If you've ever gone duck hunting, you know that hunters will place a decoy in the water to lure other ducks. Basically the message is, "Sure it's safe here...come on down!" In the same way, fishermen would use decoys such as this to attract large fish, primarily when they were ice fishing with spears. The decoy would dangle in the water, the fish would swim in for a closer look, and wham! The fisherman could jab them with a spear and turn them into dinner.