MIKKO Type of Fish Decoys by Larry D. Christy ©2007
Before I try to explain what a MIKKO Type fish decoy is, I would like to provide a description of what a fish decoy is:
Originally Fish decoys are/were functional objects used to attract fish like pike, musky, perch and/or sturgeon for the purpose of spearing them through a hole in the ice. The making of fish decoys is part of a long and rich tradition of ice fishing. There is documentary evidence that Native Americans have speared fish through the ice using handmade decoys since prehistoric times. The earliest decoys known are from around 1000 A.D. The oldest in existence were fashioned from stones, bones, antlers and shells.
Now on to the “MIKKO Type” fish decoys, which is a term that describes fish decoys that are made to look old to fill a niche that allowed collectors to have expensive looking decoys at a fraction of the cost. Originally the name MIKKO from Minnesota was from a carver that aged the decoy to give it a old look. These decoys were marked with his name so now the name “MIKKO” is used to describe any artificially aged decoy and is usually referred to as a “MIKKO Type” fish decoy.
There is nothing wrong with a MIKKO Type decoy as long as it is not being passed off as the real deal. Many collectors search and collect just MIKKO Type decoys.
MIKKO Type decoys are normally well made and they look old and are many times attributed to a specific carver and not marked. Please be aware of MIKKO Type decoys and understand what they are.