Although fish decoys have been reintroduced in just the last 25 years or so, they have existed for thousands of years. This new-found interest in fish decoys, especially since the first book on fish decoys was published in 1987, has made older and better examples increasingly harder to find. AC1024 The use of fish decoys during the 20th century was probably at its height during the depression years when spearing for fish garnered both food and pocket money for a lot of people out of work.
Decoys range from just a few inches to over three feet.
Most are made from wood and are handcarved. The fish decoy is used as an attractor, just as a duck decoy is. The decoy is manipulated through a hole in the ice by a jig stick normally attached to the decoy by a fish line. The fisherman waits for his prey to come into view, the jig stick in one hand working a fish decoy, and a spear in the other. We have over one hundred old fish decoys for sale in our antique shop along with jig sticks and spears.