Fiberglass Replica/Skin Mount.......What would you do?

[WalleyeOne]

[BlackSilver]

[steve dover]

walleye look plastic with replica mounts, go with skin mounts, salmon are better with replica mounts and look good. it is different for diff fish...

[stevefellegy]

For at least the last ten years, ALL my guiding clients with trophy walleyes or muskies get replica mounts and have NEVER been disappointed. I use Fibertech in Brainerd, Minnesota. They have a VERY short turnover time and ship, safely, all over the country. Talk to Mike there...218-825-8002 Say hello to him for me too. They really do a nice job. Service and finished product.

Happy Holiday's1

[Pauly]

If fishermen are liars, and we all know they are, replicas make it easier. Although I am a believer in catch and release, I never trust that a replica is not an exageration of the truth. A real mount don't lie. Also a quality skin mount is much more realistic than even the best platic up close.

[guest]

Mike , You better send Steve a Christmas card for that ad vertisement. And he ships all over the country, aka. he cant rat you out to your friends.

[Walleye Express]

Guys, I'm afraid I have to vote for a skin mount, at least on my first true trophy walleye. I truly think the mature walleye biomass will survive taking one out of the system. The fake ones are a great duplicate, but just that, a duplicate of that once in a life time catch. I recently released a 12.2 pounder I caught night fishing on the Saginaw River. I already have an 11.7 on my wall. So why kill another patriarch for a few more ounces. I'm getting a fiberglass mount of this last one, with the picture I took of it glazed right into and next to the mount itself.

[mwk]

I like to look at it as a once in a lifetime mount. Wait until the fish is over 30 inches not 29 3/4 and mount it. I accept the fact that after doing this I will release a 32 with a good photo. I cought a 31 inch fish on mille lacs last winter and kept it. Thats it for me gonna get a good camera now.

[FreeByrd]

No question about it for me. I advise everyone that asks to go the replica route. We've got one that is 15 years old and looks as good as the day we got it. I've yet to see a "real" mount look so good after 15 years. I've used FiberTech in the past and they do quality work. The price was reasonable and the turnaround time was outstanding. If you don't mind waiting I'd recommend Artistic Anglers. From my experience the Artistic Anglers replicas look a little better than the ones I've gotten from Fibertech.

The other advantage of the replica is we can eat the fish too. Lake Erie 12 pounders properly cleaned TASTE GREAT.
Good Luck,
Steve Carlson

[Texeye]

What kind of measurements do you need to have a replica made?

[mrwalleye5]

Tip of nose to end of tail. Girth. Take a good picture that shows the true color of the fish. Different body of water different color of fish.

[T-Mac]

I used to do this for a living, and in my opinion...it depends on the fish. Examples:
Large salmon fresh from the saltwater (chrome, silvery) don't skin mount well. However.. up stream and spawning colors present, they get quite individualistic in their shape, and the scales are sucked up ito the hide...or gone. In that situation I liked to carve the body and cast the head and make a fibreglass head & skinmount the body. This method worked well on all large freshwater salmonids, too.

Warm water species like Walleyes, I prefered to skin mount them
The shapes of the body, the fin sizes, the head size to body relationship, etc., varies a lot. PLUS- There aren't all that many blanks available for 14-17 lb walleyes, eh? (But there is a huge variation in shapes of actual walleyes that size .)

Big northerns.. I liked some other taxidermist to do those ...LOL!
Their teeth and gills tore up my hands and then their slime would get into all the cuts! PLUS... that smell!

A reproduction has many attributes! You can release the fish and still have a mount. In fact you can have a bigger mount (LOL).
Durability is excellent on reproductions.

Sorry to ramble s long.

[T-Mac]

PS---- I did a ton of reproductions,too, and pushed many a customer that direction prior to his trophy Canadian or Alaskan trip.

[Sparkydm]

How would I contact Artistic Anglers? Do they have a web site?

[PKW_715]

T-Mac, I agree on the Replica. It's not the real thing but mine has been admirred by many and I know the fish swam away. The picture beside the mount says it all. Grin from ear to ear! Bass Pro did mine and they did a great job.

Happy Holidays,

Paul Wright
PKW

[Dave in Walker]

Without a doubt Replica, Artistic Anglers in Duluth, Minnesota, my opinion

[FreeByrd]

1-800-544-7466 is the number I have for Artistic Anglers from a few years ago. You can probably find them by doing a web search.
Good Luck
Steve

[Scott Richardson]

Hi,

I think one main argument taxidermists have given me for replicas - unless it is a record fish - is that skin mounts have a definite shelf life. In humid places like Illinois, I've had taxidermists tell me that they expect a skin mount to wear out in less than 20 years unless there is routine maintenance done every two years or so. I'd prefer to just dust. Also, I would think it makes things simplier at the border coming back from Canada.

With more people doing fiberglass replicas, the prices aren't that much different than real mounts. A good picture hanging next to the fiberglass removes the fudge factor.

That said, I've seen beautiful work both woth skin and fiberglass. I just saw the skin mount of the Illinois state record saugeye caught last fall and it is a beautiful thing. I certainly wouldn't fault anyone for keeping the fish of a lifetime as long as it doesn't come from some fragile fishery.

[Schnauzer]

I had a replica made of my biggest Walleye and I'm glad I went that route. I was happy enough with the results to easily do it again. Now... I just have to catch another trophy. That's the hard part.