Replica fish mounts are becoming more and more popular... sometimes because fishermen want to release their catch... or sometimes because certain kinds of fish, such as catfish, can't be preserved any other way. Click photo to enlarge
photo by Barbara Simms
In this age of "catch & release," more and more anglers are working hard to conserve more and more fish. Biologists say that in many cases catch & release may not help fishing populations as much as anglers seem to think... but they certainly don't argue against it either.
On the heels of the "catch & release" craze is the "mount or don't mount" craze.
Most sportsmen who catch a trophy fish of any variety at least "think" about preserving their catch by having a taxidermist mount the fish to hang on the wall. Such mounts help the angler relive the memory of a great catch, and gives them the excuse to retell the story to anyone who pauses to look at the fish.
In recent years however, more and more taxidermists have started to specialize in "replica" mounts. Taxidermists don't need the actual dead fish to create a lasting memory. The angler can simply take length & girth measurements (or make them up), then provide the measurements to the taxidermist and they can create a plastic replica of your catch. In some cases the replica might look even better than the real thing.
Taxidermists have been doing this for decades in the saltwater world. Every huge sailfish or marlin you might see hanging on a restaurant wall is actually a replica. That is partly because of their huge size, but also because their skin simply isn't firm or tough enough to use to create a mount.
The same thing is true for freshwater catfish. Even serious sporting folks have rarely seen a mounted catfish. That may soon change thanks to taxidermists like Joey Arender, owner/operator of Arender's Fish Taxidermy in Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Arender came to Chattanooga to fish with Scenic City Fishing Charters (that's me, BTW) a few years back. We had a good day and Arender's young son, Blake, boated a 47 lb. blue catfish.
We released Blake's monster fish, but Arender, already an accomplished taxidermist, decided then and there that he needed to learn to create replica catfish.
Since his first such replica cat was for his own son, Arender understandably took great pains to "get it right." He e-mailed me more than once asking me to provide him with close-up photos of catfish eyes, whiskers, fins, etc. When it was finished, he e-mailed me photos of the final product.
I decided then and there that someday I was going to have one of those on my wall, or shelf.
In the guiding business I occasionally visit sportsmen shows and displays. I learned early on that your booth will get a LOT more attention if you provide eye-catching visual aids. I wanted a catfish replica big enough to be impressive, but not so big that I can't haul it around.
Arender fulfilled my order, no problem.
Do a Google search for "replica fish mounts" and you'll get a laundry list of taxidermists who either do replicas, or in some cases, specialize in replicas. In most cases Arender charges the same for either skin or replica mounts. Some taxidermists charge more for replica mounts however, primarily because they say they will last longer.
Some anglers however have no interest in replica mounts. They simply have a philosophical problem with putting a trophy on the wall unless "it's the real thing."
Others however are critical of anglers who kill trophy fish when a replica mount is an easy option to a tradional "skin mount." As long as it's legal to the fish, I say "To each his own."
But remember that in this day and age, there is a good chance that the monster fish you see hanging on someone's wall might actually be made of plastic.
For more information visit Arender's Fish Taxidermy.
Arender is a stickler for detail as he crafts his catfish replicas.
