POLL:What FISH should be eligible for Best of Show Awards?

[EJ]

In reply to JohnC train of thought. If a freeze dried fish is kicking everyones butt that means it just set the bar higher for everyone else. Now it's your job to beat it. don't disqualify it because you can't. Just like in mammal categories, If you want to win you had better learn how to cast your parts in dental acrylic or settle for second.

[Travis Jones]

I agree alot with Marc. It's not a big deal to me either. I want to start competing. I think it would be fun. I think any sort of fish taxidermy should be allowed. Whether it be skin, commercial repro., in-house repro. or wood carved. If its good enough to win let it win. If someone losses miserably with a commercial blank oh well. They'll learn from it. Either fix a commercial blank the way it should be or mold their own. If someone wins with a comm. blank then that shows they are able to fix it to the standards of competing. If you win with a skin then great job. You won the old fashioned way. What ever you choose to compete with, make it the best you can and go for it. Its just a competion.

[Scrubby]

Like Jim has said before it is not the technique it is the technition applying the technique. Mike is a rounded Taxidermist regarless of what category he enters.

[John C]

Freeze dry is not raising the bar its different. My opinion and that will never change. It is not a normal tool in everyshop or evenone that you can buy out of every taxidermy catalog.

 It belings in a freeze dry cataogry.

So if someone comes in with a fish thats been siliconized like the bodies exhibit and those do have a waxy feel, then is a judge who has never seent hat going to  kncok points off for that or is it going to raise the bar?

Since judging is a p[ersonal opinion if I were to judge a show with a freeze dried fish in the nrmal fish clases it really had better pull it off or it will not score as well. If someone had a siliconized fish that pulled it off better than the freeze dry then that too.

So now we end up back to the point that a very good cast fish is better than the skin mount but should it be in a reproduction fish catagory.

Bottom line is that the line must be drawn somewhere  and only the rules commitee  does that, not you not I.

Just where do you draw the line? FD in only the master or throw all fish together and screw the guy who did a great skin mount the way skin mounts are meant to be?

[EJ]

How's it different John?...Ever large (1/2 pound +) freeze dried fish I've ever dealt with had a form in it. The bulk of the meat had been removed??? The head and tail section was injected with basically water, put in the freezer and then in the freeze dryer. Really all the freeze dryer is doing is lessening shrinkage in the head (Real Head) and around the fins and also the fish holds on to it's markings better. In my experience thats it?

  I'm I missing something here? Now I've freeze dried minnows whole, but I would never attempt it on anything bigger.