First Lake Trout! soon to be replica

[Jknuth]

Ok I am flat out excited!!
today I caught my first lake trout!!
a 30" laker from the pier in Sheboygan WI.
I was sight fishing and saw him in the rocks about 15' down. He hit a shiner SO cool and a fairly rare catch off of the pier!
I have been trying for years and it was the last species of gamefish I needed to catch in Wisconsin. So now its time to move! lol

I will be doing a replica of him, If all goes well I will make a production mold and have blanks.

Look at these markings! its going to be a pain to paint.

sorry i am excited

[Jim F]

Congrats on the Laker, Jknuth!

There's not allot of Lakers taken lately. It use to be or bread and butter back in the early 70's when we started charter fishing out of Kewaunee.
And to see them in close is usually rare except you do see a few this time of year. They're mostly a bottom fish found in around 80 to 200 feet of water, so unless you have a boat set up for them you're usually out of luck.
I've caught them up to 30# on steel line and 32oz. lead weight.

The only good thing about mounting them is they hold their scales real good. But if you go skin mount, wear gloves cus that oil gets under your skin and stays for quite a while.

Now that you have a small one, go get a 20#+ for a trophy..........

[Aaron Stehling]

Nice !

Mold him up asap..as you know the longer you wait the harder they can be to mold. May have to inject the gut. Good luck

[Marc]

Awesome markings on the head/cheek(ok, pre- opercle) area. Most of the time you see more of a spot pattern than vermiculated makings like that. Looks more like a head on a tiger trout. Just another common.... uncommon fish from the great lakes I guess.

[Jknuth]

Yea the head colors will be a pain to paint.
Very cool fish though. truly one of the most beautiful fish ive ever caught.
I will post pics when the mold is done. Its funny Ive molded tons of fish but I am so scared Ill screw this one up.
I am sure it will be fine.

[sparkyf]

Wow, that some good stuff Knuth!  Awsome pictures too!!!

[crankin]

nice laker, i got one by the summer fest grounds earlier this week, also 30" and had vermaculations like that, with more of an orange color to the fins thou.

[Jknuth]

Mine had orange fins and a bit of a buttery tone when i caught it. As well. these faded after death.

[Joey Arender]

nice

[JasonMoe]

2 weeks ago I was fishing in Port Washington WI, about 1/2 hour south of you. I go there every year. Anyways, I've done some 30-40 inch Lakers, and they are not that hard to paint.  They usually dry with most vermiculations visable. First I use superhide white(polytranspar) on the belly and apoxie areas, head, dark areas, lamphey sucker holes, and up to the vermiculations.  Next I use lifetone silver metallic to get some shine back in it and cover the whole fish lightly. Next I use trans greens and rich brown(lifetone), to get the body color. The silver will bleed threw. Highlight the spots with some white with a very very very small hint of bright yellow(lifetone). Fins vary, use reference as usual. Thats what I do.

[rnviper3]

love those markings.  yes its a beautiful fish.  post pictures when you get it molded.  i will be waiting for the finished mount.  congrats.

[Travis]

Nice fish Josh! Thats cool you caught it sight fishing. We use to fish for them real deep, when I lived in N. Idaho. I never did get a big one. We don't have them here in SE Alaska, but I hope some day to get up north and do some fishing for them.
I look forward to seeing the mold, your molds are so nice.  I am off to the shop to do some molding myself, nothing special a coho jack and a rock fish, just for practice.

[den007]

Thanks for those free reference pics! Nice job!

[Jknuth]

Thanks for those free reference pics! Nice job!

Free?? oh its not free. Ive been watching who views this thread, your bills are in the mail!   BUH HA HA HA HAAAA!

[Jknuth]

Well I pulled the mold and It turned out nice!
I am happy. Ill be doing a cast of it tomorrow, I took some photos of the process, Ill put those in the mold of the week section.