Bay River. It’s located just west of Alpena and feeds Lake Huron.
My friend and I had spent the morning fishing and caught several small Northern Pike using spinners and around noon we came to shore for a lunch break .
We were drinking a beer and enjoying the river scenery and actually saw a Snowy Owl perched in a tree and then a slim white-haired old guy came up to us and asked how we did fishing.
I told him that we caught just a few small pike and he answered back that there are large pike in the river and the best time to fish for them was in the winter through the ice with lures.
We talked for about an hour and he said his name was Bud Stewart and that he made his living making lures. He told us that he liked to make lures that looked like crippled frogs or fish.
I was 24 at the time and this old man was such a treat to talk to and he actually invited Brad and me to come back up in the winter to fish through the ice with him. He said he lived by the dam and that his wife would make dinner for us. He gave me his phone number and then headed on his way and so did we.
On Monday I went back to work on a GM construction site and when morning break came I sat down at the break table. Now I’m eating a sandwich and thinking about Fletcher’s Pond and what a nice weekend it was.
There were a lot of magazines on the table and one caught my eye. I think it was a Michigan Sportmen’s mag but I can’t be sure….. anyways, there is a picture on the cover of this white-haired old guy and the caption read…. “Michigan’s Legendary Bait Maker” and it was Bud Stewart.
That blew my mind and one regret in life that I have is not taking Bud Stewart up on his invite to ice fish the Thunder Bay River with him for big pike using his handmade lures. sincerely, tom mitre
Great Story Tom Thanks for Sharing!! Matt