From the Water to Your Wall: Caring for Your Trophy Fish

Keith Sutton
15601 Mountain Dr.
Alexander, AR 72002
501-847-9643
catfishdude@sbcglobal.net

An anonymous person once wrote, “Bragging may not bring happiness, but no man having caught a large fish goes home through an alley.”

Can any angler really resist the temptation to brag about a trophy catch? Is there truly one among us who doesn’t long for a lifelike mount to display on the den or office wall, a mount that reminds of the time, the place and the battle? And if that mounted fish provides an opening to retell the story our friends and families know by heart, so much the better!

Unfortunately, opportunities for creating blue-ribbon wall mounts often are lost because anglers don’t know the proper procedures for insuring a quality mount. This article aims to correct that problem.

Selecting a Taxidermist

The mount or reproduction you have made will only be as good as the person doing it. Shop around before you catch a trophy and see what’s available.

Talk with fishing friends to get their take on good taxidermists. Visit taxidermist shops, sporting goods stores, wildlife art shops and other places where you can examine existing work in detail. When you find work that stands out, inquire about the artist. Good mounts usually have a sticker or plate that provides contact information for the studio.

When you have narrowed your list to a few taxidermists, plan an extended visit at each shop. Ask to examine their work in detail. Ask about the quality of the materials used, if the exhibited mounts are typical of the quality the average customer can expect, if the work is done by more than one person (quality can vary significantly within a given studio) and details on bases and backgrounds. Inquire about pricing and lead time for completing a mount. And by all means, ask how the taxidermist wants you to care for trophy fish in the time prior to delivery. The methods outlined below are only guidelines, and some taxidermists might suggest better methods.

Make your final decision based on artistic quality first, and schedule and pricing second. Choose the taxidermist who provides the finest quality you can afford.

Reproductions

At one time, producing a wall-hanger meant killing the fish and having it preserved through conventional taxidermy. Those days are past. High-quality reproductions now are available. The conservation-minded angler can release the trophy and still have made a beautiful life-like replica.

Although usually more expensive than skin mounts, reproductions offer several advantages. They allow the angler to enjoy a tangible memory of catching a trophy fish even when catch-and-release is mandated by law. When a fish is caught in a foreign country or in the wilderness where it would be difficult to preserve for a proper taxidermy job, a reproduction still can be made if the angler follows basic guidelines. Also, fish such as catfish that make poor skin mounts now can be reproduced with great accuracy from molds. Good reproductions are sturdy and will last a lifetime without losing quality, unlike most skin mounts.

Having a reproduction made also requires less effort on the angler’s part. Basically, all you must do is measure the fish and photograph it. The taxidermist takes it from there.

The first thing to do is shoot a series of color photos showing the colors and patterns on the fish’s skin from all angles. Your taxidermist will use these photographs when painting the reproduction, so the final product resembles your actual catch as closely as possible. Shoot quickly to minimize actions that might endanger the fish’s well-being.

You also must take two important measurements: the tip of the nose to the end of tail, and a girth measurement at mid-body. Record these and tuck them in a safe place. If a tape measure isn’t handy, use fishing line and cut it at the correct sizes. Get these as close as you can. Measurements are the only concrete information the taxidermist has to go by when ordering the form and recreating your fish.

After you return from your fishing trip, give the measurements and photos to your taxidermist. He then can help you pick out a form of your choice.

Reproductions have been around for the past 20 years or so but are just starting to catch on with anglers in many parts of the country. Some still shy away from reproductions because they have seen older plaster replicas that were done poorly. Others are hung up on the ego idea that it’s not really “the fish.” Take a closer took at some of the work that is out there today before making a decision. If you can afford one, a reproduction is almost always the best choice.

Skin Mounts

If you’re set on the idea of having a skin mount of your actual catch, you must use care in the handling the fish from the time it’s hooked until it reaches the taxidermist. A skilled taxidermist can conceal flaws when mounting a fish, but patchwork detracts from the overall quality of a mount and can be avoided if you follow a few suggestions.

Start pampering your potential wall-hanger as soon as it’s on the hook. If you think you have a trophy on, avoid using a gaff, which can irreparably damage the fish and negate the chances of getting a quality mount. Landing nets also are taboo. As a fish thrashes in the net, the tail and fins can poke through the mesh and become split and tattered.

As you bring the fish in, take care not to bang it against rocks or the side of the boat.
Fins are likely to get damaged and scales knocked off if this happens. If your wall-hanger is a toothy specimen such as a musky or pike, be sure the teeth don’t get broken or knocked out by careless handling.

Give the fish immediate attention when it has been landed. First, photograph your catch while the colors are fresh and vivid. Take as many pictures from different angles as you can. As with reproductions, this will help when painting your fish. Wet the fish with water now and then while shooting the photos. You should not let the fish dry out, or leave it exposed to the sun for more than a few minutes.

When finished photographing, your best option, if circumstances allow, is to wrap the fish in soaking wet cloth (old towels and cotton shirts work well), surround it with crushed or dry ice in a large cooler, and deliver it straight to your taxidermist. The second best option is to freeze the fish as soon as possible.

Don’t remove the entrails or gills. Wrap the fish in the cloth, binding the fins tightly against the body to protect them. Don’t spread the tail, as doing so makes it easier to damage. Don’t wrap the fish in newspaper, paper towels or aluminum foil, as this can dry and discolor the skin.

Get the wrapping cloth as wet as possible. Then put the wrapped fish in a large, heavy-duty plastic bag. Squeeze out the air, wrap the bag with tape, then freeze. When the cloth freezes, it will form a protective shell around the fish.

Label the bag with your name, address, fishing license number, and the date and location the fish was caught. If a wildlife officer checks your catch, he will probably request this information. The label also will serves as an identification tag so your fish isn’t confused with others in the taxidermist’s freezer.

If you can’t deliver your fish to a taxidermist or get it frozen within a short time, do your best to keep it alive as long as possible. Use a smooth-walled, well-aerated live well full of cool water for this purpose, or you can use a fine-mesh nylon catch sack such as those used by European carp anglers. Never place the fish in a wire fish basket or other container that could scrape off scales or tatter fins. When you reach an area where a freezer is available, follow the steps for freezing given above, and do it quickly to protect your trophy.

Be sure to measure and record the fish’s overall length and weight while it is still alive. This helps the person mounting it to keep the proper proportions after skinning it and putting it back together. It also will determine the cost.

Care of Your Wall-Hanger

When placing your trophy on the wall, choose a spot free from excess heat and humidity. A mount may look great over the fireplace or by the wood-burning stove, but the heat will dry it. Direct sunlight can cause the paint on a skin mount or reproduction to fade.

Dust your wall-hanger with a feather duster or a soft cloth dampened with water. With skin mounts, rub the fish from the head toward the tail to avoid damaging the scales or fins.

Now sit back and enjoy the comments from envious fellow anglers who see your trophy. Recounting the story of the one that didn’t get away makes all that extra effort worthwhile.