Fish Field Care by Michelle Nelson

Well, fish field care is pretty basic and there really isn't a whole lot to it. I figured I'd post it just in case someone needs it.

When you plan a fishing trip; a good thing to have along is a cooler about 3/4 full of ice. If you find this is not enough I am sure their is a gas station or a store near you where you can pick up some more. You will also need a bath towel.

When you catch a fish that you want mounted be careful not to touch it's body. Pick it up by the bottom lip. Picking it up by the bottom lip kinda paralizes the fish and keeps it from flopping around and damaging it's scales. When removing the hook do not rip it out of the fishes mouth. Try and remove it without tearing the skin as much as possible.

Once the hook is removed get your bath towel and get it wet in the body of water your fishing in. Take your fish and lay it flat on the towel. Make sure all the fins are laying flat against the body to keep them from being damaged in transport. Wrap the towel around the fish and lay it in the cooler. The towel will keep the fish from flopping around in the cooler and causing damage to the fish.

As with deer, get the fish in the freezer as soon as possible. Before you put him in the freezer take the fish out of the towel and place him in a couple of plastic bag. Now put him in the freezer where it will not get bumped; especially the tail and other fins because they will break and they are a pain in the butt sometimes to fix.

Now there are a few fish that can not be skin mounted and reproductions are going to be required. Such as sharks, and large Ocean Game fish.

Fiberglass reproduction ( REPO ) fish are an alternative to a skin mounted fish. Nothing of the original fish is used in a Repo. Thin-skinned and oily fish that would other wise have a limited life span after mounting are better suited for a reproduction. Also if you are fishing a Bass Tournament and it is mandatory catch and release there is no way to have a skin mount done. Also a reproduction is good if you are going on a week or two long fishing trip to a remote location. All you need are the measurements off of the fish and a few pictures. There are only 2 measurements that are required to find a Repo for your fish.

Fish Care

Reproductions are made from casts of REAL fish!  They are not sculpted.  So if you catch a new state record or a fish really close than a reproduction is probably not going to be available.  However one can be made from your fish.  So if you release it than you may not have to opportunity to have one made.

If you plan on getting reproduction done instead of a Skin Mount than make sure to get lots of pictures.  Close ups and pictures of the entire fish.  Also make sure to get pictures of any special marking on your fish.  They can be reproduced on the reproduction.  Pictures help us to get the colors right on your fish.  It helps us with the color shades, etc, etc. 

There are some postives and some negatives to using a Repo instead of a skin mount.

Positives
1. You don't have to worry about the fish attracting bugs.
2. There is no fish smell
3. Repos will last forever but may need repained in the future (same for skin mount).
4. You can realease your fish so others can have an opertunity to catch it and also allow the fish to keep spawning.
5. You can eat your fish

Negatives
1. It's not "your" fish....it's a fiberglass repo
2. A reproduction may not be the exact size as your fish (off by an inch or more depending on type of fish). There are a dozen or more companies that sell repos so more often than not a repo can be found to fit your fish's measurements.

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