Ice Fishing and Fish decoys

Fish decoys, in their present form and use, probably originated among the Native American of Alaska, Canada, and the Great Lakes region. The oldest examples in existence today were fashioned from stone, bones, antlers, and shells. We can assume that some of the earliest fish decoys were also carved from wood but did not withstand the test of time, as did those made from harder material.*

Winter spearfishing with the use of a decoy has long been a method of sport fishing. It was practiced in most of the Midwestern states, New York, and New England well into the twentieth century, and it still thrives today -- with some restrictions -- in Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.*

Decoys are used to lure pike, muskys, and sturgeon. While sturgeon decoys are large, and attract the fish probably from curiosity, pike and musky decoys are smaller, and attract these predators because they resemble natural prey. When the fish approaches the decoy, a spear is dropped through a hole in the ice and the impaled target is retrieved through the hole.

I don't ice fish and I don't agree with the philosophy of spearfishing. I believe it has a negative impact on the pike and musky populations, and therefore diminishes the quality of fishing with rod and reel. After all, there can be no catch and release when fishing with a spear.

I do, however, respect spearfishing as a time honored tradition in this country and hope that fish decoy carving remains as a form of American folk art.

The photos below show some examples I've carved from bass wood (Linden). Each is lead filled for balance in the water, and each sports copper fins which can be bent to fine tune the swimming action of the decoy. All tail fins are carved. Each decoy is painted with artist's oils and the eyes are either copper or plastic.

Remember these are working decoys and not exact representations, so don't view them with too critical an eye.

*Carving Fish Decoys A Traditional American Folk Art by James T. Cottle