i am having a heck of a time removing meat from bass heads
underside of throatlatch
up in top of head above scull
all other meat in head
i am also having a hard time using mannekins - is there another way or is this the best - have a hard time making them seat properly in head cavity
help.............
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I'm not over qualified on fish but here are a few suggestions:
Take your time, go at it slowy and patiently . Using the proper tool to get at those hard to reach meaty areas is critical. Either buy them or fashion them out of whatever...be creative! I use and prefer my homemade tools ground down from old kitchen utensils. You are right though, it can be difficult and very time consuming. I wish I knew of any shortcuts!
About your trouble with fish forms, are you measuring the fish properly for the form you have? It's more than one method of measuring. Now, I always deduct about a half inch on both measurements. Believe me I learned the hard way ... the cleaner you get the head area and fins the easier and better the forms will fit. Sometimes you really have to wiggle the form to get the head seated. Put a short piece of wire or something in the mouth to prop it open this will also help.
Like I said earlier, I'm hardly worthy of passing on fish knowledge, but know what I did wrong before!
Switch to fiberglass, no more headaches
Terryr, Use plenty of borax on the flesh of the fish as you work. This "firms" up the meat and it will clean out much easier especially areas like the cheek of the bass. Use good fish skinning scissors with short sharp blades for strong bone cutting leverage. Always test fit the form before actually mounting and if it's not right reorder or alter. Get and use good pictures of the species you mount- a couple of fishing magazines are good cheap sources for this.Good luck and don't forget to enjoy it, Aaron H.
Terry I had a hard time getting all the meat out to. I took a bass that I was not going to mount and cut the thing in half so I could see what it looket like on the inside. Cut up the back and down between the eyes . It help me to see what I was digging for. Hope this helps