REPLICA OR SKIN MOUNT?

[jlm]

Animal-
Hey, you misread my post as other pointed out. I would never hold anything against anyone for having a skin mount done and as a matter of fact, I have some skin mounts. Over the years with advances in taxidermy, I have changed my tune. I really believe a replica is the right way to go...at least for me. In my previous post I was referring to those that tend to add inches to their mounts, that I strongly disagree with!!! Another consideration we are all going to have to make is our population growth. Large fish are going be more and mroe difficult to catch in the future because of the tremendous amount of pressure the lakes are going to get. It will only keep getting worse. So in my mind, I think we should protect the resource for the future and having a replica made is a great way to do this. Also, some lakes are catch and release for big fish such as some of the Canadian lakes. What happens if you catch a 32 inch eye up their? I bet you will have a replica made because a skin mount will not ba an option. I bet you will love it just as much as any skin mount. This of course is just my opinion. However, we ALL need to be concerned about our fishing future!!!

[fiskyknut]

From a distance those replicants look okay, up close I can tell they're a fake. The replicas don't smell real either! Teeth, head area and gills, and skin texture of the fakies just give it away.

Catfish for one pretty much need to be replicated, but I just do head mounts of those big and uglies anyways.

Fisky

[LEECH21]

I HAVE TO DISAGREE! WHEN I WAS AT THE SPORTSMAN SHOW I WAS LOOKING AT A REPLICA SO CLOSE MY NOSE WAS ALMOST TOUCHING IT AND IT LOOKED LIKE THE REAL DEAL. SCALES, HEAD, SHAPE, EYES, GILLS, AND MOUTH ALL LOOKED AS REAL AS A SKIN MOUNT.

I ON THE OTHERHAND AGREE THAT WE NEED TO START THINKING ABOUT THE FUTURE. SOMEONE WROTE THAT IF THEY HARVEST ONE TROPHY IN A LAKE IT WON'T HURT THE POPULATION. TRUE ONE FISH WON'T HURT. BUT WE ALL KNOW THAT IT WON'T BE JUST YOU KEEPING THAT ONE TROPHY. THINK ABOUT HOW MANY THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF FISHERMAN THAT FISH A SINGLE BODY OF WATER IN JUST A YEAR. NOW THINK ABOUT HOW MANY OF THOSE FISHERMAN HAVE THE SAME ATTITUDE TOWARDS TROPHIES AS YOU! "AHHH, THIS ONE FISH WON'T MATTER."....BELIEVE ME IT DOES MATTER!

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[WoodlandSavage]

Yeah, but you've got to be one pathetic looser to order a replica of a fish you've never caught.

Honestly, who would spend the few hundred dollars on a fish they can say that they've never caught?

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The Woodland Savage

"Grrr baby, very grrr!"

[sunnyj]

This argument can go on and on. How about some usfull information. How many and where on the fish do you measure? Length is easy enough but how about hieght, thickness and fins, what dose a fisherman need to get a proper sized replica.

[Animal]

JLM - I guess I did mis-read your post. Sorry about that. Moving forward from here.

Good Fishing

Animal

[jlm]

Hey no biggie, its sometimes difficult to read as well as communicate when we are all writing! It happens. Good luck!

[WallEYES]

Another topic "BEAT TO DEATH", common sense tells me that it is up to the certain individual to decide what is best. I have both and it depends on the species.

[fiskyknut]

Well LEECH21, I have to disagree! I've been up close too and I can see the difference myself. I'm sure many others besides yourself may not be able to though.

The real McKoys look way better.

To each his own I'd reckon.

fiskyknut

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[LEECH21]

THERE ARE SOME BAD REPLICAS OUT THERE, ACTUALLY A LOT OF THEM. YOU MUST HAVE BEEN LOOKING AT ONE OF THOSE! YOU NEED TO SEARCH AROUND AND FIND A COMPANY THAT IS REALLY GOOD.

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[Mark Christianson]

One word:
Replica

[fiskyknut]

Hmmmm, I've seen work by the shops mentioned prior on this thread. There are bad skin mounts out there, actually alot of them. You must have been looking at one of those! You need to search around for a really good taxidermist!

[LEECH21]

IF YOU AND I BOTH GOT A TROPHY MOUNTED TOMORROW;YOU A SKIN MOUNT...I A REPLICA, THIRTY YEARS FROM NOW, WHO'S DO YOU THINK WILL LOOK BETTER, NO MATTER WHAT TAXIDERMIST OR "REPLICA MAKER" MADE THEM?

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[fiskyknut]

Oh that's really easy, mine would still look better because it would still be much, much, much BIGGER than yours! You know you expressed your opinion in your first post on this thread, others including myself have posted theirs only to have you disagree with our opinions. Why did you even ask for others to give their thoughts?

[LEECH21]

OKAY, OKAY MY BAD!

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[LEECH21]

OH YEA, ONE MORE THING, WE BOTH KNOW MINE WOULD BE BIGGER! HA HA HA!

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[russ]

Only the real thing. I've released enough fish to earn a real one for the memories. Like it was said earlier, anyone can order a fake one.

[Jim W]

Well, this just ran through my head several times last evening when I landed the biggest stream brown of my life.

Whose to say this fish will live another year,
with a chance of someone catching it again,
whose to say the replica will give fair representation, Could I personally afford a replica over a mount?

This fish doesn't typically belong to the largest group of spawners for brown trout, so why not keep it? GOod question! I let it swim!
I somewhat regret letting it go. It's taken me many years of stream wading for a fish like that. My right to keep, I bought a license!

However, A couple seasons a go I caught and released a big brown(not quit this big) in the same area...same fish...maybe...maybe not?
QUite a few photographs were taken. I am hoping one is good enough for a nice matted/ framed picture for the wall.

If I get enough dough lying around, I might replicate!

The chance for someone else to catch it, for it to add to the population naturally and to let it go after doing battle, justifies enough for me to watch it swim away!

Keep the rods bendin'!!!

Jim W

[ricqik]

I haven't seen yet any replica's that look as real as a skin mount. I look at detailed stuff like fins, scales, eyes, gill openings, and the teeths of northerns and musky looks way to fake. As much as I want to get a replica made for some of the trophies I've caught, it just looks too fake. Some are so bad the singing bass they used to sell at Wal-Mart looked better. Just my opinion. I'm sure given time someones bound to master it, until then skin mounts are my choices.

[lots of luck]

Well this was an article done in the Star Tribune awhile back about the repro's done in Duluth. Sorry my pick is small but the article pick is very large, and the fish is beautiful.

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[outdoor ran]

Here's some replicas

http://f1.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/hotsht411/detail?.dir=/8d40&.dnm=69a3.jpg&.src=ph

http://f1.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/hotsht411/detail?.dir=/8d40&.dnm=8ee5.jpg&.src=ph

I tried to post the pics on here, but it didn't work for me, so these are the links

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[LEECH21]

GREAT PICTURES! DO YOU HAVE ANYMORE REPLICA PICTURES? OR ANYONE ELSE OUT THERE THAT HAD A REPLICA MADE FOR THEMSELVES HAVE PICTURES OF THEIR FISH, PLEASE POST. WHICH COMPANY MADE THOSE?

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[outdoor ran]

We made them at Artistic Anglers. Our painter is one of the best. He has painted over 30,000 fish. All you need to do is take a length and girth. Take a picture and if you want note any abnomalties. Search around, there are a few companies making good ones. Note, if you get a skin mount try to find a taxidermist that has a frezze dry machine. Your mount will last longer without has much smell and oil bleed. Especially if you get a big laker or salmon done. Any one can mount a fish, its finding a good painter that is the key.

[LEECH21]

OUTDOOR RAN...ANY LUCK IN GETING MORE PICTURES OF REPLICAS MADE BY ARTISTIC ANGLERS? HOW ABOUT ANY BROCHURES THAT CAN BE MAILED? THE WALLEYE REPLICA PICTURE LOOKS AWSOME. ANY FEEDBACK WOULD BE GREAT....THANKS!

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[can it be luck?]

I don't know how much Artistic Anglers charge for thier replicas, but I do know that my friend who's a taxidermist in training charged me $300 for all of these. Whether they look as good as replicas done by high priced taxidermists I don't know. But for $300, I can't complain!

I thought I'd throw in a rainbow picture I took this past weekend.

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