Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Taxidermy Question

I was wondering if you catch a fish that you wish to have mounted and can't hand it over fresh to your taxidermist, what is the best way to wrap and store it until you have the time and where-with-all to take it in?

I think Cecil Baird our resident prize winning fish taxidermist has posted on this topic before. He may be along shortly to provide a detailed answer. As I recall the main things are: keep the fish damp moist, be careful not to damage any of the fins, Wrap fish in wet cloths and freeze fish in wet wraps inside a plastic bag.

Stick, I have done this several time. DONT rap your fish in newspaper first. Rap it in serrian rap first. Then rap it in newspaper. That way when you thaw it out the newspaper won't stick to the fish and the serrian rap comes right off once it's thawed. I had a fish in the freezer for 2 years and no problems when I took it in to get it mounted.

RC

What RC51 says will work. The general consensus among most of us in the profession for skin mounts is to wrap a wet towel around the fish and slide it into a garbage bag which is pretty much what Bill Cody said. When the towel freezes around the fish it creates an armor plating that protects the fins from being broken and keeps the fish from drying out. Wrap the excess garbage bag around the fish and towel pushing the air out, and run tape around this such as duck tape to seal it up and hold it in place.

What I don't like to see is a fish wrapped directly in newspaper -- not because it's hard to get off, or leaves print on the fish --(soaking in water takes it off easily), but it tends to suck the moisture right out of the fish even in a sealed garbage bag. The saran wrap is fine, but I see no point in putting newspaper over that when you could just use a wet towel and garbage bag and be done with it.

I had a fish of my own in the freezer for 15 years via the wet towel and garbage bag method due to it not being a priority and not paying the bills, and it was just fine.

If you have a really large fish like a pike or musky you can use two garbage bags.

Be sure to label it as I've had more than one case where the wife of a customer threw out a fish in their freezer. of course I'm not sure that was on purpose in at least some cases.

Back before I specialized in fish, if I had a nickel for every wife that said, "You're not hanging that in my house" when the husband and wife came to pick up the deer mount, I'd be a rich man. They spend a small fortune on a deer mount and it would end up in the garage or basement! I'm also leary of leaving a message with some wives to tell their husband their mount is ready for pick up. I've had more than a few not tell them.

Whoops I think I got of track!

Your right about some wives not being thrilled about wildlife mounts. My cousin shot a 13 point buck weighing over 300lbs. 30 years ago, the head is still sitting in the basement.

Cecil what is the average cost per inch to have a fish mounted, and how much of the actual fish do you use in the mount?

[quote=Cecil Baird1]

"If you have a really large fish like a pike or musky you can use two garbage bags."

Bruce does this with Bluegill.

Bing

Cecil,

I think an expansion of your entire post, especially with photos, could make a great PB article. More than once I've wanted to send you a dead fish in the mail, and then wondered just how to do it.

As for deer mounts -- a good friend just went through exactly what you describe. He got a trophy buck on a trip out to Illinois and Wisconsin last year. The very expensive mount -- including a fortune to crate and ship it from Illinois to Virginia, is now hanging in the basement.

Ken

That's a good question Cecil, if I want you to mount the fish, after you do the above, what is the best way to ship it to you?

Cecil

Do you do reproductions? I just caught this little fish on a trip to Lake of the woods the first week of July. It is 49" long. I didn't get a girth, she was pretty tired and I want to get her back in the water asap.

The prices can vary depending on the quality of the work, the work load of the taxidermist (A good experienced taxidermist has a large back load and can increase his prices accordingly), and other factors such as the local economy.

I think the average price now across the country for high quality fish skin work (not replicas) is about $11.00 per inch. There are still people charging as low as $5.00 per inch, and I know taxidermists in Washington state, New Hampshire, and New York that get at least $25.00 per inch. Those gentlemen don't get a lot of work in however, but want it that way. Two of them teach taxidermy.

I break my prices up into panfish, musky and pike, trout and salmon etc. as some species are more time consuming than others regardless of the size. I would prefer not to post my prices as I don't think that would be appropriate here as I don't pay for advertising on the site.

Typically a taxidermist just starting out will be fairly low in price until he improves his quality and increases his workload. Be wary though of a taxidermist that is just starting out and can give you a good deal unless you don't care what your mount looks like when you get it back. Just like anything else you get what you pay for and it takes time to get to a level of high quality work. I've been doing this for 26 years, and although I feel I produce high quality piece of work, I'm still learning and trying new techniques.

Also be aware that if someone attends a taxidermy school that does not mean they automatically do good fish work. Some of the worst work I've seen were people that just came back from a school and put up their shingle. Most of the outstanding taxidermists I know of are self taught.

Darn why can't I answer a question simply! I'm worse than my wife!

I use all the original parts in my fish except the eyes which includes the skin, head, fins etc. The carcass however is removed and no trace of flesh is left on the skin.

One exception is trout and salmon which I use a cast head as the real head is nothing but a grease ball waiting to bleed grease. Even removing most of the head and replacing it with an epoxy isn't a guarantee against grease bleeding. And once you do that you might as well have used a cast head.


If I do a greasy large lake trout or a catfish skin mount in I will also use cast fins.

Advise:

Don't just consider the price. Make sure you're happy with the quality of work of a taxidermist before committing. They are not all created equal. Fish work require recreating colors with an airbrush and in some cases the ability to carve an anatomical body out of foam. Some never get the hang of it or want to take the time to do it well.

Hey for those of you that have not seen it here is a link on the site of some step by step pics of when i did a diorama for SDSU. For those of you that don't know it may show you some of what is involved.

http://www.pondboss.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=124398&fpart=1

Yes I do. However to save you on shipping it to you I know an outstanding replica specialist/artist in Oshkosh, WI that even does custom replicas (makes the molds himself in most cases). Maybe you could even drive to him?

Let me know if you're interested (PM me) and I'll send you his contact info.

Cecil -- don't apologize. Fantastic answer.


I don't know how I missed that entire thread last year, or maybe it is just my oldztimerz disease, and I forgot that I saw it. It would make a great presentation.

Actually picking up from you wouldn't be a problem. My farm is in Schuyler County, IL but my residence (for now) is in North Aurora, IL. I make 1 to 2 trips a year to Lake Erie and drive within 20 miles of you. Not real serious to do this right now but trying to get a planning price (understand it will go up later). Plus I have a 47.5" Musky I caught 2 years ago that I would also like to do. With the pond work scheduled to start on 8/10 need to wait and see what the final cost for it is before doing anything else. Thanks

Understandable! Unfortunately the downside to catching a big fish is it costs more!

I P.M'd you with a price per inch on replicas. Don't go into shock now!

You do take nice pictures. It would be a treat to duplicate the photo.

Thanks for the info Cecil, someday I hope to catch a fish worth mounting.

On a funny note did I tell you about the two brookies I did for a rustic furniture maker in the Adirondacks? If not here goes:

I think he said he was near Schroon Lake (sp?) They were quite large even for New York standards and he was going to put them on fly tier cabinets or something that he make and sold. However he couldn't part with them and the funny part was he told every one they were caught locally even though they came out of my pond.

One was well over a toad of over 4 lbs. but probably only 18 or 19 inches in length.

That's surprising, usually fisherman don't lie.

Nor so people trying to make a buck.

+1 on this thought. I would also like to see it expanded to cover how to do a replica. And how many pictures and from what angles. Do you need to pose the fish in the angle you want it mounted (say with mouth open and curved like its atacking a bait fish). What measurements are needed besides girth and length. Say you catch a big bg and he has a real odd shaped tail, would you take measurements of the tail so the replica would also reflect that, or can you do good enough from just pictures. Do the pictures need to have a measuring tape for reference or do you trust the measurements the fisherman gives you?

O.K. I'll see if Bob would be interested.





O.K. can do.



Really just one is needed for coloration.



No.



Just girth and length. I can get by with length only or length and weight.



Picture would fine.



No. Since I order a fiberglass blank whatever size the angler requests it's totally up to the angler how big a blank he wants.

Stick,

Sorry I missed your question on how to ship a frozen fish to a taxidermist etc. Basicially you can ship it frozen regular ground UPS or Priority Mail and it should arrive still frozen or recently thawed. Be sure to put another plastic bag over it to prevent any leaking in the box if it thaws a little, and to put some kind of insulation around the fish such as newspapers or foam or starch peanuts.

I ship my frozen fish I sell to taxidermists all over the country UPS ground or Priority Mail and shipped out on a Monday afternoon they usually get to their destination by Wednesday via Priority Mail. Within three states distance I go with UPS but farther than that I go with Priority Mail. Farther than three states with UPS costs are much higher and it takes longer. Sometimes up to five days when it only takes three days with Priority Mail. On the other hand the USPS has a new oversize rate and they can be more expensive than UPS in that case. It's a balancing act as to there I ship.

Cecil,

I took your advice on this on my Bass I just caught and it did work pretty good I might add. The Taxidermist was also very happy that I wrapped it the way you said.

Thanks for the info.

RC51

Glad to be of help RC. Congrats that is a nice size bass anywhere!