brian dunigan
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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.
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
If you can see the fish, by all means react to that because sometimes they do hit without instantly moving the indicator.
Congratulations! Just remember, the new wife is the most important thing, but if you can squeeze in a little fishing, so much the better.
On the other hand, if you’re in Clearwater, FL and the new wife doesn’t let you squeeze in a little fishing, buckle in, because you’ve just signed up for a long, rough life.
I do not hate carp. It’s not every day that you can find a fish that’s close to home, challenging to catch on a fly, and a day with half a dozen fish in the 4 to 5 pound range is just average.
Back when G.Loomis had their Expeditor Service for replacing broken rods, they would send you a sticker of their logo along with your replacement rod when you got it back. When I broke a rod tip and used the service, I noticed that the sticker they sent with the Expeditor rod was a little different-looking than the usual G.Loomis stickers available on their website.
I have this theory that G.Loomis was secretly communicating to their guides and pro-staff – “Watch out for anybody you see with this sticker, ’cause he’s a ROD BREAKER!!!” 🙂
bd
Turn about is fair play. Remember when we (fly tyers) were snatching up the clear Sally Hansen’s fingernail polish 10 years ago. 🙂
Ha ha, exactly. I don’t remember any salons getting mad and saying “we won’t sell to fishermen.”
I’m kind of amazed at flyshops saying “we’re holding back our capes and not selling to women who are coming in wanting to buy them.”
I mean, it’s their choice, but if they’re going to get picky about who buys their product, then I don’t want to hear them complaining later about how the Internet is putting them out of business because their sales are down.
bd
Every time my wife drives through Atlanta, she gets on her cell phone somewhere in the middle of downtown, gets distracted, and goes the wrong way at that I-75/I-85 interchange.
I swear she likes driving from Florida to Nashville by way of Duluth, GA, which adds a couple hours to the drive.
I think we should all be happy that our fly shops are selling a ton of ANY of their merchandise, and we should be glad they’re doing well.
