Does a Mounted Fish Shrink?

The second most commonly asked question regarding Fish Taxidermy is, “Does a mounted fish shrink?)  This question is always related to the length of the fish.

After 32 years of mounting fish, I can tell you that shrinkage during the process of taxidermy should be the last concern a customer should have.  In order to measure or determine “shrinkage,” one must first take an accurate initial measurement of the fish.

I cannot tell you how many inaccurate measurements fishermen give me regarding their catch.  I would bet that nearly 50% of the reported catches brought to me are off by at least and inch, and sometimes up to as much as 3 -4”.  The miss-measurement is ALWAYS in favor of the fish and fisherman’s bragging rights.

You would not believe how many 24” Largemouth Bass have been brought to me, and when I lay them on the skinning table – which has a calibrated measuring rule riveted to the table – they are NEVER 24”.  The largest bass I have ever mounted from Michigan is 23.25”.   Most of these 24” bass are actually closer to 22” long.

The same goes for all of the other fish species I mount.  I have come to the conclusion that someone in the boat holds a tape measure up to the fish while the fisherman is holding the fish vertically.

So, I am in a predicament when I charge the customer a dollar amount per inch.  When I find a discrepancy in length, I photograph the fish lying on the measuring rule and save it in my phone.  Sometimes I even text the picture to the customer with a message.  Interestingly, I have yet to have a customer disagree with my measurement partially because I give them the credit on their final payment.  To date, no one has ever said, “That’s not my fish, mine was longer.”

So, if you think there is the potential for a mounted fish to shrink – be sure to start with an accurate measurement.  Lay the fish flat, mouth closed, pinch the tail fin slightly, and there you have it, an accurate measurement.  Tell your friends it was 24”, not your taxidermist.

To answer the initial question; “Does a fish shrink during the process of taxidermy?”  I would answer, “No, not if the body form fits properly.”   The tail fin and the lower mandible (jaw) may shrink 1/32 of an inch off each end, but it would never exceed a measurable or noticeable difference in the length of the fish. 

If you would like to choose a fish taxidermist that does business this way, contact Murphy's Fish Taxidermy  Your secret is safe with me!    

Mounted Fish; What Parts of the Fish are Real?

I have been mounting fish for over 32 years, and the one question I get asked most often about fish taxidermy is, “What part of the mounted fish is real?”

As long as we are referring to a customer that brings the taxidermist an actual fish, and expects to get their actual fish back (we refer to this as a “skin mounted fish” or “skin mount.”)

The answer to this commonly asked question, if fairly simple...only the “skin” is from the original fish.  Actually, the word Taxidermy means “To move, the skin.”  Taxi and Dermis.  (Taxidermy)

On a fish, the skin would include the fins and fleshy appendages such as the adipose fin on salmon and the tendrils on catfish.  The eyes are always artificial, and usually the gills are artificial.  Fish eyes can be glass or plastic.  Gills might be made from red felt, pipe cleaners or molded plastic.

On the back side of the fish, a long incision is made from the meaty part of the tail all the way to the gills (It follows close to the fish’s lateral line.)  Using a special type of skinning knife, just the skin is removed from the body.  At this time the skin is cleaned of any remaining meat and preserved with powdered borax.  

When the fish skin is mounted over a body form, the fins and mouth are held in position until the skin dries completely.  Once dried the shrunken areas on the fish such as the top of the head and the jaw lines may be filled with a type of epoxy putty which dries hard.  The skin is usually sprayed with a couple coats of clear shellac before it is painted.

Fish mounts also need to be painted since during the drying period the pigment or coloration in the scales fades away to various shades of gray.

So there you go!

Only the skin, and fins are real - when you have a fish taxidermist such as Murphy's Fish Taxidermy mount a fish for you.