mounting a fish?

Question

what do you do before you can get it to the taxadermy
Was told to wrap in towel and freeze, so that where its at now
thanks

thanks everyone. all set.
It was a 21.5" 7lb largemouth caught in Wisconsin

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Answer 1

I do not recommend wrapping bass in a towel or newspaper...I suggest to double wrap them in plastic garbage bags and freeze the fish immediately. A towel tends to dehydrate the fish and newspaper will damage the fins upon freezing.

Answer 2

Hopefully you have a good photo of it from when it was fresh-caught, especially if its markings are a little out of the ordinary for that species. Even with skin mounts the taxidermist has to paint it or after a few years it'll just be a musty old yellowish brown color, and having a good guide for the painting will really help.

As for getting it mounted, I'd suggest you get it to the taxidermist as soon as possible, just so the fins and tail and so on don't get dented or broken off as you move stuff in and out of the freezer. If you don't have a taxidermist lined up, start by calling some up and seeing if they need the fish for a skin mount, or if the measurements and a photo are all they need. (If they do a skin mount, they'll be able to tell you specifics on preserving/freezing the fish until they get it.)

Answer 3

You have it right. The only thing I will add is if it's going to stay in the freezer for any time more than a few weeks take the paper wrapped frozen fish and put the whole thing in a plastic bag. This will help reduce the "shrinkage" and freezer burn from harming it. Seal the bag with a twist tie after getting as much air out of the bag as you can! Congratulations on your catch!

Answer 4

I was told to measure and record the lenth of the fish and the girth and take a couple good color pictures of the fish. this way when he paints it it will look more like it did when you caught it. also before you freeze it you can wrap the fish in newspaper but cut some squares of cardboard and put them on each side of the tail to keep it from breaking off when froze.

Answer 5

A skin mount is a lost art. Very few, if any, still do skin mounts with the original fish. What they ask is for the fish measurement. Then they mold a replica that looks like a replica. I know someone who caught a seven foot shark. The taxademist only had a mold for a six foot shark so he used that.

Answer 6

You can wrap it in a newspaper, ora towel and put it in the freezer, but if you have it in there for more than a couple weeks so watch and make sure its not in there too long or itll get freezer burnt. Ive never tried what JD said, but it will work.

Answer 7

You can wrap it in newspaper too. Just anything to keep the frost off of it. Actually, many shops make replicas now without using the actual fish. They take measurements from the fish and create a new one. I don't think the new ones look as good myself.

Answer 8

First things first ~ NICE SMALLEY ;) ;)!!! As far as I'm concerned a Smallmouth Bass puts a Largemouth ta' shame when it comes to a fight, them things are scrappy! Am sure I'm goin' ta' catch some Boos and Thumbs on that : )!? Link below gives ya' a brief but thorough explanation of what ta' do. Scroll down to Field Care of Your Trophy Fish ~ very simple. Bookmark this site, it be pretty informative. To reiterate niiiiiice smalley ;)...




http://www.landbigfish.com/taxidermy/default.cfm

Answer 9

well wat'd you catch big enough to mount....just curious