How to document a trophy fish for a Replica

When the day comes and you catch that trophy fish. You might want to preserve the memory a little more than just a photograph. If so, it’s important to get as much information as you can from the fish while you have it. Even if you plan on keeping the fish and not returning it to the water. Colors fade quickly on a dead fish.

Photos

When it comes to taking pictures, get more than what you think is necessary. Sometimes when you’re caught up in the moment, photographing a fishes belly is not on your mind. Most taxidermists can make due with one good photo if that’s all you have.

Take photos of each side, the belly, and the top of the back. You’ll also want to get some close up photos of the body, especially any unusual markings. It’s important to remember, no two fish look exactly the same.

Next, you want to get some photos of the face. Most fish have a lot of different colors in this area. A good taxidermist will notice these subtle changes in color.

Measurements

Most fishing boats have measuring boards for measuring legal fish. The length is the most important measurement, since replicas are sold by how long they are in inches. The girth is another good measurement to have for getting an accurate size.

I think any fisherman that catches a big fish and has scales will certainly weigh it. And you should!

Not only for bragging rights, but it’s additional information for the taxidermist. If you have weighed too many giants and broke your scales or just didn’t bring them, don’t worry.

If you have the length and the girth, an accurate weight can be determined from that.

For example, A Crappie that is 14 inches long with a 13 inch girth will weigh about 2 and half pounds. That’s not 100% accurate but it’s pretty close. That’s why a girth measurement is important. Some fish have more of a torpedo shape and some are short and fat like a football.

Improvising

If you don’t have scales or tape measure, no need to worry. I can show you a way to improvise that’s still fairly accurate.

You’ll need to find a stick. One that’s not too big. A small one will work just fine. It needs to be small enough to break easily.

Treat the stick like you would a measuring board. And break the stick off even with the tail. Return the fish safely back to the water and keep the stick. When you get home, measure the stick and now you know how long the fish is.

The same could be done when measuring the girth. Instead, use fishing line and wrap around the fattest part. You could use fishing line for the length too, just don’t get mixed up on which line is the length and girth.

In the next article, we’ll look at responsible fish handling. Thanks for reading and good luck fishing.

Bryan