Fish Taxidermy
- This topic has 33 replies, 18 voices, and was last updated Jul 18, 2011 at 8:47 pm by
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I had a skin mount done of a trout about 15 years ago in Arkansas, in Hardy if I remember right and the taxidermist took photos of the fish before he began the work because he said he would paint the entire fish white and the begin repainting the fish as it was. I am not sure if it was the truth but if it was a lie , you got it as cheap as I
I have been interested in taxidermy for a long time. At one point I thought I wanted to BE a taxidermist, but after doing a couple mounts, I decided it wasn’t for me. I still have an enduring interest in the art though.
How good a mount is all depends on the talent of the taxidermist. Anglers underestimate just how much artistry goes into making a truly lifelike mount. A quality fiberglass replica from a talented taxidermist will look better than a half-rate skin mount, and vice versa.
There are two rules:
1. You get what you pay for; and
2. Always, always, always ask to see examples of the taxidermist’s work on a fish similar to yours before choosing your taxidermist.
It’s critically important that you see examples of the same species of fish in a similar size. Just because a taxidermist is good at one species doesn’t mean he’s good at all species.
I know a taxidermist locally who does the best striped bass mounts I have ever seen. Both his replicas and his skin mounts are amazing. He makes his own replica molds, and his striper replicas are fantastic. However, I recently looked at a big brown trout mount he did, and I wasn’t too keen on it.
You want to make sure the taxidermist who does your mount has the skill to paint a lifelike mount, plus the intimacy with the species in question to capture all the little subtleties that separate an average mount from a great one.
Since you’re in Georgia, I wouldn’t count on finding a top-notch trout taxidermist close to your home. Taxidermists in the South know largemouth and smallmouth, and some know stripers, but they just don’t do enough trout mounts to do them right. Find someone out West to do the mount and you’ll probably be more satisfied with it.
bd
A little different angle here. http://aquatic-impressions.com/
I have a couple of prints of trout that are pretty cool. I spoke with him for a while at SummerFest in Virginia-Highlands and he said he does “trophy-impressions” for people all the time. You have to mail him the frozen fish, he does several impressions and lets you pick your favorite. He had some striper impression framed with the malled fly that they were caught on that were pretty awesome.
Zach, My father in law had a local guy make 2 largemouth mounts for my wife and brother in law for christmas. They both look great but for some reason the 11 pounder looks bigger than the 12 pounder. They both look exceptional though and paint work is nearly identical to photos. Steer clear of skin mounts, they do not age well!
Don Frank out of Smithville, MO does some really nice work. Gary Fischer at 4greatfish in Bolivar, MO does too…Wish Ed Walicki was still with us…Super nice guy and he made some fantastic fish carvings, wood, foam, you name it.
Zach, My father in law had a local guy make 2 largemouth mounts for my wife and brother in law for christmas. They both look great but for some reason the 11 pounder looks bigger than the 12 pounder.
Maybe he got them mixed up at some point during the process and accidentally switched which fish was which. I’ve seen it happen.
Steer clear of skin mounts, they do not age well!
Some age much better than others, depending on the preservation methods used. Trout can be tougher than bass due to the oil content in the skin.
The main thing I think the fiberglass replicas get wrong is the gills; they are not hollow on many of the mounts I’ve seen like on a real fish.
check out eastern tropies. http://www.easterntrophies.com/art.php
he does some wicked cool mounts that i have seen personally!
That’s a good idea Chris. I saw this done on “Mounted in Alaska” and it truly looks extremely easy. I might kill a striper or carp at some point and make a couple just to test it out.
Zach
Check out
Have you looked into King Sailfish Mounts?
I see them a lot on the salt shows I watch and one of the shows did a special on the process once.Have you looked into King Sailfish Mounts?
I see them a lot on the salt shows I watch and one of the shows did a special on the process once. I believe they would do what you are asking to be done in regards to hollow gills and replica fish.I’ve seen some of there work, and I wasn’t really impressed. For a wall mount in a bar or lobby, it might look fine.
This type of work…
…or this…
…doesn’t get my fish.
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