Single Artist Collection
An extraordinary museum-quality find for serious collectors of Midwestern folk art and antique darkhouse spearing memorabilia.
The Twin-Loop Rigging: Each decoy features the artist’s signature dual-wire loop eyelet line ties twisted tightly into the wooden spine. This allowed the fisherman to adjust the line clip placement to fine-tune the decoy's circular swimming radius under dark winter ice.
Swept-Wing Pectoral Fins: The front fins are hand-cut from the exact same gauge of textured, galvanized sheet metal, uniformly shaped with an identical swept-back aerodynamic profile.
Anatomical Consistency: All six follow a distinct torpedo body contour—thick and beautifully rounded through the gill area, tapering elegantly down into flat, stylized wooden tails.
The Paint Profile: While the primary camouflage coats vary to match different water clarities, the artist utilized the exact same bright cherry-red lacquer for the target spots, gill slashes, and mouth stripes across the entire master run.
The Spotted Silver Shiner (~5.5"): Heavily weathered silver base coat with dense red spot camouflage and unpainted metal fins.
The Spotted Brown Trout (~6.5"): Silver-bodied trout profile accented with a hand-carved adipose fin, red and yellow flank spots, and a bright yellow tail coat.
The Muted Shiner (~6"): Aged silver-grey base layer detailed with soft red spotting and weathered metal fins.
The Frog/Perch Hybrid (~5"): A vibrant emerald green solid coat accented with a sharp red snout, a red-tipped tail, and red-trimmed belly fins.
The Crimson Perch (~5.5"): A striking deep red/maroon body beautifully offset by rows of bright yellow high-visibility spots.
The Red-Head Perch (~7"): The largest masterwork in the run. Features a bold yellow body, a solid crimson red back stripe, red flank dots, and faint handwritten pencil/ink script from the artist on the belly.
Surface: Gorgeous, deep varnish crazing and natural "alligatoring" across the original paint finishes.
Field Use: Authentic wear from active darkhouse use, featuring historic paint flakes revealing the underlying bare wood grain (prominent along the belly seams, snouts, and flanks).
Hardware: The hand-fitted metal fins and wire loops have accumulated a rich, undisturbed oxidation layer and dark surface rust scaling that perfectly validates their age.
Located in Roberts, Wisconsin.
Store Hours:
Thursday–Friday: 10 AM–5 PM
Saturday–Sunday: 10 AM–3 PM
Monday–Wednesday: By appointment
Auctions • Consignment • Retail