I wonder if a small pine cone or some other natural object would work? 

anadr, i wrote earlier about how i watched spookie steelies spread away from a lost bobber floating down the stream so i do believe color does have something to do with it along with the size. of course a big splash on entry makes a differance. the more natural something lands in the water the less spookier the fish. i never understood why most bobbers have neon or bright colors over at least halk it's body???  i would of loved to try to get a steelie to take an emerger, some day i will, i have no doubt. don't laugh at the guy tossing dry flies out to steelies every once in a while this year. it might be me....~dt

Loomis,
 
Soft hackles can be absolutely deadly on steelies.  I started using them a couple of years ago on the advice of a friend and have had great luck. Olive is a hot color as well as some of the other more classics like partridge and orange, partridge and green and black on black.

if you guys want to float tube for large mouth and big blue gills and crappies with home made cork poppers, let me know this summer. i'd name the place but there'd be 600 cars, 300 canoes, 100 float tubes...ect.. ~dt

I wonder if it would work to take a foam float and "paint" it with...say a brown magic marker so it looks more "natural" compared to orange and white?