June 27, 2009
Fish Mounting Hints
Planning to mount the one that didn’t get away? Immortalize that fishing trip by taking your trophy to the taxidermist to get it mounted. Get the best fish trophy for your money by following a few tips.
First, look for a good fish taxidermist before you set out. Find a specialist in fish taxidermy. This is a difficult field, and you want somebody with lots of experience mounting fish. Your taxidermist should have a studio where you can look at examples of their work. Make sure the work is beautiful to you. Your fish trophy will last for a long time, so you want it to look great. This is also a great time to talk to your fish taxidermist about the different types of mounts available. You probably also want to talk about prices for various kinds of mounts.
Second, do some planning before you head out for your fishing trip. At the least, you’ll need to bring a camera, some pliers, and material to pack the fish in. A photo of the fish right after you’ve caught it will be useful to the taxidermist for matching the natural colors. The pliers will come in handy if you have to get out a stubborn hook. Any damage to the fish will show up in the final mount, so be gentle. Lastly, you’ll want to pack the fish in ice to preserve it. Since water make the colors fade faster, wrap the fish in plastic before you put the fish on ice.
Lastly, think about what type of mount you want before you bring your fish to the taxidermist. Will you mount the fish on the wall? On the mantle? What pose do you want for your fish? Talking about this with the taxidermist will be easier if you’ve put some thought into it beforehand.
Filed under Fish by Reveris Morgan
