49 replies to this topic

[Fishin4AZ]

As i started a topic earlier many of you chose replica mounts over actual mounts. Can you guys take a few pics and post them of your replicas? I have never seen a Replica fish in real life that I know of unless it was and I thought it was real lol

[flukemaster]

Perhaps the best Replicas I've ever seen.
http://www.2lbgil.com/taxidermy/

[North Ga Hillbilly]

This was done by Fish Scale Taxidermy, this is one of their "budget" models, which you can see in the mouth mainly, but I was plum tickled with it. Planning to talk to them about finding a way to recreate my first teen fish here soon.

NGaHB

[Mattlures]

Tony those skin mounts are good examples of how superior a replica is. Firt look how old and faded that bass looks before its restored. Then after its restored the paint looks good but there are several very common mounting flaws on that fish. Notic the transition fwere the top of the head meets the boddy. There was not enough clay put there and now the fish looks like it it has a huge hump. as the skin dries and shrinks this flaw gets exaggerated like you see in the mount. Also notice how the bottom of the jaw is pushed in creating an unnatural pose. The transition where the tail meets the manikin is also too pronounced and not as smooth as it should be. You taxidermist did a good job restoring the mount be he had to work with a flawed skin mount. A replica starts correct in a natural pose.
That mount before restoration is how most older skin mount look. Even the ones that are well kept will show some yellowing and other discoloration. Ones that are exposed to heat or sunlight will show alot more discolorations and cracks and warping etc.
The most important thing is how good your taxidermist is. An average taxidermist can make both replicas and skin mounts look bad.
Here are some more sites with replicas
http://www.fishcreations.com/north.htm
http://www.fishtaxid...roductions.html
http://www.blackwate...te/gallery.html

[slonezp]

Skin mount

[Mattlures]

Tony I dont mean to be disrespect you but you are very wrong. Not just a little either . First that old skin mount is skinned, fleshed, preserved, and then mounted. Realy old mounts were filled with something like paper mache or even sand. Modern skin mounts are fitted around a foam manaikin.The "clay" is applied in ares that are known to shrink, and its used to make smooth transitions. The areas that I pointed out look verry unnatural and do not represent how an alive fish looks. Most shrinkage areas ocore in the head which is the focal point. This happenes because there are very small pockets of meat that are left in the head that shrink and suck in over time. Trout heads are the worst. No old skin mount has the guts and meat in it, NONE. Also the scales are not too small or too big on a replica. They are exactly correct. They mold a real fish. The fins can be a little thick but on skin mounts they are usualy a little thin. Why because they are dried out. However depending upon the replica you choose you can get fins that are the correct thickness. So you know I used to do taxidermy as a buisiness and I did many replicas. I made my own replicas and I used some commercialy bough replicas.

[Fishin4AZ]

So I guess my next question is....Whats the best way to preserve the fish after you decide to mount it? If you dont have a live well? Ive heard wet towel on ice?

I like some of those replicas they look awesome btw! Makes me realiaze I got a long way to go before mounting one lol

[Mattlures]

You want to keep the fish from getting damaged. wrap in a wet rag and then news paper and then trash bag and freeze it. Get it to your taxidermist as soon as possible. You do have some time but the longer you have it in your freezer the more chance there is for freezer burn.
Here is one more link to some of the best replicas. Their top of the line replicas dont even have seams. Very nice to work with although they are not cheap.
http://www.lakecount...ucts.php?cat=19

[Mattlures]

Resale value is a non issue as Taxidermy depreciates. Its only worth top dollar to the guy that caught the fish or killed the trophy animal. Unless the mount is extremly rare or a world class trophy the resale value will not be worth what it cost to get the mount done. As far as fish, a replica would be worth a little more because it is at least not decomposing. Yes todays meathods are much better then the past but it is still the skin of a fish. The biggest problem with skin mounts in general is that it takes a world class taxidermist to mount one correctly without any obvious flaws. A replica starts out in the correct state. No shrinkage, no warpage and NO incorrect mounting. As long as the fins are properly mounted and the seams are finished good and the eye is set correctly then the taxidermist starts with a natural correct mount that only needs to be painted correctly. A skin mount has so many areas that can and does start out incorectly and only gets wors with age.
Tony I feel your thinking is backwards. Instead of being bothered by replicas you should look at the benefits. First you have the option of releasing the fish. Some guys dont care, some do. I like to release my big bass. I have released MANY bass over 10lbs and I am sure I have caught some of them when they grew bigger as a result of me releasing them before. 2nd a replica mount from a good taxidermist will look better then a skin mount from a good taxidermist and it will still look great 20 years later where a skin mount (even with todays improvements) will show signs of aging.
You seem to be hung up mounting the skin of the actual fish you caught. I cant help you with that. If that makes you feel more like its "your" fish, then so be it. I preffer a mount that looks natural and correct and it will stay that way. I also like knowing that the next time I catch that 15lber I released it might be 20lbs.
I also have many shoulder mounts of animals I have hunted so I aint no tree huggin peta person.
as for not being a real trophy? In this day and age you can buy just about any trophy you want. Be it a big gold trophy to put on your mantle or a giant elk mount or any fish. The trophy is for you to enjoy. If you preffer a skin mount then thats your choice. I have seen 1000s of botched skin mounts that will always look botched. I have seen a ton more aged skin mounts that look aged. If your taxidermist does a bad paint job on your replica you can have it repainted. Your pretty much stuck with all the flaws on a skin mount.

[WRB]

At the end of the day it's your choice if you want a skin mount or replica. Unless you have the skills to do the work yourself you must purchase the mount. The mount you get back isn't exactly the same as the fish you caught, it's the taxidermist best effort to represent the fish from the known facts about it and your personal preferences.
The other ethical issues of did you catch the fish or not only you can resolve. Both skin mounts and replica mounts are available to purchase from taxidermist that have mounts that have not been paid for or from outlets like Ebay.
Tom
PS; Matt looks like we posted at the same time and I couldn't agree with you more!

[Glenn]

The mounts behind Keri are replicas from Lake Fork Taxidermy. I've had many a people comment on how authentic they look, and what a fantastic job they did. You just send them in the weight and measurements of the fish along with pics, and they do the rest. I can shoot better pics of the fish if you're interested.

[Mattlures]

Very nice mounts Glen
Yes Tony, depreciates! Do you know how much those mounts cost to get mounted?
If you look on ebay you will see many deer shouldermounts that are listed at between $200 and $500. That is about the going price for what they sell for. In my area the starting price to have a deer shoulder mount is about $600 and goes up to $1000.
Look at most of the fish mounts for sale on ebay. The ones that actualy sell almost always sell for less the $200. There is no taxidermist in my area who would do a fish for that cheap so YES they depreciate. A Grizzly ?? first off that a rare anaimal and yes it would proabaly sell for more the the price of mounting but not gauranteed. Do you know how much it costs to get one mounted? Like I said earlier most mounts are not worth what they cost to get mounted. The mount or animal has to be exceptional and even then they usualy arent worth that much more. You might see a high price tag but that doesnt mean sombody is actualy goint to pay that much for it. If you go onto most taxidermist shops they will have a mount or 2 that a customer never picked up or paid them for. They will usualy sell them for less then their regular cost of mounting. WHY? because like I said the mount is worth the most to person the caught or killed it.
Tony if you disagree then why dont you go out and start catching and killing trophies and sell the mounts for a proffit. Easy money right?
Yes you can look on ebay and show me a couple mounts that might sell for a little more then the cost to mount them but I can show you the whole taxidermy catagory where 90% of the mounts are going to sell for less then the cost to mount them.

[Wayne P.]

My take on skin mounts vs. replicas.
I can get a replica of a fish you caught, one that someone else caught, or one that is never caught--just measurements.

No one but me can get a skin mount of a fish I caught. It is real, original, and one of a kind.

[Mattlures]

I have never heard of an animal going by the inch and I dont believe any taxidermist charge grizzlies by the inch. I suposse its possible but unlikley. Fish go by the inch.
if you fell like your skin mounts are more "real", then more power to you. If your satisfied with the quality of your skin mounts then good. I preffer a higher quality product that will last. If you feel that a replica is fake and doesnt count because anybody can just buy one then thats why we have pictures, videos, and scales. Get a replica and have your framed picture of you holding the fish next to it. Best of both worlds.

[Glenn]

Hey Tony - you want a skin mount? Then go for it! Just remember it's not everyone's bag of tea, and vice versa.

C'est la vie!