mountable fish

[FishOn!]

Sweet display!!! what an effort! Gave me some good future ideas! Thanks for posting!

[eyebjim]

That is an awesome mount. I have been thinking of getting one similar with a walley swimming away from the hole but with a hook in its mount and the line going up thru ice like that. If you have seen this months infishermn the cover is basically exactly what I would like it to look like. Now I just have to catch another trophy walley.

[Nate McVey]

That's a great display! Very nice attention to detail.

[B@ssmaster]

Thanks! I can't claim much credit though. It was my idea to come up with some sort of winter scene below the ice, but my father is the craftsman. He did most of the design and build once we had an idea to work from. (I wired the light, my claim to fame. )

[gopher_nation]

Cool mount!! Kinda looks like a clear acoustic guitar.

[tisosy11]

That mount is amazing. The best place for ICE HOLE...out of reach. I guess its alright if you like drinking mouthwash...

[walleyeaddict]

awesome mount. for me 10lb walleye,14in perch,15in crappie,10in gill.

[Bluegill1510]

K Dawg, I guess when I did my school I caught all 4 of my fish in between Feb. 06 to May 06, and the Taxidermist I had was nice enough to let me bring in, well 1st of all 1 fish (14" Crappie), and then I brought 2 more (another 14" Crappie, and 10 1/4" Bluegill) after ice season was done and then right before opener I got a nice pumpkinseed (9 3/8") and he let me bring that in and still gave me the discount cuz I brought in 3 or more fish to him and he gave me a 10% discount. So that just really worked out for me, plus I was in college and spent alot of time fishing rather than studying. How I kept these fish frozen was I was told you take a thing dish rag cloth usually used for wipping down dishes with and soak the whole thing and then place that on top of a board equally so that board is in the center of your cloth. The board can be plywood or like an old fish cleaning board too. Then you lay your fish on top of the cloth over the board, pull the fins in and make sure your tail isnt fanned out either none of the fins should be fanned out or they will break off once frozen. Then just wrap the excess cloth on the bottom and top of the board over the fish, make sure there are no air pockets and just push them out. Then take a regular hand towl, dampen it and place it on top of wrapped up fish and place the board level in the freezer.

Alot of guys use grabage bags or bread bags, or use a freezer zip lock bags and fill the bag full of water so its like one big block of ice....but that takes forever to freeze and I like this board process cuz it doesnt take as long to freeze. I guess the board way works good with panfish and perch but with your bigger fish like muskie, northerns, trout and walleye I think you could just wrap the whole fishing in a damp towl and put it in the garbage bag and freeze it. The food saver deal will work but if you do that you should leave some water to cover the fish so it freezes solid like a block, because the one thing you need to watch for is overall protection of the fish and so that no fins get broke or damaged. But IMO I like the board way and have used that for all my fish, grant it they have been all panfish. My next driftwood mount is going to be a school of one pound or plus Bluegills, and Hybrids, which I've always wanted to do! I got 4 in the freezer for that, and will see what late ice brings, and spring brings, who knows maybe I'll a get a 15" crappie to go with that school!! Plus I'd like to do a nice northern mount (gotta be 20 lbs. or over, or over 42", cuz I CPR a 42" up nort), walleye (10 lbs or over) and perhaps a school of "true" Jumbo Perch (14-15"ers). A guy can dream can't he??

Graphites are ok I guess but its not the same to me, I either will mount the fish I caught or just CPR it and look at the fish through my photos.

[Phill Aldahl]

The only fish I have had mounted was a 4.79# white bass. Turned out amazing but didn't do it justice. It looks quite a bit smaller than the picture of me holding it. Still a bruiser and only a few pounds off the record. I would defenatly put that 16" crappie on the wall, I am just waiting for one to come up the hole that is that big. Have had numerous 14"ers and have debated and getting one done, but haven't pulled the trigger yet.

[anyfishwilldo]

My 3y/o daughter is getting this one on the wall, being it is her first crappie. 15" for a little girl.

[Bigeye30"]

Well this is subject that gets brought up every know and again, me personally I don't know if I'll ever get another mount done, I got a 30" eye when I was 12 and had that mounted, well know that it's a few years later, ok maybe more than a few, I have been really looking at this mount and seeing the aging that has gone on with it, I don't know if I really want to have another one done, I will say though that it is the choice of the individual, I just look at this fish on the wall and think that if that were still swimming, one maybe someone else could have been able to catch a fish of a lifetime and had as much excitement that I enjoyed, or two how big would that thing be know. I guess what I'm trying to say is I really enjoy the digital camera, I can take a few pics and know that they turned out, get them framed and never worry about dusting again.

Congrats on that crappie, looks like someone just got hooked for life.

[SP180]

I have caught an 7+ lb, 6lb 8oz, and a 6lb 6oz Largemouth. A 19 pound Northern. A 5+ lb and a 22 inch smallmouth and every fish has lived to breed and be caught another day. My plan is to have all of them replica mounted.

[maros91]

Here is what I would get done.

Crappie 15"

Perch 14"

Sunfish 10"

Walleye- 1st one 28" after that 30"

I have seen the stringer mounts and think those are real cool. I would have no problem with 6 27" or 28" Walleyes on a stringer, or a bunch of 14" Crappies on a stringer. I also like the panfish tree that some people have. All of the fish that I will get mounted will be replicas.

[Antler_Creek_Taxidermy]

The best way to freeze the fish is to wrap it in a wet towel and put it and a plastic garbage bag. Just make sure the fins are "slicked down" or Vacume sealing works good for the panfish. Once a fish gets put in the freezer you have to make sure it dosen't get tossed around, so the fins don't get damaged. Fins are somewhat easy to repair if they get broken or if they really get damaged they can be replaced by an artificial fin and nobody will know the difference. You should try to get the fish to a taxidermist asap to prevent any damage to the fish. I did muskie for a guy that was in a freezer for 3 years, wrapped in a wet towel, and besides a little freezer burn it was still in pretty good shape.