Ken,
If it was me doing the replica I would want a good photo of the fish showing the colors.
Then I would want a length of the fish on a board, and weight sure would be a plus. Even if you would have to put it briefly in a bucket to take it to the house to take pictures I would think it would be O.K. for release as long as you didn't take too long.
If you want to enter the fish as a record I would suggest getting what they require a head of time. Most likely it would have to be weighed on a certified scale with a witness, along with a clear photo with tape measure beside it, or on a board with the measurement clear. Some states require a biologist to witness the fish.
As far as replicas here's the scoop many don't know:
The taxidermist orders a blank from a supply company as close to the measurements you give. Yes, there are some that have made their own blanks but it's pretty tough to have all the sizes available. In otherwords, you're getting a mold of someone elses fish that in the case of a bluegill may not have the same configuration. As you know they vary a lot. I've actually seem some molds available that were definitely green sunfish hybrids complete with the oversized mouths. Many of the blanks molded from lake fish don't look anything like our pond fish.
You can do what you want but what is wrong with keeping one record size fish that is probably close to the end of it's life span?
Personally I'm for mounting actual skin mounts as they mean more to me and aren't someone elses fish.
If by some chance you do decide to go with a skin mount I would put it into a bucket of water with baking soda added. Once the fish expires wrap a water soaked towel around it and slide this into a garbage bag. Then push the air out and wrap with tape. Label and freeze immediately.
Just be aware not all taxidermist are created equally. Some can't mount or paint a fish to save their life while others can make them look like they just came out of the water. Once the fish is frozen safely in the freezer you are free to check out the quality of a taxidermist's work and decide who you want to go with. And you usually get what you pay for.
Last edited by Cecil Baird1; 06/25/10 07:39 PM.
