Fish Mounts - Skin or Fiberglass

[Pujic 0]

Hey guys,

 

Let me start off by saying that I seldom keep fish. Every so often I will keep a few to eat but as a general rule of thumb I'll take a load of phtos and the fish will swim away. I do however have a few specimens hanging on my wall for one reason or another. My first salmon, first steelhead and largest smallie are above my tying bench. A garpike and rare Lake Ontario pink salmon complete the collection. All of the above are traditional skin mounts that I've had done over the years, and I'm very happy with.

 

Last year my prayers for a trophy brookie were answered. Having done some research into brook trout prior to catching my beast, I knew how old the fish was and what significance it really had. After a quick photo op. the fish was revived and released. Now, I sent the pics and measurements to a placed called Advanced Taxidermy out of Toronto. They specialize in fish replicas and have won countless awards for their work in the past. After a 10 month wait (the place is soooo busy that 8 - 10 months is the norm, which I really don't mind) I am on my way to pick this thing up after work tonight. I'm a little nervous as to what it will look like, and how it will differ from the skin mounts that it will be next to. I didn't want to kill the fish, so the fiberglass replica was the only other way to go.

 

Does anyone have any experience with fiberglass replicas, or does anyone prefer skin mounts? First of all, do they look real? Second, I've heard that they stand up to the elements such as sun shine, dust, and time a lot better than traditional skin mounts, any truth to this?

 

I'll post some pics once I pick the fish up tonight. Thanks in advance guys!

 

 

 

[Guest]

I have a friend who caught a monster Crappie in Texas a few years ago. His conscience got the better of him and by the end of the day, he pulled the fish from the live well and released it unharmed. He did have the good mind to measure the fish, both length and girth, and had a pretty accurate weight from a digital scale. Along with that info and the pics he had, a fella in Tennessee made a fiberglass cast using his dimensions. The cast is then airbrushed according to the markings of the fish in the photos. The thing looks real!! looks just like the fish in the pictures! The only draw back was that it took what seemed like forever to get and it was fairly expensive.

 

I personally like the idea of a fiberglass cast. I like to think that a nice fish is still alive and well becasue I wanted to see it bring joy to another angler instead of just bieng something else to dust in my den or living room. AND, God forbid something happen to the mount, fiberglass is a hell of a lot easier to repair than a skin mount!

 

 

I'm very interested in what the other members' opinions are on this subjuect....

[Guest]

It depends on what your purpose is with the mount. Some want the skin mount souly as proof that the fish is the size it was and proof it was caught. But for the most part, I think glass is the only way to go. This is why.

 

One, you can release the fish to be caught another day. And the best of all, UPKEEP! Just a quick cleaning and you're done. With a skinmount, there is upkeep. Cracking, paint fade (unless a good underbase is used). I know a few people who have skin mounts, and most have to periodically have them touched up. Plus, the fins get brittle as well, so doesn't take much to crack/break. I have a 27# SolDuc steelhead I still want to have mounted. Luckily, have a pic and measurements, so easy to have done (even years down the road, which is hard to do with a skinmount).

[Guest]

Now, this is just from my own observations....skin mounts that tend to get neglected yellow and fade and sometimes look simply ratty and nasty hanging on the wall....just another reason to go wiht the replica....good post, Jerry!

[mcfly 0]

I'd bet that the fiberglass mounts would fool 100% of the non fisherman and 90% of the fisherman out there. Best of all you can catch the fish next year when it is even bigger.

[Lance Kekel 0]

I've got a brown trout that's a reproduction(actually molded from the fish I caught and it looks great if I so it again I'll just take the measurements though. I contacted a number of well known fish guys prior to getting it doen and most of them really did not like the idea of doing a skin mount on trout and salmon for a couple reasons. 1 was that the skin is very greasy and as reffered to above "high maintenance. The other is that even if they did a skin mount they wouldn't use the actual head because there is so much shrinkage in the skull that it would need work again in about 8-10 years. These guys are artists, label their work and they want their work to look good in the long term so I went with what they said. I'm not disappointed!

[Pujic 0]

Thanks for the feedback guys. I just got the fish and I'm a believer. After seeing this I just can't see getting another skin mount again. Take a look - look real or what?

 

[Guest]

I love brookies

 

OSD.

 

[Lance Kekel 0]

Fantastic!!!!

 

There are only two fish mounts I'd still like to get at this point and that's one of them.

[Guest]

Nick

you wouldn't want to guide us on a brookie outing would you? (in Canada)

 

 

OSD.

[TimRussell 0]

Hey man. Nice lookin mount. I was just wonderin if you could post a pic of one of your skin mounts as well. Id just like to be able to compare the two. Thanks.-Tim

 

PS:I also prefer a replica cus I like the idea of the fish swimming away to be caught another day.

[Pujic 0]

No problem, here is a snapshot of my steelhead. Don't mind the dust and cobwebs on it LOL It's been a while since it got any attention.

 

OSD,

 

I don't mind doing some guiding every once in a while. What type of trip were you thinking about? What time? How many people? My stomping grounds for brookies range from small lakes to large deep lakes in the heart of Algonquin Park. Just shoot me a PM and let me know

 

[dabalone 0]

Whether you choose skin or reproduction, fish taxidermy literally is an art. Ask to see his or her work and maybe some references, your trophy will be as good as the artist that paints it. Nice Brookie Pujic, that mount is something to definately be proud of.

[Bryanfly15 0]

Nice looking fish. I can't say I prefer one over the other since I have not mounted any fish that I have caught. I have some pics and mental memories. I have caught hundreds of steelhead, but only kept one, the very first one I caught. I don't eat fish, but I made myself eat it since I killed it. The reproduction does look very professional.

[Steeldrifter 0]

Nick its really just a matter of personal preference i think, i have about 9 or 10 mounts myself and there all skin mounts not that i dont like the glass mounts but the guy i have do mine is a friend that gives me a deal on mounts for 1/2 the normal cost and he dosent do glass mounts so thats why mine are all skin.

 

The key in getting a good lookin mount is all in finding someone that is good with an airbrush no matter if its skin or glass.

 

Far as skin holding up over time as long as the taxidermist clear coats the skin mount then it will last,plus you need to do some simple upkeep on them.

 

I clean the dust off mine about 3-4 times a year with a can of compressed air thats made for cleaning off computer keyboards long as you do that and keep them out of a damp place i have never had any prob's with skin mounts.

 

Heres a few pics of skin mounts i have....the last one of the perch is about 8 years old and they still look like they were just done.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And as you can tell its about time to blow them off with the air ...there dusty