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Ice Spears
Native
American Sturgeon fishing spear, breakaway type.
Wood, iron and hemp twine. Width of head, 4.2 inches.
Made
by an unknown Native American blacksmith
(possibly Ben Ettawageshik)
at Cross Village, Michigan, circa
1900.
Ice
Spears are considered the essential tool of ice fishing
and many
experts consider them to be one of the
most dynamic forms of American
metalworking.
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Hans
Janner, Sr's Personal Muskelunge Spear |
12"
Wide, Stainless Steel, Steel and Lead |
circa
1930, |
Mt.
Clemens, Michigan |
Most collectors of fish decoys believe
Hans Janner's' Mt. Clemens fish decoys to be the best. So too
his spears. As shown above, Janner's spears possess an extremely
powerful, almost fluid design which marks him as a major metal
worker
A
"great" spear possesses many attributes, including
high grade metal, fine structural tines, imaginative barb work,
sharp points, a good shaft and a socket that can hold it firmly
in place. If all of these attributes are present, the resulting
spear will likely be well-balanced and have taken dozens of
hours to build. |
Spear
Box, Central Michigan Penisula, circa 1940
The
fish decoy and the spear each play an important role in spearing
prey. A decoy must deceive the predator into the shanty hole
and the spear must slice through the water quickly, make the
kill and then be strong enough to allow the catch to be retrieved.
Spears
are of many dfferent designs, but three basic sizes (width
of head) represent the fish they are best suited for. |
Small 3"
to 5" |
Medium 6"
to 8 " |
Large 9"
to 12" |
Perch |
Walleye |
Pike |
Herring |
Eel |
Muskelunge |
Whitefish |
Salmon |
Sturgeon |
Frogs |
Suckers |
Carp |
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Steel
spearhead forged from wrought iron barstool,
7"
wide |
Marked
"W.F. Hoppe" |
Circa,
1930 |
Saginaw
Bay, Michigan |
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Rare
Perch Spear 5"
wide (Augie Janner's personal spear) |
Hans
Janner, Sr. |
Circa
1940 |
Mt.
Clemens, Michigan |
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Cast
Iron Spearhead
4.5" wide |
Maker
Unknown, possibly J. Dever |
Circa
1930, |
Cadillac,
Michigan |
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Cast-iron
spearhead, 7.75" wide |
Abraham
de Hate |
Circa
1930 |
Mt.
Clemens , Michigan |
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Pierced
cast iron Spear, 5.5" wide |
Maker
unknown |
Circa
1920 |
Cadillac,
Michigan |
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Seven-tined
Spearhead, 7"
wide |
Imprinted
"W.H. Kellogg" on both sides |
circa
1920-25 |
Saginaw
Bay, Michigan |
Kellogg was the indisputed king of the Saginaw Bay spearmakers.
All of his spears were seven-tined and bore the name "W.H.Kellogg"
carefully stamped on both sides of the head.
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