Wow very nice decoys I really like the bass with the frogs by Dean Steffen. Thanks for letting us look.

Your welcome Jimmy. I recall a few years back you had posted some decoy pics, including that mobile I see in your avatar. Am I right about that?

By posting pictures of decoys now and again, I am hoping to get others to do the same so that we can all enjoy the really nice working and folk art decoys, spears and spearing equipment that is out there.

Early, i have that print at home. Its somethign that i look at every night. Its a awesome print.

BnS, It is by far my favorite outdoor print all time. Even before I speared, there was something about the print that really appealed to me. It embodies the freedom, solitude, independence, preparation and timelessness that is inherent in the outdoor experiences that many seek.

One thing I love in that particular print in the series is that the viewer doesn't know if the fish was harvested or not. You can imagine that if the fish was comming in slowly, the spearer must have a lot of hours in the house - and the enjoyment is in watching the fish, as you can tell that he is not on edge, meaning his feet are flat on the floor and his hand is still not even on the spear.

In the other prints in the darkhouse trilogy the fish is depicted as being harvested. The overall feel of the work is from a bygone era when spearing, angling and hunting were more likely to be considered an opportunity to harvest, in addition to the other aspects of the sport we seem to talk more about these days.

Your right, it is the best print out there. I have 8 prints from Les, hes a awesome painter

Yes I havent made any decoys in a few years I keep telling myself I need to get back to work. I still collect decoys and I will start making then again soon I hope. I will see if I can post a few of my collection as soon as I can figure out how. Thanks again for the wonderful pics.

when you say you collect them, how long have you been doing that!

How many do you have?

I would guess about 30 or so I only started collecting about 4 years ago. Most are contemporary, some are old not much value in the ones I have but I enjoy them. Most of the decoys I made were gifts, I don't think i have made more than 60 they are all signed Jimmy C. on the bottom if you find one.

I have benn collecting decoys for about 4 years now. I mostly collect contemporary decoys and get most of mine throught he decoy shows in Perham, Medina and Alex. I also pick up a few here and there at small bait shops that cater to spearers in the winter. I have purchased a few on [YouNeedAuthorization] and through correspondence with some of the carvers out there. I am glad people enjoy decoys and pictures of them. When I get the chance I will post a few more shots.

thats a great collection. I just dont have the time to do that kinda stuff but yet seem to collect a ton of it so ither way, its great to see others doing it as well.

Tom Christianson perch:
(he told me that he carved a few decoys out of this really old growth cedar log he found submerged in a river. If you look closely you can see some of the horizontal wood grain in the decoy)


Ron Jacobson perch:


Lori Dresch perch:


Bob Johnson perch:


Brad Lange perch:


Ziggy Obidzinski perch:

I have a couple of lori Dresch decoys a pike a perch and a crappi, I picked up in Caimbrige Mn. I also have a Tom Christianson Heddon replica decoy and an old south bend lure he repainted for me, He realy does some nice work. If some one could show me how to post photos I would love to share them. Thanks again for inviting me into your collection.

Nice looking stuff Early!

Jimmy, go to photosharing forum and check out the instructions there. Basically you have to upload your pictures to a photo hosting site like photobucket, copy the photo, and then paste to your reply.

Those Heddon replica decoys are pretty nice. Lori Dresch decoys are widely available in bait shops accross the state and they tend to swim realy well.

Shamalex,

Those are very nice. You are a talented man. Do you sell any of these?