I can see reproductions for fish is the only way to go...It is the modern and best way to go?
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Theres no advantage to using the real skin over a quality repro. All the detail of the scales etc is still in there... The quality of a repro is higher than skin mounts. The fins wont crack or anything in 20 years.... Some people say 'but then its not YOUR fish - its just A fish that looks like yours.' Once you learn how to mold and cast yer own - you can easily make one off molds for your customers - so you produce a cast of THEIR fish specifically instead of a stock fish...
If theres a reason to choose skin over repro... I don't know what it is. Cost perhaps... the skin is free - treating it is cheap and a foam body is worth pennies... yer not gonna do a repro as affordably as you do a skin... especially if you buy the blanks from a supplier! The quality is higher tho - so its the age old "you get what you pay for" thing.
Taxidermy = Taxi, To move, adjust, or situate. Dermy, From Dermis, Skin, dealing with the skin. I have a friend that is an auto Body technician, He has the art of airbrush work Mastered. He can free hand paint a picture of a fish that looks as if it could be caught. I have no doubt he could paint a reproduction fish as well an anyone. and in some instances I agree a repo is the best way to go. But can we truly call ourselves fish taxidermist, it we use repos as our primary option. Would big mouth Billy not represent the same thing? There is just something about the real thing that cannot be matched.
People who only do FB replicas are not taxidermist but we refer to them as plastidermists.
You couldn't call yourself a fish taxidermist then,it would be called something else,cause taxidermy is the preparing and mounting of skins
I think too many people get hung up on the name Taxidermy. It's all part of an evolution - and this is just the next step in that evolution. OK - the next leap - as this an advance larger than any in taxidermy history. It's still in it's hybrid stages now and a lot of people dont like the idea of repros, others who don't do them and focus solely on skins and refuse to elarn the new techniques may be afraid of them still others do repros exclusively. Its all inter related and I think time will see the distinction disappear. It comes down the the spirit of the hobby/business. Ignoring the DEFINITION of taxidermy and focusing on the POINT of taxidermy we see that it is to recreate a representation of what a particular creature looked like in life. Whether the paint is applied to a skin or plastic - it is still up to all of us as taxidermists to create an accurate and attractive representation of what that fish looked like in life. Again - not everyone will agree with this assesment but I think in 40 years or so this conversation won't even be thought of being brought up because fiberglass repros will be synonomous with taxidermy. It's starting with repro heads and fins. If you have such a hybrid fish - which is it - 'plasticdermy' or 'taxidermy'?
I love to fish and hope to catch one some day that is worth putting on display. I paint as a hobby, but when I put a fish up on my wall, I want it to be the one I caught. Otherwise, I could just paint a picture of one. For me, a repro wouldn't be the one I caught. You taxidermists are artists in your own right - a unique talent that few people have. I, for one, hope today's methods don't disappear.
I love to fish and hope to catch one some day that is worth putting on display. I paint as a hobby, but when I put a fish up on my wall, I want it to be the one I caught. Otherwise, I could just paint a picture of one. For me, a repro wouldn't be the one I caught. You taxidermists are artists in your own right - a unique talent that few people have. I, for one, hope today's methods don't disappear.
I call it my catch and release fish mount program, Yes, Really good reproductions can be done, And they make a fantastic looking mount. But I do not think they will EVER replace an actual skin Mount. They are an Innovative tool, And an area that can bring a taxidermist extra funds. Occasionally they can be used to replace a badly damaged, of cared for fish. However the one thing that will always remain in the mind of the sportsman when they see a reproduction On someone's wall. Did they catch It or Just Buy it? Sportsman will always want their actual trophy on the wall.
Let me just say this from my stand point,Reproduction fish is truely a quick turn around time /art form for reproduceing a sportsmans catch but there are thos people who fish in area's where catch n release is the only thing allowed in that area.I have finally convinced alot of my customers to go with reproductions for the plain and simple fact that 20 years down the road the fish willl still look the same with a little care and not having to worry about leaching ,or shrinkage.For those anglers those that still want the fish they caught take a photo and get a reproduction infact look at some reproductions underadvanced taxidermy in canada.Raven will vouch for this one.