Taxidermy Trout/Fish Mounts

[bwild]

Hey Guys,

Well, I got my mount back of a large brown trout that I caught last summer. This was one of very few trout I've kept in the last 5 years, but it was 1) my first brown over 10 lbs and 2) hurt pretty badly in the fight that had I released it, it would've died anyway.

Anyway, I went to Hookjaw's house last night and we tried our best to be professional photographers with construction task-lighting, his makeshift tri-pod (i.e. dining room table with a chair and pink LEGO's), and our different backdrops. After a couple of "You guys are nuts" headshakes from his wife (you know what I'm talking about), we got some nice pics. Here's some pics of the mount. I hope you guys enjoy them. If you have a cool mount of a trout, koke, or anything for that matter, let's have a look. Thanks to Fish-on-bend, your post of your kokes inspired me to do this.

http://www.ifish.net/gallery/data/500/medium/Wall_Shot_12_5_lb_Brown.JPG

Full Body


http://www.ifish.net/gallery/data/500/medium/DSCN8294.JPG

Front Half, I love the irridesence on the gill plate and behind the eye.


http://www.ifish.net/gallery/data/500/medium/DSCN8322.JPG

Center Section of the fish. The taxidermist went all out on the scaling pattern.


http://www.ifish.net/gallery/data/500/medium/DSCN8334.JPG

Close up of the Scale Pattern. The thing I love about this is when I looked at pictures of the fish right after I caught it and compared it to the scale patterning and spotting (this was a big deal to me and I relayed this to the taxidermist), he really went after it. Notice the oblong/odd-shaped spot that looks like an "oops". That was actually on the fish.


http://www.ifish.net/gallery/data/500/medium/DSCN8335.JPG

Here's a cool shot that I told Hookjaw to give a try. Turned out really cool. It reminds me of JAWS. Put yourself in the shoes of a squirmy little bait fish cruising along the weed beds of a high cascade lake with a couple of your buddies. Your chomping on some freshwater plankton, chatting about a school of kokanee that just buzzed by, just minding your own business. You're in the middle of a conversation with your buddies when all the sudden they scatter for no apparent reason. Knowing darn well you didn't break wind, you become curious. You begin to kick your little pectoral fins with a smooth swipe of your tail fin to turn yourself around. That's when you see THIS...... the last thing you'll ever see...

Hope you guys like.

[Pink Salmon]

I don't have a fish to show , just wanted to say thats one mean loooking fish:excited:. Congrats on that beauty:thisbig:

[fish-on-bend]

Great looking mount Brian. They did a great job on scale tipping and eye detail. 2 thumbs up from me. Was that the outfit that Rick Arnold uses in CA?

[Aufish101]

Great Pictures! and mount.

Aufish101 http://members.aol.com/garyk10/images/poisson_39.gif

[Poindexter]

Nice fish!

[sturgeonboy]

Very nice! Beautiful fish.

Rob

[Dullhook]

That's some super workmanship.The detailing is really a treat for the eyes. Congratulations to both of you!

[Super Fluke]

Very,nice,love the markings of a brown.

[ok doke]

Very Nice. You defiantly picked the right taxidermist
to give that fish the respect it deserves. Way Cool!:applause:

[fish-on-bend]

Brian--- a few guys on the "kokanee Pictures" thread asked me to post more pics of some of my mounts. I figured your thread was a good place to share some of the beauty of the brown trout.
http://www.ifish.net/gallery/data/500/medium/brown_1.jpg (http://www.ifish.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/73529/size/big/cat//ppuser/8168)

http://www.ifish.net/gallery/data/500/medium/brn_2.jpg (http://www.ifish.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/73527/size/big/cat//ppuser/8168)
http://www.ifish.net/gallery/data/500/medium/brn_3.jpg (http://www.ifish.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/73528/size/big/cat//ppuser/8168)

This one was a 26 1/2 pounder caught in Wickiup opening day about 10 years ago (notice I don't have any gray hair yet)

http://www.ifish.net/gallery/data/500/medium/26_brown.jpg (http://www.ifish.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/73525/size/big/cat//ppuser/8168)

And lets not forget the Cranebows.

http://www.ifish.net/gallery/data/500/medium/rainbow_pedastel.jpg (http://www.ifish.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/73530/size/big/cat//ppuser/8168)

Close-up scale and head detail.
http://www.ifish.net/gallery/data/500/rainbow_head.jpg (http://www.ifish.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/73531/ppuser/8168)

I did a few of these stringer mounts over the years.
http://www.ifish.net/gallery/data/500/medium/stringer_mount.jpg (http://www.ifish.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/73532/size/big/cat//ppuser/8168)

I'm "retired" from fish taxidermy now. I did it as a side business for about 10 years while working full time as a meat cutter. I never had any time to fish. Now I am self employed in my own wholesale business and I work 4 days a week and fish at least 1 day a week. I burned out on the taxidermy. It went from being a fun hobby to being just another job. Now I finally have my priorities right.

[trollin4trout]

Nice looking mounts - all of them!

That first one though - looks like it's still alive- the eye is pointing down!!!:D

[sturgeonboy]

Fish-on, Thanks for posting those. I really like the last pic of the fish on the stringer very nice!


Rob

[bwild]

Great looking mount Brian. They did a great job on scale tipping and eye detail. 2 thumbs up from me. Was that the outfit that Rick Arnold uses in CA?

Joe, No, it's not through Rick. That's another story. :wink: It's actually a local guy in Bend. I don't know if I can post a link to his website as he's not a sponsor of Ifish but his name is Rande Orton. He did a mount for one of Jimmy's (and mine) friends of a 10 lber that really impressed me. And the amount of detail that he put into this fish was amazing. He actually wrote me up a summary to tell me the rarity of some of the markings this brown had when compared to other browns he's done (sort of their "fingerprint", if you will). It was great because it truly makes this mount a "one of a kind".

That 26-1/2 pounder out of Wickiup is Ridiculous!!!

And I will say this, pictures do not do fish mounts justice. If you're ever deciding to perhaps mount a fish, see the taxidermists work in person before you decide. When you're throwing down some coin, you want to make darn sure that you're getting what you pay for.

[s20055]

Never had a fish mount done, but that Rande Orton just might get some business from me in the future. Just what does a guy need to do to prepare his fish for the taxidermist? and if I might ask, just what does a mount like your brown run $$ typically? PM me if you'd rather keep it hush. He did a beautiful job!

[joemomma]

Wow! Those are awesome guys! I'm impressed!:applause:

[moknots]

WOW, very nice fish, and a great mount! Thanks for sharing.

[Jimmy]

Brian and Joe,

Great looking mounts you guys have. Great detail. If I get a chance I will take a photo of my two mounts and show the difference between a skin mount and a replica. You both should be very proud.

[Splash]

Gentlemen, You have redefined the drool factor scale. It now includes a "Get a Mop" stage.

I really enjoyed the stringer mount too. Well done.

Any chance of seeing some of those mounts at the upcoming Kokanee class?

[bwild]

Upcoming Koke Class? When, where, who, what, how, why?

If it's in the Portland Metro area, sure, I'll bring it (pending schedule). Not much of a koke fishermen myself but if you're looking at getting a fish mounted and you just want to see the quality up close and personal, I can make it.

[bwild]

:laugh::laugh::laugh:Nice looking mounts - all of them!

That first one though - looks like it's still alive- the eye is pointing down!!!:D

That was funny!:D

[adobe wall]

I always wonder with threads like this (taxidermy threads) if it's appropriate to point out obvious technical issues with any of the mounts. Threads like this aren't "braggin'" posts (maybe a little) but they're mostly along the lines of "hey this is what this taxidermist did".

It's usually pretty easy to spot issues with a mount with good pics, especially when there are a number of mounts on the same thread.

I figure if I did point out something, the thread would pretty quickly degrade. If the person is happy with what they've got, then that is really all that matters and a prospective customer of that taxidermist should be able to select on their own.

On the other hand, educating people as to what to look for is valuable (in my opinion).

The question isn't directed at any of the mounts in this thread, it's something I wonder about any time people post gamehead or fish mounts. I just figure I can ask the question here without starting a flame war as we seem to get along quite well here.

Anyhow, I'd be interested as to opinions on what the protocol is. My thought is that criticism of a mount isn't why a person put the pics up.

regards, aw

[bwild]

It's all in the eye of the beholder, and for something like this, it is very, very subjective. Some people are more sensitive than others and since you can't tell tone in a post on a thread, it's kind of hard to give criticism, regardless if it's meant to be constructive and just throwing in your two cents.

I personally do not get offended very easily and am not sensitivie on issues like this. But if there was a "protocol" if a person was to give criticism, it may be best to just send that person a PM. :twocents: That way you can alleviate any chance of any person on the forum getting offended and starting a "flame war". I'd say most people on here do have the maturity and wherewithall to be able to take criticism, but it's always good to play it safe. IMO.

[bwild]

Never had a fish mount done, but that Rande Orton just might get some business from me in the future. Just what does a guy need to do to prepare his fish for the taxidermist? and if I might ask, just what does a mount like your brown run $$ typically? PM me if you'd rather keep it hush. He did a beautiful job!


In processing your catch for the taxidermist, wet a towel or cloth and cover the fish in an ice chest or container large enough to keep the fish flat. DO NOT cover the fish with ice. This can damage the body. Your goal is to keep the fish moist and cool. As soon as possible, get the fish to us or freeze it after wrapping it carefully with a clinging freezer wrap like Glad. DO NOT wrap in the wet cloth. Allow at least 4 days in the freezer. It is best to lay the fish in the freezer on something smooth and flat like cardboard. This will prevent grill marks from imprinting in the fish.

If you're just going to release your catch but still want a mount of it, take as many pictures as you can of the fish. Get a length and girth of the fish. Some people weigh theirs.

[adobe wall]

In processing your catch for the taxidermist, wet a towel or cloth and cover the fish in an ice chest or container large enough to keep the fish flat. DO NOT cover the fish with ice. This can damage the body. Your goal is to keep the fish moist and cool. As soon as possible, get the fish to us or freeze it after wrapping it carefully with a clinging freezer wrap like Glad. DO NOT wrap in the wet cloth. Allow at least 4 days in the freezer. It is best to lay the fish in the freezer on something smooth and flat like cardboard. This will prevent grill marks from imprinting in the fish.

If you're just going to release your catch but still want a mount of it, take as many pictures as you can of the fish. Get a length and girth of the fish. Some people weigh theirs.

The fish needs to be landed and killed with minimal damage to scales. Flopping around in the boat or laying in a chest of ice knocks off scales. While any decent taxidermist can rebuilt lost scales it's additional effort and the results vary dramatically according to the taxidermists skill.

There is no issue with short term freezing the fish in a wet towel. It's a good bit of armor around the fish while it's in the freezer and can help prevent broken fins.

Air space around the fins will result in freezer burn. They won't rehydrate well and end up looking wrinkled instead of smooth and fleshy like a live fish. Some of the problems with wrinkled fins are caused by improper carding (by the taxidermist) but some is also caused by freezer burn.

Trout should be mounted with an artificial head due to oil bleeding issues. Salmon should never be skin mounted (my opinion) as completely degreasing them will destroy the structure of the skin. Personally I'd use a very high quality reproduction (fish clones are good ones) with thin flexible fins and perfect detail on any trout or salmon species instead of a skin mount due to durability issues. Poor quality repros are garbage. Easiest way to tell what kind of repro you'll get from your taxidermist is look at the fins and mouth detail. If the fins are thick and clunky looking and the mouth looks like it's been filled full of putty find another taxidermist.

jmho, aw

[bwild]

Easiest way to tell what kind of repro you'll get from your taxidermist is look at the fins and mouth detail. If the fins are thick and clunky looking and the mouth looks like it's been filled full of putty find another taxidermist.

Could not agree with you more!

The first mount I did was exactly what you stated above. That was another reason why I went with Fish Tail Gallery out of Bend. When I compared the two mounts together, one looked more "cartoonish" than the other. The fins were clunky with no detail and the mouth had no detail.