The Week in Fish Pictures~ Year 2# Week#12

[Rick Krane]

The Week in Fish Pictures~ Year 2# Week#12

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Hinsdale New Hampshire! What a year it has been for the week in fish pictures so many talented folks and great contributers how could it be any thing but a great year for sure! I want to wish all of you a happy holiday and Merry Christmas as well! So many things to give thanks for and to enjoy time with family and friends to celebrate the birthday of our lords son. It can be very stressfull with the Holiday season upon us with work and getting orders done, shopping and all that goes with it. But know that you are appreciated and valued me me and to so many here as well! Happy Holidays and have a safe week to come for this Christmas!

Great work last week by Kevin Birznieks, Mike Meszaros, Paul Czarnecki,  Wild Bill, Pete S,ccook63, Cole Cruickshank, Dennis Murawska, Mike Kroessig, Joel Lawrence, Michael Shipman, and Gary Bruch! Super work and Big thanks for sharing and aspiring all of us!

From beginner's to the best in the world we all join in every week in a critique free and hassle free string with nothing more then great artist and inspiring fish taxidermist and carves get together to share with one another their praise and inspiration of good will and friendship to one another.
So with out further ado lets get week #12 under way.

I want to start the week with a fish staying in the Christmas theme (well at least Christmas colors)! A transitional Coho Salmon! This is a older Dave Campbell Coho which is graciously sold by Mr. Jeff Gould of JG replicas in WA, http://www.jgreplicas.com/ . This Coho is always one of my favorite to do and when I can be fortunate enough to have a customer catch on to do in the transitional color phases even better! I hope you enjoy the reds and greens and golds of this Coho! 
So here we go and here is to a Happy Holiday and a great new year!!! #12! Enjoy!

My Best!
Your friend
Rick Krane

Here is the head after the final powder work teeth came after the powder work.

Here is the head finshed.

Here are a few fin detail shots


Here is Kathie with the Big Coho in all of its green, red and gold Glory!

[Jknuth]

WOOO HOO!
Nice Coho! The colors and tones on the cheek are fantastic. and the green color is spot on, Thats a tough color to nail down!

Man they have to be one of my favorite salmon! Pinks come in at a second! ( I still need to catch one)
I have an earlier stage transitional to get to after Christmas. Still dull silver but with a nose like Gonzo!

Happy Holidays to all!

[Jimmy Lawrence]

Love the colors!!! It is hard to describe that head!  Awesome!  Im sure it is even more impressive in person.   That is an awesome fish!!! I've never seen one in that color phase.    Kathie did a wonderfull job holding it, LOL, and I love the AA hat!!!  Here is a few pics of my bro doing some work on his Lm bass skinmount.  We sealed it, and set eyes today.  Great start to an even better week.  Have a safe and happy holiday to everyone!!!

[Jimmy Lawrence]

another

[Jimmy Lawrence]

last one!

[Jknuth]

That Bass is moving along nice! He did a very nice job on the head and gill set! a tough chore for anyone, He has a good teacher 

[crankin]

NICE Coho!!! Joel's Bass is coming along very nicely!

[Red stag]

Oh-oh... The paintingjob on that Coho are just fantastic!!!! Love it. Merry Christmas to all of you!

[Harum]

Very nice Christmas fish Rick!! I love the use of complimentary colors!

Jimmy, Keep the pictures comming!

Merry Christmas to all

[Wild Bill]

Rick that Coho is awesome !! Here's a pedestal Largemouth Bass I finished yesterday. Merry Christmas to everyone and have a safe New Year.

[Travis Jones]

Heres a bass repro. & crawfish pedestal mount just finished

[Travis Jones]

Merry Christmas to all you fish heads. Excelent work everybody.

[Terry]

Outstanding coho Rick!!! And some very nice largemouths, both finished and in the works.

I haven't had a fish to share in awhile; village travel with my day job (which I love by the way) and waiting on some blanks to show have slooowwed me a bit. I do plan on cranking on some fish when I get back from Christmas break (2 weeks back home in KS). I have a king, 3 rainbows, 2 sockeyes, a chum and a pike waiting in the wings (and of course everything shows right before we are to leave), as well as an interpretive display for Togiak NWR. So maybe I will have something to share shortly after the new year starts. 

I DO have something to share though. I work for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Togiak NWR) in Alaska. The refuge over in Kodiak recently opened up a new 8000 (approximate) square foot visitor's center. I have not been there myself yet, though a couple of guys in our office have been. Apparently it's pretty cool; I hope to see it myself in the future. The fish for the displays were created by Dave at Fisherman's Tale- not just in terms of blanks but the entire fish (paint jobs). I wish the photos were larger, but they look pretty darned good to my eye. The interpretive fabrication contractor was Split Rock Studios out of Minnesota. The photos have a watermark label on them. The gentleman who took the photos granted permission to share them on here with my fellow fish heads.

One thing I do find curious, and have not had a chance to ask about... to my eye, ALL of the mounts are reproductions. All of them- all birds, all mammals. I am sure it's probably a durability issue. But in the photos that were share with me and that I have looked at (over 300), I don't see anything that looks like a real scale, feather or hair.

To one and all... Merry CHRISTmas!!!

[Terry]

And more...

[Terry]

A whole lot of sockeyes...