fiberglass or skinmount

[boxerjake77]

the biggest bass i caught was 7.25 lbs. 23" on a white spinner bait. I consider anything over 8 to be a trophy. i would choose a skinmount over the fiberglass, because i haved fished for too many years for this one fish over 8 lbs. and there is no way i'm releasing her. thats why i choose skinmountwhat do you choose?

 

[Dick]

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.

 

[Gungho58]

Fiberglass Mount

I have had my best, a 7 lb 13 oz largemouth bass done in a fiberglass mount that is just perfect. I was able to measure and take a picture of the bass, and release it again for someone else to enjoy catching, and hopefully releasing again. It all depends on the quality of the taxadermist work. I chose Northeast Taxadermist in Ct. for my work, and he is well known. The art is in the airbrushing of the mount to make it look realistic. It is on a base of sand and rocks with driftwood and lilly pads for a backgound.

I had a friend that had a 5 lb smallmouth done in a skin mount, and when it was done, it just looked fake. After several years of owning it, he saw my mount and took his to Joe, at Northeast Taxadermist, and had it airbrushed. Now it looks like a live smallmouth.

Hope that helps........