Fish Mounts

[Mr. NiceGuy]

What are they?

Does anyone preserve fish they catch as a taxidermy project, or are "fish mounts" all plastic replicas now?

So what if we catch a fish in this epic year we want to save as a mount for fun and posterity? Do the people who make these need the fish we caught, or is it pulled from stats and made from scratch?

Are any of these things actually made from fish?
http://www.ebay.com/sch/?_nkw=fish%2...544&mfe=search

[Mr. NiceGuy]

It might be fun to figure out a quick DIY ...

Bring it home, make a quick cast of some sort, and fill it with plaster, or hydrocal, etc.

If I can figure out a quick molding system it might be fun to collect casts of interesting fish before they are cut up and cooked for dinner.

[tunaseeker]

There are some videos on YouTube as to how they do it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65prCc6xp7I

Or you can make one out of a palm tree husk like these...

[Goose1993]

I'd like to know this too. I am moving to a new house this summer and wanted to mount/replicate (whatever they do) some of the fish I catch this summer. Like the ones you see at tackle shops and hanging all over the place at bass pro.

I want to get a yellowtail, yellowfin, and Yellowstone cutthroat trout made, as these are all my favorite fish. Maybe a dorado too, but I don't know if I will have room. I know they sell these already made, but I want a custom replica of a fish I CAUGHT so it has character and the story behind it.

So yaa I'm wondering how they do this process too. Do they replicate it given the measurements and pictures, or do a mold of the fish? Yellowstone trout must be released so it seems that measurements and pictures are the only option. Plus, I'm not going to ship a whole fish back to SD haha.

[Pinhead]

I'm no taxidermist, but 2 of my buddy's are. I have learned quite a bit from them on field care of game, fish and what to expect when getting something mounted.

Yes, it looks like some of those fish you see on that ebay link were once real fish and are actually *Skin Mounts*, where the Taxidermist used the real skin from the fish. Skin mounts eventually look pretty ratty, but a taxidermist can usually give them a *tune-up* to extend the life of the mount.

I have a 1988 8 1/2lb bass skin mount that has been slightly repaired and tuned-up twice. Still looks ok to me, my wife may say otherwise ;-)

Additionally, most all of those skin mounts you see on that ebay link are Fresh Water fish, as Fresh water fish have thicker skin than Saltwater Fish. Saltwater fish skin tears so easily and I would imagine would be real difficult to work with.

In many cases today, the skin mounting process has been replaced with fiberglass molded fish blanks and are air brush painted.

When guys want a Saltwater fish mounted, just measure, weigh, take a picture of the fish if you want, (but it is not totally necessary), and pass the info along to a taxidermist. They will order the fish blank to match the size and weight, paint to match and turn it around in a matter of ~4 months.

Hope that info helps a bit.

Originally Posted by Mr. NiceGuy

What are they?

Does anyone preserve fish they catch as a taxidermy project, or are "fish mounts" all plastic replicas now?

So what if we catch a fish in this epic year we want to save as a mount for fun and posterity? Do the people who make these need the fish we caught, or is it pulled from stats and made from scratch?

Are any of these things actually made from fish?
http://www.ebay.com/sch/?_nkw=fish%2...544&mfe=search

[EastLosYaker]

Not quite the same as a fish mount, but has anyone experimented with Gyotaku? This is a Japanese technique where one rubs ink on the fish, and takes an impression of it on a certain type of paper. Looks awesome in a frame. There are some youtube videos out there, but has anyone on BWE tried it?

[captnblood34]

Bobberryfishmounts.com

My really good friends father, Bob Berry is a San Diego legend. He replicates using wood and has been doing it for years. The man is the real deal. If you're looking for a mount to last generations, this is your guy.


Jay

[katz]

Looks like this is the link: http://www.bobberryfishcarvings.com/

Fantastic work! Katz

[Mr. NiceGuy]

Another thought comes to mind:

If I could set of an organized set of casting boxes in modular sizes, then figure out a quick way to get a detailed impression of fish I bring home, it might be fun to cast something that looks like terra cotta pavers to make garden paths, cover sidewalks and patios, or to use as tiles to make outside patio tables, barbecue backboards, or other structures.

Eating in the back yard could become a history of fond memories that becomes more interesting over time.

Something like a detailed version of dog tracks across freshly poured concrete.

[Mr. NiceGuy]

Originally Posted by EastLosYaker

Not quite the same as a fish mount, but has anyone experimented with Gyotaku? This is a Japanese technique where one rubs ink on the fish, and takes an impression of it on a certain type of paper. Looks awesome in a frame. There are some youtube videos out there, but has anyone on BWE tried it?

I surfed around to find out about Gyotaku.

They can be very beautiful. Because they are prints on paper, it might look very nice as a collage of framed art for the walls. Or even covering walls or panels like a collage of wall paper.

[Goose1993]

Originally Posted by Pinhead

I'm no taxidermist, but 2 of my buddy's are. I have learned quite a bit from them on field care of game, fish and what to expect when getting something mounted.

Yes, it looks like some of those fish you see on that ebay link were once real fish and are actually *Skin Mounts*, where the Taxidermist used the real skin from the fish. Skin mounts eventually look pretty ratty, but a taxidermist can usually give them a *tune-up* to extend the life of the mount.

I have a 1988 8 1/2lb bass skin mount that has been slightly repaired and tuned-up twice. Still looks ok to me, my wife may say otherwise ;-)

Additionally, most all of those skin mounts you see on that ebay link are Fresh Water fish, as Fresh water fish have thicker skin than Saltwater Fish. Saltwater fish skin tears so easily and I would imagine would be real difficult to work with.

In many cases today, the skin mounting process has been replaced with fiberglass molded fish blanks and are air brush painted.

When guys want a Saltwater fish mounted, just measure, weigh, take a picture of the fish if you want, (but it is not totally necessary), and pass the info along to a taxidermist. They will order the fish blank to match the size and weight, paint to match and turn it around in a matter of ~4 months.

Hope that info helps a bit.

Yaa I've heard that about the skin. I'd prefer a fiberglass one over a fish skin one anyways. I'm sure they're both great but just personal preference. Holds color and more durable (not that I'm going to be playing with it haha).

Also found this website of a company in Florida. Looks like they do good work.
http://graytaxidermy.com/california-yellowtail-mount.html

[Mr. NiceGuy]

This is a nice looking silicone cast, but it looks like too much trouble and too slow to enjoy eating the fish after the mold is made.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQP5ZIfXUpo

I want to find something that's so fast and easy that it can be done as soon as we get off the water before we load up our kayaks to go home, and won't interfere with preparing the fish for lunch or dinner.

Yes, maybe it's brushing on some kind of non-toxic (edible material?) silicone or other rubberized/plastic slurry that can firm up the details on the drive home then be reinforced at a later time to hold it's shape as a mold. Perhaps the fish can be laid in a shallow plastic storage container to contain the mess, then drizzled with the slurry. Peel it off later like a rubber sheet. Should I look at those buckets of liquid plastic material available for dipping tool handles?

Hot wax will make a detailed mold, but it might cook the fish. We need an iced version of hot wax in a different temperature spectrum.

I once made a belly cast for a pregnant girl. That was fun. Especially working the details of her nipples. She was getting excited, so I think it was a treat for her.

It was from plasterized rolls of gauze that I bought from a medical supply store. it's the kind doctors use to make a cast for broken bones. It hardened quickly. Maybe something like a very fast setting soupy plaster slurry of the same material to capture fine details followed with strips of casting gauze to give it strength? All it needs is a little water. We have that.

Still thinking ....

[Mr. NiceGuy]

Lifecasting
http://www.smooth-on.com/Lifecasting/c1240/index.html

[Pinhead]

+1 Bob Berry

He was a Taxidermist, started carving ducks, then fish, then coral etc... He has a talent beyond anything imaginable.

I met him a # of years ago at the PSWA show here in San Diego mid-February. He carves fish, ducks and various items and submits them to the show. He has a solid interest in helping people succeed in their art and is a genuine person.

[sculpins4bait]

haha i guess that would work fish are pretty similar to nipples. the real fish skin ones are super expensive, take forever to get done and i dont think many people do it anymore.

[Harry Hill]

Originally Posted by Mr. NiceGuy

I surfed around to find out about Gyotaku.

They can be very beautiful. Because they are prints on paper, it might look very nice as a collage of framed art for the walls. Or even covering walls or panels like a collage of wall paper.

you can get rice paper at hobby stores, it would be what they use in Japan for Gyotaku and would look great framed.

[buddha]

Originally Posted by EastLosYaker

Not quite the same as a fish mount, but has anyone experimented with Gyotaku? This is a Japanese technique where one rubs ink on the fish, and takes an impression of it on a certain type of paper. Looks awesome in a frame. There are some youtube videos out there, but has anyone on BWE tried it?

I dabbled in it and in the beginning a halibut or a bass are easy to gyotaku. Spiny fish and thick shaped fish such as a sculpin or a ling cod are much more challenging. Some guys combine traditional gyotaku with air brushing for an interesting effect. Instead of paper I used cloth and it make for nice effects and was for me a little easier to work with than paper.

It is fun to do gyotaku but to get good takes a ton of practice like anything else.

[kayachapi]

Originally Posted by EastLosYaker

Not quite the same as a fish mount, but has anyone experimented with Gyotaku? This is a Japanese technique where one rubs ink on the fish, and takes an impression of it on a certain type of paper. Looks awesome in a frame. There are some youtube videos out there, but has anyone on BWE tried it?

I had some trout in the freezer so I bought some T-shirt paint at a craft store and tried it.

[tunaseeker]

My work has changed a bit since 2015. Moved to metal now... if you are interested let me know. Cheers!
www.tbmetalart.com
Todd