i think in certain situations there really aint much of a choice, what i mean is the guy is a taxidermist... his profession involves artfully preserving dead animals lol, and the fact that he cought it himself just screams out that it needed to be stuffed lol. dont get me wrong i love watching my fish swim away, i dont even eat fish and have only ever taken 2 fish home in my life and they were given to my bro in law who requested i bring some home for him and i felt awful not letting them go afterwards ,i would much rather see them swim away to fight another day but cmon guys... if you were a taxidermist and you cought a near 10lb bass in a state that dosent see many bass that size your lying if you say you wouldnt take it home and practice your profession on it so you could enjoy for the rest of your life not only the fish of a lifetime you cought but the fish of a lifetime you cought and preserved for your kids to enjoy when you are gone. i think in his situation its a no brainer, i for one would definately have a repro made if i cought it but again to further specify my point i am NOT a taxidermist, if i was i would have no choice but to take it home and preserve it....
Really surprised at some of the attitudes here
I would of admired that fish for 30 sec. and back in the water it would go
And I applaud you for it, just as I did the guys who the 9+ last year and released it. However we are not a catch and release state. Many people eat and mount fish. I try to advocate catch and release and proper fish care, however I am not out to start drama on a post like this..if that makes sense. It was caught legally, with a purchased license and within the legal limits. not much to debate really.
I have a far greater problem with people who keep everything they catch, without a license or regards to size and creel limits. Or with people who release fish but beat the ever loving crap out of them first with horrible fish care.
Someone who keeps an occasional fish does not ruffle my proverbial feathers too much.
Really surprised at some of the attitudes here
And I applaud you for it, just as I did the guys who the 9+ last year and released it. However we are not a catch and release state. Many people eat and mount fish. I try to advocate catch and release and proper fish care, however I am not out to start drama on a post like this..if that makes sense. It was caught legally, with a purchased license and within the legal limits. not much to debate really.
I have a far greater problem with people who keep everything they catch, without a license or regards to size and creel limits. Or with people who release fish but beat the ever loving crap out of them first with horrible fish care.
Someone who keeps an occasional fish does not ruffle my proverbial feathers too much.
well put... as for beating up the fish first i cought a largemouth lastnight at my spot that was about 2 lbs and when i got him to shore i felt awful and wanted to put it out of its misery because the skin above its upper jaw was none existent and the upper jaw was broken in half which leads me to believe some scum of the earth cought this fish and stepped on it and ripped the hook out of its mouth, why you ask do i think such a horrible thing? because i almost fucked some guys s*** up last year at wachusett for doing that to a smallie a few feet away from me and the fish appeared to have the same injury. that guy is lucky he was way bigger than me cause i would have knocked his teeth out all over the sand! i did report him to the ranger station though and i can only hope justice was served. in short not everyone knows how to properly handle a fish but if you are afraid to unhook your fish or just plain have no idea how then you shouldnt be fishing, i take great pride in watching my fish swim away as unharmed as possible and if gut hooked as long as it dosent appear mortal i will cut my hook off rather than cause more damage trying to remove a deeply lodged hook and let the fish go under the assumption that the hook will at some point rust out or worst case scenario if the fish does die it becomes food for the other creatures in the lake. i also carry some heavy duty cuters with me that will snip threw a super wire hook like a hot knife threw butter and if i gut hook a fish badly i will usually just cut the hook in half and remove the 2 pieces provided i can fit my cutters in the fishes mouth farth enough to reach
Agree with everything you said Brooksy.You are right as a Taxidermist do any of you really think you would not perform your art on such a fine specimen that you caught yourself?I would def just want' some quality pictures myself and let someone else have a chance at her not to mention all the fine fry she would produce.I take fish home to eat now and then but mostly trout cause they are put in the water to be caught and taken home anyway.Always just cut line if ever gut hook and hope for the best most times fish goes on to live long healthy life.Can't stand the bucketeers who come with there big home depot buckets filling them up with whatever they catch most of them illegal in every way!
The sad part about your story Brooksy is that I have witnessed more then 1 boy scout leader teaching scouts to de-hook sunfish that way. They pulled the fish to the dock, put a foot on the fish and rip the hook.
It is sad how much ignorance continues to get passed along..anyway, back on track. Sorry to de-rail the thread.
It is sad how much ignorance continues to get passed along..anyway, back on track. Sorry to de-rail the thread.
Being a taxidermist, couldn't you have just taken pictures,weight,measurements,and let her go and do a mold ?.
Congrats on a nice fish.
taxidermy specifically refers to the practice of preserving the skin of the animal and stuffing the skin to fill the negative space to recreate a 3d object where as making reproductions requires a total different set of skills including sculpting,mold making,extensive knowledge of epoxy resins and fiberglass,ect... some are skilled in both but make no mistake they are totally different practices. i know this because i was friends with a guy that did reproductions a few years back that i had met at a make up effects class where i learned to make molds of clay sculptures to make foam latex masks. not trying to bash what you said to the ground im just specifying the differences between the 2 trades.
That thing is a BEAST jesus i would love love love to see that mount in person! Was he just using shiners? Or another type of love bait? (idk what else isbreally used for lice bait since i dont use any) but i have read on here that some guys use bluegillas and perch.
