Fish decoys were originally used by Native and Early American ice fishermen to lure food fish within range of their spears. Carved and painted to mimic the appearance and behavior of prey for pike and muskies, the hand-crafted fish decoy has become enshrined in American culture as a treasured form of traditional folk art. Although the practicality—and sanity—of ice fishing with spears is up for debate, traditional fish decoys have been the subject of a recent surge of interest and have become highly sought-after, both as collectables and to be used under the ice.

If you’re someone who appreciates traditional American folk art and you want to learn to carve your own fish decoys, then this is the book for you. Life-long fisherman and decoy-carving instructor James Cottle makes it fun and easy to get started, with detailed instructions, contextual information, history lessons, and tool tips and techniques.

This book contains 22 traceable patterns for decoys including trout, perch, bass, suckers, pike, muskies, sunfish, and walleyes, plus a mouse and a frog. Every step of the process is described clearly, with instructions that will guide you through cutting, carving, weighting, painting, and adding fins and tail to your decoy. Then it’s ready to use—on your mantel or underwater. With color photographs of finished decoys and tips for developing your own painting style, this is the definitive guide to making your own traditional fish decoys.