Fish Decoy Information
The art of making fish decoys is an old one. Starting with the indigenous people of the Great Lakes area of North America, it became popular with settlers (and in the Great Depression era). Today it is a practice mostly in disuse, though decoys have become collectibles.
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Features and Function
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Fish decoys were meant to look like prey (to lure larger fish), or to look like certain fish to attract that specific species. They were attached to a line (which was attached to a stick) and would be pulled about the water with the stick, to look like a living fish.
Fish decoys were used in a kind of spear fishing. The fish would be lured with the fish decoys, and would subsequently be speared after swimming into spearing range.
Invention
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The first fish decoys are credited to Native Americans of the Great Lakes. They would use such substances as bone, shells, wood or antlers as the medium for making the decoys. They would use them with winter spear fishing.
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Later History
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The first settlers known to have knowledge of fish decoy fishing were French settlers in the Lake St. Clair, Huron and Superior areas. Later, in the U.S. they became more common in such states as Vermont, Minnesota, New York, Michigan and Wisconsin. During the difficult times of the Great Depression, fish decoy fishing was a way to get food.
It wasn't until the late nineteenth century that companies started producing fish decoys. Until then, fishermen would carve their own fish decoys (though professional fish decoy carvers have existed).
Considerations
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Spear fishing (and therefore fish decoy fishing) is illegal in certain areas of the United States. This makes it necessary to check local regulations before spear fishing.
Significance
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Certain fish decoys are collectable today, spawning from an interest in fish decoys that began in the 1980s. Certain collectable names are Harry Seymour, Hans Janner, Isaac Goulette, Theodore Van Den Bossce and Gordon Pecore Fox.
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