Fish decoys made of shell have been found on archaeological sites in the states of Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, and Nebraska. The decoy was tied to a string dangled from a short stick and moved, or “jigged” in the water through a hole cut in the ice.
When a fish came up to investigate, it was stabbed with a short spear. Our ice fishing decoy is made from fresh water mussel shell, just like the originals, and comes with a stick and string for demonstration.