Hook and line sinker

[mainejman]

This I believe to be a hook and line sinker...It is very unique to me as its the first weight I have found where the groove was made vertically.It has the nipple on the bottom like others I've found....mjm

 

[quito]

Cool!

Size?

 

[mainejman]

Sorry Quito its golf-ball size but not as thick..mjm

 

[GatorBoy]

I've noticed a lot of similar artifacts referred to as bolo stones

 

[Charl]

That's pretty small for a grooved weight, Jay. Considering they range up to loaf of bread size and larger. Maybe it's a bola stone, another type of hunting weight? Not at all familiar with the nipple you mention as a feature. Looks like the groove took a detour! Cool find.
Regarding grooved weights from New England, our regional artifact guide describes them this way: "Artifacts in this class consist of small or large cobbles with a well-defined groove pecked longitudinally around the stone. Occasionally, a second groove encircles the stone, transversely at the center. This artifact...is thought to have been used for a line sinker. It may also have been used as a net sinker; some examples from New York had charred cordage intact."

On the other hand, Bola Stones:

http://www.flight-toys.com/bolas.htm

The natives in New England did use bolas, although there is no reason your grooved weight could not just as easily be a line weight. They do get classified with fishing gear in New England, but small ones could be bola stones too. Especially for snagging water fowl.

 

[mainejman]

The reason why I went with weight is because it has the same nipple on it as several other weights I have......what these protrusions are for I have no idea.....mjm

 

[GatorBoy]

In the case of a bolo it may be something to tie off to..I imagine a strap of hide around the stone.

 

[Charl]

The reason why I went with weight is because it has the same nipple on it as several other weights I have......what these protrusions are for I have no idea.....mjm

Yep, and I've never heard of that feature. If you see it often, guess it's no accident. Whether bola or fishing gear, it's still a weight.

 

[Charl]

In the case of a bolo it may be something to tie off to..I imagine a strap of hide around the stone.

Correct. Using a pouch was one of 3 methods utilized for a bola setup. Grooved weights were also a known method, without pouches.

bola or boleadoras made by ben pressley of north carolina

 

[mainejman]

 

[GatorBoy]

I see no groove on those.
They look like what we call plummets down here to me.

 

[rock]

Yeah the last ones are Plummets very rare for my area.
The 1st one in this part of the country would be a cooking stone most likely. Most of the golf ball size stones that were used here were for cooking.
Dang you find some nice stuff where you live at!

 

[larson1951]

That's pretty small for a grooved weight, Jay. Considering they range up to loaf of bread size and larger. Maybe it's a bola stone, another type of hunting weight? Not at all familiar with the nipple you mention as a feature. Looks like the groove took a detour! Cool find.
Regarding grooved weights from New England, our regional artifact guide describes them this way: "Artifacts in this class consist of small or large cobbles with a well-defined groove pecked longitudinally around the stone. Occasionally, a second groove encircles the stone, transversely at the center. This artifact...is thought to have been used for a line sinker. It may also have been used as a net sinker; some examples from New York had charred cordage intact."

On the other hand, Bola Stones:

the bola or boleadora, a summary of ethnographic artifacts from south america, clina and other cultures.

The natives in New England did use bolas, although there is no reason your grooved weight could not just as easily be a line weight. They do get classified with fishing gear in New England, but small ones could be bola stones too. Especially for snagging water fowl.

hey hey charl
kinda different area here in north dakota by the heart river, knife river, and missouri river and its many tributaries

but just sayin' the fishing weights around here are all about golf ball size..............but i have never seen one made from hard stone and i have seen maybe 4 or 5 dozen of them over the years....
around here they are all made from sandstone......i am thinking one reason for the choice of sandstone was that it is soft enuff to allow the cutting of the groove to be easily accomplished

i know this is a completely different area but just sayin' that's all....i am gonna try to find a picture to post for comparison

you know when i first laid my eyes on the piece that mainejman posted i thought a small war club......but after a closer look i realized i was way wrong

 

[mainejman]

No grooves on these .What I was trying to demonstrate were the nipples that seem to be on the rounder style plummet- bola- fish weight....mjm

 

[Charl]

Yes, I figured you were talking about the nipple-like protrusions at the base. You can see such a style variation on examples here from New England. I believe that's a design element on your two plummets, just like examples J, L, and X in this illustration. That's deliberate to the design, IMHO:

 

[Charl]

Hi Steve. Most of our grooved weights are made from sandstone. It's the most common cobble rock on our waterways and as you noted, much easier to groove. Seen them of hardstone too. First one here are actually notched weights from NY with very similar shape to many grooved weights, and showing actual cordage staining. Second one found by the Mrs. on the bay. And lastly, they come sizable as well....

 

[GatorBoy]

Hardstone like this doesn't exist in my state.. Lots of sandstone though.
I can't imagine this fine artifact being cast out and possibly lost fishing here.

 

[larson1951]

well here i found the pictures i was looking for


sorry for storing them in that dang cigar box gator.......i remember what you said about cigar boxes lol

my favorite is the one in my hand in the 2nd image.....it has a turkey foot print or something on it

 

[Charl]

Hardstone like this doesn't exist in my state.. Lots of sandstone though.
I can't imagine this fine artifact being cast out and possibly lost fishing here.

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View attachment 1060829

Lots of people can't imagine it. Especially when you get to the quality level of California charmstones and equally elaborate and finely made examples from Maine, it gets really hard to believe someone would risk loosing it easily fishing. For which reason, plummets are a real mystery to some degree. There are many that are crude. There are many that have such tiny knobs one must wonder how they stayed attached, other then in a small cordage net. The first one here is called a "Clumsy Plummet" in New England. It's actually a somewhat pejorative term simply meaning more crudely made then the earlier symmetrical "Classic Plummets". The second one here is a Classic Plummet, but look at the tiny knob and extremely shallow groove at the base of the knob. Just does not strike me as the most secure way to keep it from slipping off in the water at times.

 

[Charl]

Those are nice, Steve. Reminds me of this one from RI.