January 20, 2022 at 11:06 a.m.
Fish Like a GIRL
Attracting fish through the years - the more things change, the more they stay the same
Fish Like a GIRL
By Beckie Gaskill-bjoki@lakelandtimes.com
Where the time goes is likely a topic for another column on another day, but I will always take any chance to look through old lures and research how fishing was done, whether successful or not, throughout history.
Not long ago I was rummaging through the "annals of history" at the Times office where books from the Wisconsin Historical Society Press and other local publishers have come to rest when, lo and behold, I found a book related to the history of fishing - on a topic I had not previously researched.
I had heard of fish decoys, of course, but honestly I had never given their use much thought. That was, until I came across a book published in 1988 by Aardvark Publications, Inc. from Boulder Junction. The book was entitled, "Fish Decoys of the Lac du Flambeau Ojibway." The authors are Art and Brad Kimball.
"The Lac du Flambeau fish decoy is made of wood and used in the traditional practice of spearing fish through the ice for food in the coldest winter months; its purpose to lure the fish into spearing range," the introduction of the book stated. The decoys themselves were made of wood and fibers of local trees. Modern goods, of course, have done away with many wood sculpting traditions, but the book pointed out that is not the case for Lac du Flambeau fish decoys.
Spearing fish through the ice, with the use of a dark hut to help the spearer see into the water, is likely one of the oldest forms of fishing on the continent. It is attributed to Northeast Asia where it has been noted among Anui, Tungus and Samoyed people. However, I learned that because the tradition does not go deeply into Asia, it may very well have been a construct of North American fishermen early on.
The book goes into some early fur traders and others who came to the area and learned the use of fish decoys from the Natives who were here. As a history lover, I could fully appreciate how important that sort of subsistence fishing would be to Native people and how it would have economic implications for them as well, trading fish for other needed supplies.
While the book was dedicated to the decoys themselves, it did also detail accounts of visitors to the area, seeing these methods for perhaps the first time with their own eyes. It seemed, at that time, an efficient way to procure a meal. Of course, by today's standards with everything from forward facing sonar to 360-degree views of the bottom of a lake, these older tactics would pale in comparison. However, to me at least, it is interesting to look back and to learn about how things were done. I marvel at how "cutting edge" things like this likely were in the day.
Not only was this an efficient way to provide food, but the craftsmanship of many of these old decoys is an art I was happy to hear has not been lost. In later chapters, the book details the development of fish decoys, which is still going on today. At least that was the case when the book was written in 1988, so I would imagine it is still an ongoing practice today.
The fins are carefully crafted to be exactly the same as they would be on a real fish. As of the book's publication, the fins were made out of a variety of materials, but I would imagine a bit more creative thinking had to go into creating the fins in years gone by.
Bodies are weighted now with lead to provide just the right buoyancy. Too little and the bait will float; too much and it will sink to the bottom. Even the placement of the lead in the body of the bait is important. Because lead was the most difficult material to obtain in historical times, natural materials were used such as stones. This would have meant the creator of the decoy would have to search for a stone of just the right weight, which may prove more time consuming than simply pouring the appropriate amount of lead into the bait.
Care was given even to create eyes that were as lifelike as possible. Now we have stick-on eyes that are used on soft plastic baits or even crank baits. The earliest eyes, the book noted, were likely carved with a knife or burned in with a hot object of some sort. Beads of various colors and sizes could also be put into the eye holes and pinned in or glued.
I was surprised to learn about scents that have been used in fish decoys. As a fisherman, I do think scent plays a role in catching fish, although I may never be sure which scent is the "right" scent. Scents apparently have been a "thing" for much longer than I would have imagined. Game fish do not necessarily always rely on their eyes to catch prey, especially under the ice where light is either limited or nonexistent. Instead, they use smell and sound to find a meal. For that reason, many anglers, even today, believe scent is an important quality in a bait. Certain plants, the book stated, have been used traditionally by both Ojibwa and Menominee tribal members as fish attractants.
"The dried root of the plant called migizowininsh, 'eagle's paw,' cut into small pieces and tied to a hook, line or spear, ensures success in fishing," was a quote from the book attributed to Diamond Jenness in his "The Ojibwa Indians of Parry Island, Their Social and Religious Life."
This brings something even a bit more interesting to mind. It is the old adage, "the more things change, the more they stay the same." As a lure maker, I think about many of the same things as these historical decoy carvers thought about all those years ago. The look, the color, the scent and the proper action of a decoy seen by early fur traders was just as important as it still is to a bass angler looking to hook into a big smallmouth or win a tournament.
The book was falling apart as I read it, but you can be sure I carefully slid each page back into its rightful place in the story, to be taken out again at some point in the future when I will revisit the stellar workmanship of fish decoys that were putting food on the tables of tribes such as the Lac du Flambeau highlighted in its pages.
I am not sure whether the book is still available, but reading it feels as though an important part of the history of the region is being unveiled on every page. I would imagine it has found its way into many libraries and other book repositories throughout the Northwoods, and I would recommend spending some time with it for anyone who enjoys history and fishing.
Beckie Gaskill may be reached at bgaskill@lakelandtimes.com or outdoors@lakelandtimes.com.
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