For a number or reasons I haven't pursued broadbill for many years. Since my dad passed 12 years ago all the handmade decoys were retired and the much dreaded plastic fills the decoy bags. I lost interest in carving as well, as it was a family thing I could share with my dad.
I became an icefishing nut about ten years ago. Totally fanatical in pursuit of the walleye, which led me to Oneida Lake in upstate NY. Met a bunch of nice guys on the lake and it turns out they have broadbill/bluebill and lots of them. Not very far from the finger lakes, a mecca for divers as well. It got the wheels turning and I decided to make a few just for the heck of it. Once complete the plan was to drop them at a friends house in the area, so they were readily available when I get there and for him and his family/buddies to use whenever.
In the old days everything was hand made, no power tools past the bandsaw. Making a rig that way is a multi year affair for me, as my carving skills are minimal. Being the lazy sort I always lusted for a multiple spindle carver to speed things up but the cost was out of reach. About the time my dad passed one found it's way into my possession, but I used it only a few times in the intervening years.
I decided to use what I had laying around, black cork and white cedar based on one of my dad's patterns. The bodies I carved by hand with tail inserts, I carved a head and set it up to be duplicated.
In this photo you see the blanks in the machine, the bodies are already carved in a trash barrel in the background.
Here they are after being sanded a bit, this machine is ancient so the heads come off pretty rough and require significant work, sometimes even rasping.
Heads on, just need eyes. Nothing makes them come alive like glass.
I decided to paint them all drakes, not winning any awards but I bet they fool the birds. Unless they notice I didn't paint the nails.
I like to name the decoys, these are screen names except for Bitty...every rig needs a Bitty duck, the one with a slightly small head caused by bad wood or careless finishing. The oval stamp was made by Terry Desilets about ten years ago and appears on one side of every keel. I have no luck branding black cork, unless you like to set your birds on fire.
This last one is the Bitty duck next to a hen my dad made from the same pattern in 1962. The hen has a balsa body with straight sides in the style used by my family and others in our area. Not self righting but very stable so it tends to stay upright. This bird was 2nd in class at the Canadian Nationals in 1962. My dad quit entering shortly after that because he felt like the working decoy class became so artsy, he wouldn't toss them in the water and risk damage. The cork birds have a more rounded bottom to prevent damage at the edges.
I'm planning to rig them in a week or so, then a road trip to upstate NY. Hoping for a broadbill/walleye Cast n' Blast before first ice, but I might just take the walleye gear along this summer. Problems, problems.
I became an icefishing nut about ten years ago. Totally fanatical in pursuit of the walleye, which led me to Oneida Lake in upstate NY. Met a bunch of nice guys on the lake and it turns out they have broadbill/bluebill and lots of them. Not very far from the finger lakes, a mecca for divers as well. It got the wheels turning and I decided to make a few just for the heck of it. Once complete the plan was to drop them at a friends house in the area, so they were readily available when I get there and for him and his family/buddies to use whenever.
In the old days everything was hand made, no power tools past the bandsaw. Making a rig that way is a multi year affair for me, as my carving skills are minimal. Being the lazy sort I always lusted for a multiple spindle carver to speed things up but the cost was out of reach. About the time my dad passed one found it's way into my possession, but I used it only a few times in the intervening years.
I decided to use what I had laying around, black cork and white cedar based on one of my dad's patterns. The bodies I carved by hand with tail inserts, I carved a head and set it up to be duplicated.
In this photo you see the blanks in the machine, the bodies are already carved in a trash barrel in the background.
Here they are after being sanded a bit, this machine is ancient so the heads come off pretty rough and require significant work, sometimes even rasping.
Heads on, just need eyes. Nothing makes them come alive like glass.
I decided to paint them all drakes, not winning any awards but I bet they fool the birds. Unless they notice I didn't paint the nails.
I like to name the decoys, these are screen names except for Bitty...every rig needs a Bitty duck, the one with a slightly small head caused by bad wood or careless finishing. The oval stamp was made by Terry Desilets about ten years ago and appears on one side of every keel. I have no luck branding black cork, unless you like to set your birds on fire.
This last one is the Bitty duck next to a hen my dad made from the same pattern in 1962. The hen has a balsa body with straight sides in the style used by my family and others in our area. Not self righting but very stable so it tends to stay upright. This bird was 2nd in class at the Canadian Nationals in 1962. My dad quit entering shortly after that because he felt like the working decoy class became so artsy, he wouldn't toss them in the water and risk damage. The cork birds have a more rounded bottom to prevent damage at the edges.
I'm planning to rig them in a week or so, then a road trip to upstate NY. Hoping for a broadbill/walleye Cast n' Blast before first ice, but I might just take the walleye gear along this summer. Problems, problems.
