Like you, I agree that there's something more "real" about a skin mount, but I would caution that I've seen lots of botched skin mounts and it takes a special talent to get it right. I have two 5+ lb. brook trout on my wall mounted by David Footer (the mounts at LL Bean are his), a true artist who I understand no longer does skin mounts. They were done about 20 years ago - at that time I paid over $500 for each and waited three years. They are magnificent, but that kind of quality will cost much more today, more than I'm prepared to pay. I also stopped killing trout around that time, so today I would opt for a fiberglass mount, knowing that I have a better chance of getting something presentable and durable for a more reasonable price.