Taxidermist Recommendations?

[Vlasin]

I'm looking for a couple recommendations of taxidermists.

This will be my first mount and I do not know much about taxidermy, about the process or really anything. Quality vs. Cost is always key… though, I do not want to look back 5-10 years and wish I would have spent a little more for a better product.

At Lake of the Woods a couple weeks ago and caught some Monster perch and would like to get them mounted - 15in, 14.75in and 14.5in (all are fatties and coloring looked great). I have the fish and found a guy the will do "True" replicas for ~$15/inch or roughly $675 for the completed mount. Price seemed a little high, was hoping to get in the $4-500 range -- But the guy does GREAT work. (3 other guys are looking to get work done from the same trip as well - so maybe a group deal could be had???)

Any general advice and/or recommendations of mounts or place to take my fish would be great!

Thank you!

Vlasin

[Walleye Guy]

The taxidermist you talked to is probably buying the fish blanks from one of the large reproduction shops in the midwest and he has to mark it up to make some money. I recently had a 46" inch northern replica made and it was $12/inch. Most of the large, well know reproduction shops are in that $12/inch neighborhood. If you go to the Northwest Sportshow, most of them offer discounted show specials.

[holmsvc]

Tim Overbaugh did these for a friend of mine and they turned out great.

[Vlasin]

The taxidermist you talked to is probably buying the fish blanks from one of the large reproduction shops in the midwest and he has to mark it up to make some money.

I have the actual fish – I'm told he will make molds from my fish –Maybe that is the cause for the increase in cost?

[monstermoose78]

photos speak louder than words if you want the info for the guy who mounted these pm me.He mounts lots of perch from mille lacs lake as well.

[Mcfin]

Ed Durusha-Ed's Taxidermy,Coon Rapids

[randerson]

Looks Like Danny Becks crappies he is my families goto if your in the Mille Lacs area can't go wrong

[Matt Breuer]

Tim Overbaugh. Zero questions. Man is an ARTIST!

[monstermoose78]

Very good randerson!!

[Eric_Kruger]

Tim Overbaugh. Zero questions. Man is an ARTIST!

X2! Reasonable prices as well!

[Chad Holst]

Aaron Vold In Rochester MN. I have known aaron for 20+ years and have yet to see someone best his art (thats truelly what fish mounts are) as its zero real fish, unless you use the skin and want the fish to look like dump in 10 years. He has won awards for the amazing detail and accuracy.

With that said, there are alot of very good taxidermists in our state, however it depends on what your looking for. Some guys make great "generic" taxidermies, while other can make the fish look exactly like your fish, the day you caught it. Did you take any close up, high quality pictures of the fish when they were alive? if not, then i wouldnt go to someone that specialises in making a perfect replica, as they dont have anything to go by.

Also, i would suggest the next time you take alot of pictures with a tape measure or some item in the picture, like a dollar bill (great for pan fish) then let the fish go back in the lake. Fish are not like deer. we use the deers actual hide in the mount...the fish you see in the pictures above either have just the skin/fins (which you cant see anyway, as the skin is then painted to look like the actuall color) or they have ZERO of the actuall fish. (which is much more common now a days)

Back in the day you acually saw the real color from the real skin...but we all know what those tax's lok like after being on the wall for 10 years.

[Vlasin]

Tim Overbaugh is who we originally talked too. Sounds like he's "one of the best" and was hoping to hear his name come up a couple of times in the thread and it has. Final price still seems a little high...But, when it really comes down to it, if the final product is top notch, will last and I’ll still be happy looking at it in 10 years that is what really counts!

I have 3-4 quality pics of each fish and good measurements in the pics to assist with the process.

Thanks all for the suggestions!

Vlasin

[castmaster]

If the taxidermist is making molds of your fish for his future use in making replicas I'd say you should receive a discount on your mount.