Herring Rake

[One Fish]

Anyone know much about old herring rakes. I know about the use starting with the First Nations and all that. Just wondering if collectors look for old ones and what they might be worth? Know where is one. It's about 15ft long made out of wood. Most of the shaft is skinny diamond shaped in a kinda apple green shade. Looks like brad nails used for the rake end. Looks really funky but not sure if it's worth much or not.. Cheers

 

[AlK]

I still have a couple of them and built them myself. Some of the lumber yards in Nanaimo used to sell blanks. For spikes on the end I used piano wire that you pushed in with a pair of pliers. We used for raking herring off Hornby and Denman Island. In those days fishing for coho was fantastic and the daily limit was 4 coho per person..

 

[Kildonan]

I used one a bit in Barkley sound when I was a young fella. Haven't seen anybody using one since the 70's.

I used to rake herring off the dock of our float home there.

 

[One Fish]

Ya!!! I think I'm going to go buy it and hang it in my garage as a keep sake.. It's just such a cool piece and very well carved.

 

[Sr SQ]

Yeah I that's where mine is hanging in the garage, it's a newer style folding aluminium one.
It's caught piles of bait in the years but dam what a mess it made on the decks

 

[gungadin]

I bought my herring rake from Whitey McCabe, ( a Campbell River character of the past) many decades ago. Hand made from a single piece of clear cedar, it still has its cover for the needles. It hangs in my gasement work shop. Once in a while I take it down and wipe off the accumulated dust. Brings back fond memories.

 

[TheHurtLocker]

My dad still has a couple made from our past family friend Neil McClean. Oldest one was made from a wood blank. The newest one made from aluminum. They were used all over the Qualicum area, Sisters, Lasqueti through the Kate 70's to the early 90's.
I was a little kid then, my job was to collect all the herring off the back of the boat and put them in the bait tank. Used to pound coho then with the old class A sport license.