Beautiful nice size Rainbow Trout carving on plaque by Mike Borrett (born 1960), Oregon, Wisc. Circa less then 20 years old. Ink signed signature on bottom. Paint is superb and all original, very rich in color with perfect lifelike detailed colors. Glass eyes and carved fins. As someone who ships fish plaques fins are always a problem. Mike ingeniously fixed this issue with lead pectoral and pelvic fins that bend and still retain his awesome paint job. Beautiful surface. Overall plaque measurement is about 14 3/4 inches long and 18 inches fish length. This is quite a stunning carving for the price. This is third group of fish plaque pieces I have had by Mike and have seen other pieces he has done and he is a outstanding talent. He is a award winning carver and has done several Wildfowl pieces for Ducks Unlimited. Very good buy here with a great look. More pics available.
$650

Super nice Rainbow Trout fish spearing decoy by Jack Eddy (1938-2013), Cheboygan, Mich. Circa 1987 and purchased directly from him in 1987. This fish has mint all original paint and condition. Paint is clean and strong with good use of colors and nice brush work. Measures approx 7 1/4 inches long and retains 7 metal fins and a metal tail with a double wire line tie. Perfect carved eyes with nicely done double carved gills and mouth. Unusual to see a curved body fish like this with metal tail. For more info see: "Transitional Fish Decoy Makers" by Gary Miller in NFLCC Magazine, December, 2005, pp 6-17. Jack was a 3rd generation carver but top notch from Tower school of makers. He was winning awards as early as 1952. He grew up with Marvin Mason Jr and fished and made decoys with him. Good piece here by a known maker for the spearing decoy collector and collectors of American Folk Art. Nice buy here. More pics avail.
SOLD!

Scarce "ANTIQUE FISHING REELS", by Steven K. Vernon. Printed in 1985. Outstanding and must have collector book that covers detailed history of the U.S. company patented reels thru 1920. 191 pages with hundreds of illustrations. 7 1/2" X 9 1/2" in hard cover format with nice original dust jacket. Excellent near new condition. A must have reel book for all collectors of early U.S. reels. Just 1 copy available.
$45

Super nice Atlantic Salmon fish spearing decoy by David Bush, Adirondock Mountains, NY. Signed and dated 2024. This Salmon has excellent all original paint and condition with perfect color and detail with a nice soft surface. Paint is clean strong and minty and great use of natural grain to make beautiful swim form. Measures approx 13 1/2 inches long and has 7 aged copper fins and a wooden tail. Very nice detailed double gill and mouth carving. David is a carver of folk art and collector of old fish decoys and is carving a couple of pieces just for this website! Really outstanding work here for the spearing decoy collector and collectors of Contemporary American Folk Art. Nice buy here. More pics avail.
$265

Super nice and earlier large size Perch fish spearing decoy by Oscar Peterson (1887-1951), Cadillac, Mich. Measures 9 1/8 inches long. Circa 1930's. This fish has an excellent surface, the paint is original and exceptionally clean, and very strong with excellent color and brush work and nice original varnished finish with some paint loss on fins and belly weights. I purchased this fish from auction house as 100% original but it does have touch ups to top and bottom tips of tail and area along back at line tie that were not described but still a great large perch. This fish is a flat tack eye model with typical Peterson carved gills and mouth. Has all 7 original metal fins with some paint each. Mostly small areas where fins meet body which is typical, more pics avail. See Ron Fritz's excellent book "Michigan's Master Carver OSCAR W. PETERSON ", for like examples. Any Oscar Peterson in condition this clean, strong and honest is desirable and very scarce to find in this larger size. This fish is guaranteed 100% and would make a nice addition to any old fish decoy collection. More pics avail. This is a beauty and one of the better Peterson fish I have had in quite awhile!
SOLD!

Scarce "FISH MODELS, PLAQUES & EFFIGIES, Angling Art: Sculpture & Painting", by the late Ronald Swanson and has been signed, #45 of 500 printed. Printed in 2009. Outstanding and must have collector book that covers very detailed history of the art of fish. 245 pages with hundreds of illustrations. 7 1/4" X 10 1/4" in hard cover format with hard slip cover. Excellent new condition. A must have in depth book for all collectors of fish art. Just 1 copy available.
$145

Very early Falls City WADE~IN bait pail. Circa pre-1920. Very good plus all original condition with all original paint & gold stencil lettering. Great surface on this one. Paint is dark green with nice old patina. Lettering is gold stencil & is all readable. Size is #1 & great made in the USA workmanship. Measures approx 8 inches tall & 5 1/2 inches wide & is oval in shape. Retains all of the interior screen separator. Only thing missing on this one is original rope. Good early piece here in very nice all original condition. Neat vintage addition for any fishing lure, folk art or sporting collectible collection. More pics avail.
SOLD!

Very rare and very early "Irwin Perch #64" spearing fish decoy by Edward Irwin (born 1843) from the Chautauqua Lake region of New York. Ex- Charles Magin collection and pictured in his book on page 38. Circa pre-1905, that is when spearing was outlawed in NY. Paint is all original with minimal wear and structurally excellent with a excellent surface. Measures approx 7 inches long. Has original brass dome tack eyes and 6 brass metal fins and a classic leather tail which is used only in this region. Has carved gills and mouth. Has thru body line tie and single poured lead weighting in bottom. Chautauqua Lake fish decoys are classics and Irwins are some of the hardest to aquire. Spearing was outlawed in 1905 and very few examples have survived, especially in this outstanding of original condition. So hard to find but very exciting to collect these. This fish is ex-collection of Charles Magin and exact fish is pictured on page 38 of his new book "The Charles Magin Collection of Lake Chautauqua Fish Decoys". A rare opportunity to aquire a Edward Irwin fish from his collection that is published. More pics avail on this classic beauty
$4500

Two old spools of silk casting line. COHANTIC LINE COMPANY, Phila, PA. Circa pre-1920. Very good plus all original condition & both spools full. Both retain full paper labels on side shown, on other side Dowagiac spool missing approx 5% of label & white spool missing approx 40% of label, more pics avail. Good pieces here with good labels & full of original line. Neat addition for any fishing lure or sporting collectible collection. More pics avail.
SOLD!

Minty and very scarce Smelt fish spearing decoy by Marvin "Mase" Mason (1941-2010), Tower, Mich. One of just 2 Smelt ever made by Mase. This fish has excellent all original paint and condition. Paint is minty clean and strong with good use of colors and nice brush work. Measures approx 6 3/4 inches long and retains all 7 metal fins and metal tail and double line tie and carved or tack eyes. Good listed maker piece here for the spearing decoy collector and collectors of American Folk Art. Nice buy here. More pics avail.
$375

Superb and scarce Lake Trout fish plaque by Lawrence Irvine, Winthrop, Maine. Signed by maker on the back, circa 1950-70s. Excellent all original paint and condition. Fish measures approx 24 inches long, overall plaque size is approx length 33 inches. Very cool carved eyes full body style with 5 wood carved fins and wooden tail. This is a neat piece and Lake Trout by Irvine are harder to find. Irvine's work is very collectable and highly sought after. Great addition to any collection, if the duck decoys are wearing you down this will surely please. More pics avail.
$1250

Rare HEDDON "TADPOLLY" 5000 model bait in rare "red-scale" color, with original box. Circa 1920. Excellent plus condition, perfect glass eyes & "L-rig" hardware. Rigged with double hooks. Color is strong, clean & superb, with pin head size varnish flakes from age. Has original "down-bass" box but # is hard to now read from how I displayed, but is original. A rare & superb lure for any collection & one of the tuffest colors.
SOLD!

Scarce "THE PEPPERS OF ROME, NY", by Jack Gallagher with Larry Mayer. Printed in 2006?. Outstanding and must have collector book that covers very detailed history of the Pepper fishing gear. 116 pages with hundreds of illustrations. 8 1/2" X 11" in soft cover format. Excellent near new condition. A must have in depth book for all collectors of Pepper's fishing gear. Just 1 copy available.
$45

Scarce natural sided open mouth Pike fish spearing decoy by Wyman G. Fiske, Traverse City, Mich. Circa less then 50 years old. "WF" stamped in bottom. This fish has mint all original paint and condition. Measures approx 7 inches long and retains all 6 metal fins and metal line tie with wooden tail. Cool deeply carved gills and open mouth with original glass eyes. Wyman carves in the "Cadillac Style". Good piece here for the spearing decoy collector and collectors of American Folk Art. Nice buy here. More pics avail.
$250

Early wooden fishing bobber. Probably made by the IDEAL FLOAT Co., Richmond, VA. Circa WWII vintage. Mint all original paint & condition. Great surface on this one. Paint is yellow with black, red and blue stripes. Retains original red adjuster ball. Measures approx 6 3/4 inches long and body of bobber measures approx 4 inches long. You can date his one to WWII vintage because of the lack of any metal on bottom side of bobber, usually a wire loop. Good early piece here in mint all original condition, you don't find them any better condition then this one, especially with such great color combo. Neat vintage addition for any fishing lure, folk art or sporting collectible collection. More pics avail.
SOLD!

Scarce "Saginaw Spot-Tail" factory fish spearing decoy card of 6 by Martin Pestrue (1884-1953), Standish, Mich. Circa 1945-50. Signed on Back "M. Pestrue, Standish". These unused old/new stock marketing cards were found at his estate when he passed in 1953. Rare color combo here, Red head and tail with silver body and yellow dot on tail. Much less common then the silver version. These fish have excellent all original paint and condition. Measures almost 6 inches long each. Good info about the maker/company is in Frank Baron's excellent "Commercial Fish Decoys" book. Good piece here for the money as condition is excellent and great collector color. More pics avail.
$475 for all 6

Rare "MEISSELBACH and Meisselbach-Catucci Fishing Reels, A COLLECTORS GUIDE", by Phil White and this copy is signed. Printed in 1995. Outstanding and must have collector book that covers detailed history of the company and profusely illustrated with many old ads and patent info. 158 pages with hundreds of illustrations. 8 " X 10 1/4 " in hard cover format. Excellent near new condition. A must have reel book for all collectors of early high quality reels. Just 1 copy available.
$125

Rare and earlier fish spearing decoy by Fred Lexlow (1888-1971), Bovey and Balsam Lake, Minn. Circa 1940's. This fish has excellent all original paint and condition with very minimal flaking or wear which is rare to find on a fish of this vintage. Paint is extra clean and strong with good brush work in this classic rarity. Measures approx 6 1/2 inches long and retains all 7 original metal fins and tail with lite wire loop line tie. Perfect taxidermy glass eyes. Tail has bend in metal on top section but I'm not going to straighten and risk paint loss, and a couple small areas of a rust stain. Fred worked in the mines as a time keeper, he later owned a candy store. Fred later became a recluse and moved to his cabin on Balsam Lake and where he made most of his art and decoys. He never made a lot of fish and would trade many of them for drink at a local tavern as he didnt drive to sell at the bigger city stores. His paint is fascinating and has a unique translucence that was probably because he got paints from his daughter who worked at the Walt Disney art department. Fred Lexlow fish decoys are true classics and highly sought by spearing decoy collectors and collectors of American Folk Art. Rare and excellent piece here for the money and great example of a Minnesota classic. More pics avail.
SOLD!

Scarce and superb "ICE KING MODEL #101, type 1" wooden Muskie factory fish spearing decoy by "Bear Creek Bait Co", Kaleva, Mich. Circa 1945-48. Nice color combo here and never fished condition. This fish has excellent all original paint and condition. Measures almost 7 inches long. Good info about the maker/company is in Frank Baron's excellent "Commercial Fish Decoys" book. Good piece here for the money as condition is perfect and great collector color. Probably the most sought/collected of the commercial makers. More pics avail.
SOLD!

Early wooden fishing bobber. Probably made by the IDEAL FLOAT Co., Richmond, VA. Circa WWII vintage. Excellent all original paint & condition. Great surface on this one. Condition is really nice, looks unused except for a few small dents in fattest blue part of body, probably from rolling around in a tackle box, still pretty excellent overall. Paint is white with black, red and blue stripes. Retains original red adjuster ball. Measures approx 7 inches long and body of bobber measures approx 4 inches long. You can date his one to WWII vintage because of the lack of any metal on bottom side of bobber, usually a wire loop. Good early piece here in excellent all original condition, you don't find them much better condition then this one, especially with such great color combo. Neat vintage addition for any fishing lure, folk art or sporting collectible collection. More pics avail.
SOLD!

Minty and very scarce Rainbow Trout fish spearing decoy by Sherman Dewey (1919-2003), Manistique, Mich. Finest known example and exact fish pictured page 42 of Kimball book 2. Stamped "DEW" in dorsal fin. This fish has excellent minty all original paint and condition. Paint is minty clean and strong with good use of colors and nice brush work. Measures approx 10 inches long and retains all 7 metal fins and wooden tail and single line tie and painted eyes. Good listed maker piece here for the spearing decoy collector and collectors of American Folk Art. Nice buy here. More pics avail.
$350

Earlier Perch fish spearing decoy by Gerhart Behrens (1905-1994), Burtrum, Minn. Circa 1940-50s. Rare wooden tail model. This fish has excellent all original paint and condition with some honest but slight paint loss on fins as would be expected of a fish that was used of this vintage. Paint is clean and strong with good use of colors and nice brush work. Measures approx 6 inches long and retains all 6 metal fins and line tie. Gerhart was a carpenter and later worked for highway dept. He started making decoys in the 1930s and got the princely sum of $3 each. Very neat form and paint style on this one. Good piece here for the fish spearing decoy collector and collectors of American Folk Art. Nice buy here. More pics avail.
$350

Scarce hardback copy of AMERICAN FISH DECOYS by Steven Michaan. Limited printing in 2003. Excellent conditon, I have a few copies still in original shrink wrap. This is one of the best photographed & layouts I have seen in any sporting collectable book. The photography is awesome & Michaan is very well known for his fish decoy knowledge & collections, all together it makes for a great & must have book of some of the finest known examples of fish spearing decoys in existance. Has chapters on American fish decoy history, New York fish decoys, Oscar Peterson decoys, Mt Clemens fish decoys, Hans Janner fish decoys, & Michigan styles of fish decoys. The top makers & some very rare examples are presented thru out this 208 page book. Measures approx 12 1/4 X 10 1/2. Don't miss out on this one, this is a very hard book to find. Price includes shipping to lower 48.
RARE OFFERING!
CURRENTLY SOLD OUT!

Very pretty multi color Chub fish spearing decoy by Kevin Renner, Fayette, OH. Circa less then 20 years old. This beautiful fish has excellent all original paint & condition with stunning color and detail. Paint is clean strong and minty. Measures approx 3 7/8 inches long and has 8 painted metal fins and a wooden tail. Cool looking piece here for the spearing decoy collector & collectors of Contemporary American Folk Art. Nice buy here. More pics avail.
$150

Very early and rare Musky fish spearing decoy by Harv Andersen (1893-1988), Manketo, Minn. Circa 1920's. Exact fish pictured in "Hunting and Fishing Collectibles" March/April 2007, along with good story on this interesting fish decoy maker. This fish has excellent all original paint and condition with only fault of top tip of tail broke off and was reattached (you can see fine line in upper tail in photo above). Paint is very clean and super strong with good use of colors and nice brush work including some very delicate cross hatch scaling pattern. Measures approx 5 inches long and retains all 7 metal fins with wooden tail and both original black bead eyes. Most paint still intact on fins. Harv led a interesting life which is covered in the magazine article. His father abandoned the family in 1909 when Harv 16 years old. He became responsible for helping feed his mom and 10 other brothers and sisters. His shooting of a duck with a borrowed gun that he saw while walking to store to hopefully get some food on credit led to his lifelong love of everything hunting and fishing. Very rare classic maker piece here for the spearing decoy collector and collectors of American Folk Art. Rare buy here of a fish almost 100 years old. More pics avail.
$1950

Scarce limited edition copy of "HOOKED ON WOOD, The Allure of the Fish Decoy". Limited edition of 1000 copies that were printed in 2012 for the exhibition of fish decoys at the Center for Art in Wood, Philadelphia, PA. Excellent conditon and very limited quanity available. The top makers & some very rare examples are presented thru out this 50 page book. Almost all photos and all in colorMeasures approx 8 1/2 X 5 1/2. Don't miss out on this one, this is a very hard book to find.
SOLD OUT!

Early Rainbow Trout fish spearing decoy by James "Jim" Pullen (1917-1997), Cadillac, Mich. Pre signature period. This fish has mint all original paint and condition. Measures approx 7 1/4 inches long and retains all 6 metal fins with dorsal line tie. Cool tiny open mouth and gill carving with deeply painted eyes. Has a few small paint flakes on fins but probably never fished. Jim fished with many of the oldtime classic decoy makers of Cadillac and Oscar Peterson was his mentor. He carved mostly in the Cadillac style for most of his early carving years but developed his own style in the later years. Good piece here for the spearing decoy collector and collectors of American Folk Art. Nice buy here. More pics avail.
$225

Scarce "COLLECTOR'S GUIDE TO ANTIQUE FISHING LURE COLORS", by Terry Wong. Printed in 1997. Outstanding and must have collector book that covers very detailed history of the color codes and lure numbers of Creek Chub, Heddon, Pflueger, Shakespeare and South Bend. Loads of color photos and illustrations. 8 1/2" X 11" in soft cover format. Excellent near new condition. A must have in depth book for all collectors of fishing lures. Just 1 copy available.
$45

Scarce Vibra-Coy Chub fish spearing decoy in original picture box by "BLACKHAWK ENTERPRISES", Edgerton, Wisc. Circa 1951, this is earliest version ot this unique decoy. Nice color combo here and "new/old stock" in never fished condition. This fish has excellent all original paint and condition. Measures almost 6 1/2 inches long. These are actually pretty hard to find with original box and being such a early version. Good info about the maker/company is in Frank Baron's excellent "Commercial Fish Decoys" book. Good piece here for the money as condition is excellent. More pics avail.
$250

Awesome Giant Snakehead fish carving on plaque by 2022 World Champion carver Scott Cronshaw, Easton, MD. Signed on back, circa 2020. Paint is superb and all original, very rich in color with perfect lifelike detailed colors. Glass eyes with carved scales and carved lead sheet fins to avoid breakage. Beautiful surface. Overall plaque measurement is about 42 inches long and 36 inches fish length. This is quite a stunning carving for the price. I just got 3 of his fish plaques and can tell you they are outstanding workmanship for the price. Scott is a outstanding talent, carpenter by trade with meticulous eye for detail. Snakeheads have become a detrimental pedator to native species in the Chesapeake Bay tributaries and has increased quickly in large numbers as they spread. It all started with the release of a few in a small trout stream in Maryland that a man bought at a live seafood market to eat but changed his mind. He released instead. They are good eating but very harmful to native populations and "Kill when caught" is law in the area now. Very good buy here with a great look. More pics available.
$1500

Rare & very early "TROUT / PERCH #47" spearing fish decoy by Harry Seymour from the Chautauqua Lake region of New York. Ex- Charles Magin collection and pictured in his book on page 6 and 12. Circa pre-1905, that is when spearing was outlawed in NY. Paint is all original with minimal wear & structurally excellent with a excellent surface. Magin believes the black perch bars were a later addition but still predate 1905. Measures approx 6 3/4 inches long. Has original pellet tack eyes & 6 tin metal fins and a classic leather tail which is used only in this region. Has carved gills and mouth. Has thru body line tie and single poured lead weighting in bottom. Chautauqua Lake fish decoys are classics & some of the hardest to aquire and Seymours are the "gold standard" for which all others are compared. Spearing was outlawed in 1905 and very few examples have survived, especially in this outstanding of original condition. So hard to find but very exciting to collect these. This fish is ex-collection of Charles Magin and exact fish is pictured on page 6 and 12 of his new book "The Charles Magin Collection of Lake Chautauqua Fish Decoys". A rare opportunity to aquire a Harry Seymour fish from his collection that is published. More pics avail on this classic beauty
SOLD!

Near perfect mint Oscar Peterson (1887-1951), Cadillac, Mich., 8 1/8 inch Northern Pike fish spearing decoy. Circa 1930-40's. Near mint original paint & condition with some minimal honest age and edge wear but overall exceptionally nice surface and paint style on this beauty that looks as if never fished. Incredible surface and perfect patina with nice "Bear Paw" pattern side paint and nice black/yellow fin paint which is uncommon on a Pike. Bottom has a few spots of paint loss over belly weights and most of paint still on the fins and one tack eye has a small spot of paint loss. This fish is a tack eye model and has 7 metal fins with double belly weights. Nice forward slash gill carving and mouth carved with nice slash painting in front of gills. See Ron Fritz's excellent book "Michigan's Master Carver OSCAR W. PETERSON ", for like examples. Any Oscar Peterson this size and in condition this clean and strong is desirable & scarce. They are getting almost impossible to find for resale in original paint and in this condition. This fish is guaranteed 100%, & would make a nice addition to any old fish decoy collection. More pics avail.
SOLD!

Scarce "EARLY FISHING PLUGS OF THE U.S.A.", by Art and Scott Kimball and signed by Art. 3rd print in 1989. Outstanding and must have collector book that covers very detailed history of the Early Fishing Plugs. 232 pages with hundreds of illustrations. 8 1/2" X 11" in soft cover format. Very good but used condition. A must have in depth book for all collectors of early fishing lures. Just 1 copy available.
$65

Beautiful large Trout fish spearing decoy by Syl Burgess (unknown), Lake St Clair region, MI. Circa 1930's-40's. Signed in pencil by Burgess. Ex-Abner Voten collection. This super nice fish has a beautiful near mint surface that is all original. Paint is nearly mint, very clean, dry and strong with a beautiful surface and patina. Looks as if never fished and only fault is tail tips have been bumped. Measures approx 12 inches long and retains all 4 original metal fins and screw eye line tie. Has painted eyes. Couldn't really find much of anything on this maker with my limited fish decoy library but obviously a very nice fish with good age, paint and style. Very nice and very strong piece here for the fish spearing decoy collector and collectors of American Folk Art. Nice buy here as very rare to find a early fish signed liked this. More pics avail.
$450

Scarce Silver/White fish spearing decoy by "BOB'S FLY TYING SHOP", Ludington, Mich. Circa 1950's. They were only in business for a few years in the 1950's. Makers ink stamp on bottom and "NO. 2" also stamped on belly. Pretty color combo here with white head and white body with silver scaled finish. This fish has excellent all original paint and condition with painted gills and eyes. Only paint loss is on fins and tail and some bending done to the fins but easy fix. Measures almost 8 inches long but called the 7 1/2 inch model, I guess they measure to fork in tail. Hole in top of tail was to hang to dry buy could also be used to add yarn as a teaser or "blood" trail. These are actually pretty hard to find with Bob only being in business a few years. Good info about the maker/company is in Frank Baron's excellent "Commercial Fish Decoys" book. Good piece here for the money as condition is excellent. Part of a set of 3 just aquired. More pics avail.
$150

Very pretty orange Carp spearing decoy by Kevin Renner, Fayette, OH. Circa less then 20 years old. This Carp has excellent all original paint & condition with stunning color and detail. Paint is clean strong and minty. Measures approx 5 1/8 inches long and has 6 painted metal fins and a wooden tail. Cool looking piece here for the spearing decoy collector & collectors of Contemporary American Folk Art. Nice buy here. More pics avail.
$140

Beautiful and very fat Rainbow Trout carving on plaque by Mike Borrett (born 1960), Oregon, Wisc. Circa less then 20 years old. Ink signed signature on backside. Paint is superb and all original, very rich in color with perfect lifelike detailed colors. Glass eyes and carved fins. As someone who ships fish plaques fins are always a problem. Mike ingeniously fixed this issue with lead pectoral and pelvic fins that bend and still retain his awesome paint job. Beautiful surface. Plaque measurement is about 20 inches long and 22 1/2 inches fish length. This is quite a stunning carving for the price. This is first group of fish plaque pieces I have had by Mike but have seen other pieces he has done and he is a outstanding talent. He is a award winning carver and has done several Wildfowl pieces for Ducks Unlimited. Very good buy here with a great look. More pics available. See others currently available on "FISHING" page.
$750

Scarce "WINCHESTER FISHING TACKLE", by Phil White. Printed in 1997. Outstanding and must have collector book that covers very detailed history of Winchester fishing gear. 94 pages with hundreds of illustrations. 8 1/2" X 11" in soft cover format. Excellent near new condition. A must have in depth book for all collectors of Winchester fishing tackle. Just 1 copy available.
$65

Very beautiful Sucker fish spearing decoy by Ernest "Ernie" Peterson (born 1935), Newberry, Michigan. Circa 1980's, pre-signature timeline. This beautiful fish has excellent all original paint & condition with stunning color and detail. Paint is clean strong and minty. Measures approx 8 1/2 inches long and has 6 painted metal fins and a swimmer carved wooden tail. Very nicely done gill and mouth carving with perfect glass eyes. Ernie started carving around 10 years of age and has been on and off with it over the years. He carves few pieces a year and were only available thru a small handful of people. His work is fantastic and grace the finest collections. Info on him can be found online and in the Kimball fish collecting books and see: "Transitional Fish Decoy Makers" by Gary Miller in NFLCC Magazine, December, 2005, pp 6-17. Cool looking piece here for the spearing decoy collector & collectors of Contemporary American Folk Art. Nice buy here. More pics avail.
$250

Scarce "Strawberry Spotted" factory fish spearing decoy by "Randall Decoy Co", Willmar, Minn. Circa 1960, this is a harder to find color. Has $1.50 price embossd in belly weight. Nice color combo here and "new/old stock" in probably never fished condition. This fish has excellent all original paint and condition. Measures almost 7 1/2 inches long. Has some paint loss to lead fins. Good info about the maker/company is in Frank Baron's excellent "Commercial Fish Decoys" book. Good piece here for the money as condition is excellent and great collector color. More pics avail.
SOLD!

Earlier and nice Trout fish spearing decoy by Cyril Bethel (1900-1980), Park Rapids, Minn. Circa 1930-40s. Nice color combo here with two tone base with white dots. This fish has very good all original paint and condition with some small areas of paint loss mostly to fins but the small areas flaking on body are from age. Measures approx 5 1/2 inches long and retains all 7 metal fins and bent wire line tie. Painted eyes with a tiny open carved mouth and carved gills. Cyril was a classic maker and was the slightly younger brother of Pearl Bethel. He worked as a trapper and guide and charged $20 a day. In later years he charged $14 a dozen for his fish decoys. Cyril Bethel fish decoys are classics and highly sought by spearing decoy collectors & collectors of American Folk Art. Good piece here for the money and nice original condition. More pics avail.
$250

Minty and scarce 8 1/4 inch Golden Trout spearing decoy by Jim Nelson (1926-2013), Cadillac, Mich. Signed and dated 10/2003. This fish has mint all original paint and condition. Measures approx 8 1/4 inches long and retains all 8 metal fins with wooden tail. Cool deeply carved gills and mouth with glass eyes. Jim Nelson was a good friend of Oscar Peterson & they often carved and speared together. He was one of the last group of classic old time makers. For more info on Jim Nelson see: "Transitional Fish Decoy Makers" by Gary Miller in NFLCC Magazine, December, 2005, pp 6-17. Good piece here for the spearing decoy collector and collectors of American Folk Art. Nice buy here. More pics avail.
$195

Excellent red white spearing decoy by Dick E. Brown (1903-1990), Motley, Minn. Circa 1950-60's. This fish has excellent all original paint & condition with minimal edge wear from age. Paint is clean & strong with good form & surface. Measures approx 5 3/4 inches long and retains all 7 metal fins and screw eye line tie. Mr Brown was a WW2 vet and worked for the railroads from Chicago to Panama. He became crippled after a cyst operation on his spine in 1950s. That is when it is thought he started making decoys for sale. See Dr. Don Peterson's excellent article in Decoy Magazine Nov/Dec 2002 on Dick Brown and his decoys. Good known maker piece here for the spearing decoy collector & collectors of American Folk Art. Nice buy here. More pics avail.
$100

Rock Bass fish spearing decoy by Gerhard Behrens (1905-1994), Burtrum, Minn. Circa 1940-50s. Metal tail model. This fish has excellent all original paint and condition with some honest but slight paint loss on fins as would be expected of a fish that was used of this vintage. Paint is clean and strong with good use of colors and nice brush work. Measures approx 7 inches long and retains all 6 metal fins, metal tail and line tie. Gerhart was a carpenter and later worked for highway dept. He started making decoys in the 1930s and got the princely sum of $3 each. Very neat form and paint style on this one. Good piece here for the fish spearing decoy collector and collectors of American Folk Art. Nice buy here. More pics avail.
$325

Beautiful nice size Brown Trout carving on plaque by Mike Borrett (born 1960), Oregon, Wisc. Circa less then 20 years old. Ink signed signature on bottom. Paint is superb and all original, very rich in color with perfect lifelike detailed colors. Glass eyes and carved fins. As someone who ships fish plaques fins are always a problem. Mike ingeniously fixed this issue with lead pectoral and pelvic fins that bend and still retain his awesome paint job. Beautiful surface. Overall plaque measurement is about 17 1/2 inches long and 18 3/4 inches fish length. This is quite a stunning carving for the price. This is third group of fish plaque pieces I have had by Mike and have seen other pieces he has done and he is a outstanding talent. He is a award winning carver and has done several Wildfowl pieces for Ducks Unlimited. Very good buy here with a great look. More pics available.
$750

Super nice and large Brook Trout ice spearing fish decoy by Mark Bruning (1940-2022), Rogers City, Mich. Signed and scribed, dated 1992. This big Brookie has excellent all original paint and condition with stunning color and detail. Paint is clean strong and minty. Measures approx 14 3/4 inches long and has 4 metal fins and tail. Glass eyes with carved face detail. Very nice workmanship. Mark comes from a family that has been making fish decoys for many years. His father Ken was injured/paralized in the 1950s in a swimming accident. To make money for the family Mark would carve the decoys his father painted that are in huge demand today. Mark carved till he was drafted and became a MP until 1965. In 1965 he started raising Mink and Fox. When he returned returned from military he worked at a limestone quarry and worked there for 30 years and carved and painted a few decoys for sale. He was a noted fish decoy maker and his decoys were widely collected. Cool looking piece here for the spearing decoy collector and collectors of Contemporary American Folk Art. Nice buy here and big enough to eat. More pics avail.
SOLD!

Scarce "HENDRYX METAL LURES", by the late "Doc" Herr. 1st edition 1986. Outstanding and must have collector book that covers very detailed history of the HENDRYX fishing lures. 104 pages with hundreds of illustrations from old catalogs. 6" X 9 1/2" in soft cover format. Excellent near new condition. A must have in depth book for all collectors of rare Hendryx fishing lures. Just 1 copy available.
$35

Excellent Silver Shad spearing decoy by Lawrence "SLIM" Brinkman (1905-1976), NSt. Cloud, Minn. Circa 1940-50's. This fish has excellent all original paint & condition with minimal edge wear from age. Paint is clean & strong with good form & surface. Measures approx 6 1/2 inches long and retains all 4 metal fins and screw eye line tie. Very cool deeply carved eyes, carved open mouth and curved wooden carved tail. Good earlier well known maker piece here for the spearing decoy collector & collectors of American Folk Art. Nice buy here. More pics avail.
$150

Very cool and high quality red head fish spearing decoy by unknown maker but reminiscent of Faue. Most likely Minn. Circa 1930-50's. This fish has excellent all original paint and condition. Paint is strong and clean with a great surface. Good mix of red head with cream and gold mollted body paint. Has deeply carved eyes with nail or metal rivits inserted. Measures approx 8 inches long and retains all the original strong metal body fins and tail with multi hole line tie. Cool looking earlier fish here for the spearing decoy collector and collectors of American Folk Art. Nice buy here. More pics avail.
$450

Rare " Fishing Tackle MADE IN MISSOURI History and Identification", Printed 1993 by Dean Murphy. Signed copy. Nice size with 114 pages with hundreds of nice photo's and history info from pre 1900. 8 1/2 " X 11" in soft cover format. Excellent condition. A great addition to any tackle collector history library. Just 1 copy avail at this time!
$65

Super nice Pike fish spearing decoy by John E. "Jack" Eddy (1938-2013), Cheboygan, Mich. Circa 1987. This fish has excellent all original paint and condition. Paint is minty clean and strong with good use of colors and nice brush work. Measures approx 10 inches long and retains all 6 metal fins and metal tail and double line tie and both original perfect glass eyes. Jack was one of the top makers from the "Tower School" along with the Mason's and Veihl's. Good listed maker piece here for the spearing decoy collector and collectors of American Folk Art. Nice buy here. More pics avail.
$385

Super nice Oscar Peterson (1887-1951), Cadillac, Mich., 9 1/8 inch Golden Shiner fish spearing decoy. Circa 1930's. Original paint & condition with some minimal honest age & fishing wear but overall exceptionally nice surface and paint style on this beauty. Incredible surface that is dry and very clean and perfect patina. Bottom area has old working touch up that is hard to see. Most of paint still on the fins. This fish is a tack eye model and has 7 metal fins with double belly weights. See Ron Fritz's excellent book "Michigan's Master Carver OSCAR W. PETERSON ", for like examples. Any Oscar Peterson this size and in condition this clean and strong is desirable & scarce. They are getting almost impossible to find for resale in original paint. This fish is guaranteed 100%, & would make a nice addition to any old fish decoy collection. More pics avail.
SOLD!

Earlier and mint large Walleye fish spearing decoy by Jim Nelson (1926-2013), Cadillac, Mich. Circa 1986-91. This is a earlier signed but not dated fish. This fish has mint all original paint and condition. Measures approx 7 1/4 inches long and retains all 7 metal fins and metal line tie with wooden tail. Cool deeply carved gills and open mouth with original tack eyes. Jim Nelson was a good friend of Oscar Peterson and they often carved and speared together. He was one of the last group of classic old time makers. Good piece here for the spearing decoy collector and collectors of American Folk Art. Nice buy here. More pics avail.
$250

"Michigan's Master Carver, OSCAR W. PETERSON 1887-1951", by Ron Fritz. Copyright 1987. The only book exclusively on one of the finest folk artist that ever made a fish decoy. Outstanding color photos & the most complete group of Peterson's work ever to be put in one book. 104 pages in hard cover format with original dust jacket. Very good condition with some expected wear to edges of dust jacket cover. A must have decoy book if you collect Peterson fish or folk art. First one I have had in a very long time!
SOLD!

Excellent & very scarce "Minni-Sac" from the M-D Mfg Co, Cambridge, O. Circa pre-1940. Excellent all original condition with all original stencil lettering and graphics intact. Great condition on this one. Canvas section is dark green with a dark green screening that pulls tight with coard. Lettering and graphics are yellow stencil & are all readable. Measures approx 6 inches tall in canvas bucket area and another 4 1/2 inches taller with the screened area pulled up. Measures about & 6 inches wide & is round in shape. Good early piece here in very nice all original condition. Neat vintage addition for any fishing lure, folk art or sporting collectible collection. Never seen another. More pics avail.
$85

Super nice Brook Trout fish spearing decoy by David Bush, Adirondock Mountains, NY. Signed and dated 2023. This beauty has excellent all original paint and condition with perfect color and detail with a nice soft surface. Paint is clean strong and minty and great use of natural grain to make beautiful swim form. Measures approx 14 1/2 inches long and has 7 aged copper fins and a wooden tail. Very nice detailed gill and mouth carving. David is a carver of folk art and collector of old fish decoys and is carving a couple of pieces just for this website! Really outstanding work here for the spearing decoy collector and collectors of Contemporary American Folk Art. Nice buy here. More pics avail.
$265

Scarce "AL FOSS", by Jim Frazier. Printed privately in 1985 and signed by author. Outstanding and must have collector book that covers very detailed history of the Al Foss fishing lures. 111 pages with hundreds of illustrations. 8 1/2" X 11" in soft cover format. Excellent near new condition. A must have in depth book for all collectors of Al Foss fishing lures. Just 1 copy available.
$55

Nice and early Pike fish spearing decoy by Randy Meloche, Ontario, Canada. Circa 1930-50's? I couldnt find any info on this maker. This fish has good all original paint & condition with only some very minor edge wear to fins and some to wood mostly on top right side but hard to see because of the color of the fish. Paint is clean & strong with good use of colors and brush painting work. Very cool inserted glass yellow bead eyes. Very nice surface with a nice patina. Very cool stylish carved gill and body, would have been very tempting to a winter hungry Pike or Musky. Measures approx 6 7/8 inches long and retains all 6 of the original painted metal fins with a wooden tail with a screw eye line tie. Has poured inletted belly weight with some small holes added towards bottom of head area that were done to adjust the swim. Cool looking piece here for the spearing decoy collector & collectors of American Folk Art. Nice buy here. More pics avail.
$375

Super nice Trout fish spearing decoy by Arnold "Hook" Peterson (1905-1993), Jennings, Mich. Measures approx 7 3/4 inches long. Has his "A.H.P." stamped in weight. Strong in style to his near by carving neighbor Oscar Peterson. No doubt who Peterson thought made the finest style to try and replicate in his own work. This fish has an excellent surface, the paint is all original and exceptionally clean, and very strong with excellent color and brush work & still has all the paint on belly weights. Painted eyes and retains all 6 original brass metal fins with carved curved wooden tail. Hook got his moniker due to a unfortunate accident with a gun in 1931. He has quite a cool history and a good piece on him by Gary Miller in Hunting & Fishing Collectible magazine, July-August 2013. Hook Peterson's fish are rarely found and this example is excellent and would make a nice addition to any old fish decoy collection. More pics avail. This is a great buy and top condition quality!
$175

Scarce "EARLY FISHING TACKLE OF NEW YORK STATE", Published by Jim Bourdon and signed by him. Printed in 1985. Outstanding and must have collector book that covers very detailed history of the NY made lures and reels. 83 pages with hundreds of illustrations. 8 1/2" X 11" in soft cover format. Excellent near new condition. A must have in depth book for all collectors of NY made fishing gear and put together by NFLCC. Just 1 copy available.
$35

Very nice silver fish spearing decoy by Frank Mizera (1898-1969), Ely, Minn. Circa 1930-50s. Scarce color combo here with silver base with red and black detail colors. This fish has very good plus all original paint & condition with only average wear from fishing use and small chip to top edge of tail but overall a super fish. Measures approx 8 1/2 inches long and retains all 4 metal fins and line tie. Painted tack eyes. Frank was a fishing guide most of his life after a job injury and commercially fished to sell smoked fish to the tourist in the neighboring Boundary Waters communities. He supplemented his income by making fish decoys and lures to sell as far south as the Twin Cities area. Frank Mizera fish decoys are classics and highly sought by spearing decoy collectors & collectors of American Folk Art. Good piece here for the money & scarce color by Mizera. More pics avail.
$300

Classic Red/White fish spearing decoy by unknown maker but probably a factory made piece and most likely Minn. Very much in the style of Louie Leach. Circa 1940-50's. Still has original price of 45 cents on bottom. Classic color combo here with red blended head and tail edge with white body with black gill and mouth. This fish has very good all original paint and condition with original yellow ball pin eyes. Measures approx 6 inches long and retains all 5 metal fins and screw eye line tie. Only fault is splintered edge on left side top but as found and not repaired. Louie and friends experimented with many styles of fish and this may be one of his experiments or someone copying it a bit because it worked. Good piece here for the money as condition and style is attractive and classic for the era. More pics avail.
$45

Very nice decoy carrier with 7 assorted decoys by Charles Spiron, Goldsboro, NC. Circa 1980's. Very stylish fish carvings in 11 by 18 inch box that includes 13 1/2 inch pike, 8 inch panfish, 7 1/2 inch trout, 5 1/2 inch Frog, 13 1/2 inch Smelt, 7 1/2 inch Bass and 7 1/2 inch Salmon. Paint is all original and have a nice mellow surface. Nice lifelike carving with all fins being painted metal with wooden tails. Tack eyes and each has a hand winder. Charles is a noted folk artist who has worked with a number of leading American museums, including Colonial Williamsburg, Winterthur, and the Smithsonian. He has made very few fish and this was a special order for a fishing Captain from NJ back in the 1980's. Wont find another set of these and almost 40 years old. More pics avail.
$850

Rare & very early "TROUT GRAY #72" spearing fish decoy by Harry Seymour from the Chautauqua Lake region of New York. Ex- Charles Magin collection and pictured in his book on page 6 and 13. Circa pre-1905, that is when spearing was outlawed in NY. Paint is all original with minimal wear & structurally excellent with a excellent surface. Magin believes a white belly wash was applied but still predate 1905. Measures approx 6 inches long. Has original pellet tack eyes & 6 tin metal fins and a classic leather tail which is used only in this region. Has carved gills and mouth. Has thru body line tie and single poured lead weighting in bottom. Chautauqua Lake fish decoys are classics & some of the hardest to aquire and Seymours are the "gold standard" for which all others are compared. Spearing was outlawed in 1905 and very few examples have survived, especially in this outstanding of original condition. So hard to find but very exciting to collect these. This fish is ex-collection of Charles Magin and exact fish is pictured on page 6 and 13 of his new book "The Charles Magin Collection of Lake Chautauqua Fish Decoys". A rare opportunity to aquire a Harry Seymour fish from his collection that is published. More pics avail on this classic beauty
SOLD!

Very rare Kingfisher 3 hook minnow in original box which is correctly marked. Red color with black handpainted mouth marks. Circa 1908-20's. Box marked 2208. Excellent all original condition with only fault is couple of small paint flakes to belly weight and very tiny one on nose. A few tiny varnish flakes but displays excellent with perfect glass eyes, bright clean hardware and beautiful deep red surface thats super clean and strong. Box shows some wear but is very rare addition to the lure. Kingfisher was a trademark name for Edward K. Tryon Company of Phil, PA. They are actually Pflueger products sold in Kingfisher boxes. Excellent piece here for collection and a great buy. More pics avail.
$475

Very cool flat head Gobie fish spearing decoy by Terry Mercher, Lake Simcoe, Ontario, Canada. Circa 1940's. This Gobie fish decoy is a total cheater with 3 sets of treble hooks. Finish is all original with only a varnish or shellac sealer over the natural wood. Surface is very nice with a good patina. Measures approx 4 3/4 inches long with a metal tail and 2 wedge style side fins, all are original. Very cool carved mouth and tack eyes. Has small adjustible angle line tie. Very neat fish with a really neat way the cheater treble hooks were wired across body in a homemade harness. Good piece here for the fish spearing decoy collector & collectors of American Folk Art. Nice buy here. More pics avail.
$175

Scarce Bass fish spearing decoy by Elman "Bud" Stewart (1913-1999), Flint, Michigan. Circa 1960-70's. This handcarved decoy has probably never been fished and has excellent all original paint with no chips or wear. Paint is clean & strong with good use of colors with folky painting including a "scaling" finish on the sides and sparkles added to side and belly. Measures approx 7 1/4 inches long. Bud Stewart was a true American Folk artist & his art was the beautiful lures and fish decoys that he made since the 1920s until retiring in 1980. He was named a "legendary angler" in 1984 by the National Fishing Hall of Fame at Hayward, Wisconsin, and he participated at the 1987 Festival of American Folklife in Washington, D.C. and at the 1987 Festival of Michigan Folklife in East Lansing. Scarce piece here for the fishing lure or spearing decoy collector & collectors of American Folk Art. Nice buy here & seldom seen offering at any price. More pics avail.
$400