Sunday Morning Questions(SMQ) part 25
Well here we are one week shy of a half a year and already over 230 different questions (a few weeks were five and Easter there were no questions in observance) So many big time helpful answers and to many great contributors to mention! Each week we see the same old friends who constantly give of them selves generously and a new friends almost ever week add to the pool of knowledge! Taxidermy for those who don't remember was not like this 20 years ago or even 10 years ago. But today withy the great leadership of Ken Edwards And WASCO we have the most tremendous opportunity to learn and share with one another.
I was told by one the original founding members when I asked him why the NTA was stared he said " it was so we could get together and share information with one another and get out of the basements and learn different things and meet new people). That was Richard Christoforo who does from time to time contribute here and what he said then was a milestone in the advancement of taxidermy. Well WASCO has provided us with a global informal organization of willing contributors who share freely and in the spirit of the founders of those who needed a place to learn and find like minded people who we all can relate to in one way or another so here we are!
I thank you and WASCO for letting me share in my passion "FISH).
So with out further ado! Lets Get the morning stared to a new week with some fish/ taxidermy talk! The good people at WASCO give us the free opportunity here to share information so we can be better-informed taxidermist! So in the spirit of WASCO generosity we share freely with each other!
1.) Can a fish see in front of its self?
2.) What does the latter line actually do?
3.) What are 3 important aspects that will make or break a fish when carving a body on your own?
4.) Warm water fish and cold water fish do you degrease them differently if yes how so? What are your tricks for doing so? Products formulas etc...
5.) Which are more closely related and how? A largemouth to a small mouth or a largemouth to a Crappie?
6.) What do you do to keep your airbrush in tiptop shape. Explain?
7.) If you had a customer receive a fish in a state of damage from shipping or just taking it home what do you do in this situation? What would you do as a businessperson?
8.) What purpose does the kype serve on a spawning fish? Thanks Paul B great question!
9.) What is the only salmon that multiple spawns and lives longer than all the rest?
Bonus Question
10.) What is the one thing or things that you learned in your taxidermy life that made you the taxidermy addict you are today? What was it that hooked you? Money, freedom, new friends, or the challenge, what was it that made you a full-fledged taxidermy junkie?
I would hope it goers with out saying that I may not have a an answer your looking for but some one on here will! Feel free to write me or call if you have a question and maybe it will end up here to others who want to know the same information as you.
Give it a shot!
Any one who emails me personally with the answers will get a few free reference photos from my personal collection. I still want you to answer here so other can benefit form your input on this topic line.
It is all because of you and your awesome replies this has become so successful!
From beginners to the seasoned pro's every one contributes and all benefit from your great experiences! Let see if I we can get more responses on the forum as well as in my email. I will give you some free fish reference photos for the asking just for contributing! As always I just think your answers are so good more and more contribute on here for all see!
My Best and have fun with this!
Rick Krane
Anglers Artistry
312 Chesterfield Rd
Hinsdale, NH 03451
603.336.7296
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around here and would love to participate,but alas the part of the fish I keep ends up in the skillet.No hair no dice.Sorry,I'll follow along and maybe learn a thing or two.
I'll take #2 for five hundred please, Richard.
The visible part of the lateral line is actual a number of ciliated pores in a line over the laterally paired Mothner nerves that provide a "short circuit" to the brain without having to pass a nerve signal through the spinal cord.
Dang! I've waited over thirty years for someone to ask that question! I was starting to wonder why I even bothered to learn such things...
O.K., Z, yer turn. Hop right back in.
If that came off the top of your head ,you are one scary dude.Hey,that's not the pickup line you use on those marine biology majorettes on spring break, is it?
I will email you my answers to this question. It was asked by a friend in MI. Oh Dr. Z just answer the question. Sitting on the side lines is not your style I have read your writings as of late I think you can do better then take it in! Give it a shot! My Best to the both of you! Frank K normally has first dibs at the questions but it seems as of late that we have some late night participants! LOL!
I love it. Fish Heads all night long! LOL!
My Best!
Rick!
would be something like, "Do you realize if you were a flounder, hammerhead shark, or blind cave fish that you would not be able to see in front of yourself?"
Try it some time. Once you hit'em with that question they'll be putty in yer hands.
Ive been working on the new Citizen Sportsman editorial...just finished and posted...so its 2:45 AM...Im going to get up in the morning and answer the questions! Cant wait but need some zzzzzz!Want to give this some clear thought! Thanks aga...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzumphhh...zzzzzzzz...
.) Can a fish see in front of its self?
Yes but they see it to the side of them,check out this site for some fun: http://www.phy.ntnu.edu.tw/ntnujava/viewtopic.php?t=60
2.) What does the latter line actually do?
In laymens terms (not Glens LOL) it nerves that pick up and send it to the brain.
3.) What are 3 important aspects that will make or break a fish when carving a body on your own?
fin location, hight, and width.
4.) Warm water fish and cold water fish do you degrease them differently if yes how so? What are your tricks for doing so? Products formulas etc...
No different in any of them. I soak them in tide for about twenty minutes, damp dry them, spray brake clean on them and then soak it in zinc sulfite.
5.) Which are more closely related and how? A largemouth to a small mouth or a largemouth to a Crappie?
Large and smallmouth fish come from the black bass but largemouth are considered the blak sheep of the family so I would say these two are closer than a large with a crap.
6.) What do you do to keep your airbrush in tiptop shape. Explain?
CLean it every day if yor using it and after about three days of painting I like to saok it in a good cleaner. I take it all apart and give it a proper cleaning. The reason this is done is because paint will dry inside of the tube and sooner or later some off and give you problems by blocking the tip of your brush.
7.) If you had a customer receive a fish in a state of damage from shipping or just taking it home what do you do in this situation? What would you do as a businessperson?
It depends on the fish and what is wrong with it. This is really a tough one so I'll say if the fish skin is mountable I will acess the best side to use, mount it on htat side. If the fins are destroyed no problem, I have others to replace it. Now the head and I've had this where it's distorted or broken. I try to fix it and then cast the head, from there make the repairs on it to make it look the right way. This is where I become a real plastic surgeon .
8.) What purpose does the kype serve on a spawning fish? Thanks Paul B great question!
To fight off other males.
9.) What is the only salmon that multiple spawns and lives longer than all the rest?
Atlantic
Bonus Question
10.) What is the one thing or things that you learned in your taxidermy life that made you the taxidermy addict you are today? What was it that hooked you? Money, freedom, new friends, or the challenge, what was it that made you a full-fledged taxidermy junkie?
Mostly I would say the friends we meet...
Good morning Rick,
The mug of big eye is hot so and here we go;
1. I think they can because their eyes rotate.
2. It's a sense organ that picks up underwater vibrations.
3. All of these are for coldwater forms. A) The change in profile at the anal fin. B) The profile peak at the front of the dorsal fin. C) The accurate curvature between the
top and the bottom. Many I've seen are inaccurately flat.
4. Yes. I degrease warmwater fish with a DAWN wash only.
I degrease coldwater species in Bollman's Grease
Buster. That stuff will degrease any trout/char that has
fins!
5. Both bass(LM & SM) are in the sunfish family so are
more closely related than to a crappie.
6. Just clean it with lacquer thinner regularly.
7. I'd file a claim if it was damaged in shipping. Either way
I'd repair it free of charge.
8. I'd guess that it would aid in fighting during spawning?
9. No clue on this one.
10. The tremendous enjoyment I get out of handling and
working with exceptionally large fish. All else pales
before that.
Thanks again Rick for compiling these questions and answers. Such an awesome tool!
Brett
1.) Can a fish see in front of its self?
I would guess yes, though it may be more limited than species whose eyes are oriented to the front of their head rather than the side. I would expect the only real blind spot for a fish would be directly below them.
2.) What does the latter line actually do?
I assume it's some sort of tactile sensory tool that detects "vibration)?
3.) What are 3 important aspects that will make or break a fish when carving a body on your own?
Accurate pattern w/ measurements---- good profiles top and side. (May take adjusting the tracing to compensate for distortions from the freezer.)
Understanding of the "anatomy) (overall shapes and muscle groups) of the species. Keep the fish whole until you are happy with and understand the overall shape and transitions.
Head and tail unions. I like to carve my head and cleithrum bone area first then go right to the tail union.
***A well skinned and prepped specimen will really make a difference in fit too. (Common mistake- seems like people don't take their fin roots down far enough to accommodate the fin bases they carved on their body.)
4.) Warm water fish and cold water fish do you degrease them differently if yes how so? What are your tricks for doing so? Products formulas etc...
I treat them all the same except I usually give the greasy fish and extra bath in dawn and give them a longer time in the "pickle.) I've tried many products on the market and can't say that I have found a great difference in the end result. I have recently been introduced to a product that is obviously (from smell) solvent based (denatured alcohol?) that seems to be a good degreaser. Need to experiment more here.
5.) Which are more closely related and how? A largemouth to a small mouth or a largemouth to a Crappie?
All members of the sunfish family (I think?)... I would say the 2 bass only because they share "Micropterus)?
6.) What do you do to keep your airbrush in tiptop shape. Explain?
The best thing I do for my airbrush (since I have been know to walk away from it without cleaning it) is to use lacquer paint. OH MY...that should get some feathers ruffled! I just have a terrible time cleaning dried water based paints.
When I'm on the ball and do give the reservoir a rinse I like to leave retarder in the cup and put the cap on. Since I use my airbrush daily, the retarder is less like to evaporate than straight thinner.
I am anxious to hear some ideas on this one...
7.) If you had a customer receive a fish in a state of damage from shipping or just taking it home what do you do in this situation? What would you do as a businessperson?
Whatever it takes to make the customer happy.
8.) What purpose does the kype serve on a spawning fish? Thanks Paul B great question!
?
9.) What is the only salmon that multiple spawns and lives longer than all the rest?
Atlantic (I think?)
Bonus Question
10.) What is the one thing or things that you learned in your taxidermy life that made you the taxidermy addict you are today? What was it that hooked you? Money, freedom, new friends, or the challenge, what was it that made you a full-fledged taxidermy junkie?
Spending my first 5 years in taxidermy teaching really made me challenge myself. And if I failed to challenge myself I was prodded by one of the best mentors a person could ever ask for. I would say honestly it was his approach to taxidermy, and life around it, that shaped my entire approach to profession. I enjoy the artistic side of taxidermy. The longer I do this, the more bold I have become in trying to emphasize the artistic element. I think fish have inspired me, because they offer so much opportunity to be creative.
Great advice and good words to practice by Brett! RK
LOL man can I relate to the candle burning at the both ends! LOL whenever you can write it in it will be appreciated by all for sure! I hope you slept well!
While I'm at it! Hey Glen! I hope you Slept well also! LOL!
Rick K
Hey Rick,
I'll give 'er a try this week.
Crittercoroner
Dave
1. Sure, cept not his nose, I don't think they can cross their eyes but then I'd probably be wrong.
2. Actually it goes from the front to the back or vice versa, that and it's supposed to pick up vibrations in the water or something like that.
3.Length, width, and height, any or all wrong and you've got problems.
4.both the same, and whoever sells fish tan when I'm making my next form order.
5.Largemouth and crappie, to me at least, both warm water fish and both sunfish.
6. Nothin, that's probably my problem.
7. UPS gets a claim, If it's their fault, repair at a nominal charge. That would seem reasonable.
8.They gotta hold them hens down somehow to force themselves upon them, dont they?
9.Atlantic?
10. Easy, as far as conventions, the friends, hell, now I even know someone in New Hampshire. All kidding aside, It's cool to know and talk to so many different people, from so many different places about pretty much the same thing. The freedom of kinda being self employed goes along way but also adds alot more responsiblities. That, and after kids, that freedom pretty much dissappears, at least for varying periods of time.
When ice fishing, perch come into the bait and they stop a few feet away and look at the bait from the side with one eye, then dart closer and look with the other eye and some times set lookin at the bait from the side with one eye most of the time. When they bite the come in and turn at the last instent slightly to take the bait head on. I would think that they do have a blind spot directly in front of them as you can drop the bait right in front of them and they dont do anything, or cant see it. I wish I was fishing today.
Rick,
I made it! What did I miss? LOL...
Heres my take. I started it at 2:45 AM but had to crash...Im going to take a nap now!
Once again, thanks for the SMQ...excellent questions this week...had me sweating a bit. Take care...
Ken Darville
1.) Can a fish see in front of its self?
Absolutely
2.) What does the latter line actually do?
In a nutshell, it is a sensory organ that helps the fish detect underwater vibrations and the direction they are coming from.
3.) What are 3 important aspects that will make or break a fish when carving a body on your own? Knowledge of fish anatomy, Good patterns, Carving medium...there are probably some more specific answers but these are fundamentally important.
4.) Warm water fish and cold water fish do you degrease them differently if yes how so? What are your tricks for doing so? Products formulas etc...
Yes, I use a commercial degreaser, diluted as a presoak for all my coldwater fish, big stripers etc...Same stuff I use on my Turkeys. After that, they get the same treatment as a warmwater fish...Dawn bath, and then soaked in water, borax and lysol or a mixture of water and denatured alcohol (which I do prefer for Trout, Salmon, Stripers and even Crappie for different reasons).
5.) Which are more closely related and how? A largemouth to a small mouth or a largemouth to a Crappie?
Largemouth to Smallmouth by Genus.
6.) What do you do to keep your airbrush in tiptop shape. Explain?
I keep it clean and I lightly lubricate the moving parts after each cleaning.
7.) If you had a customer receive a fish in a state of damage from shipping or just taking it home what do you do in this situation? What would you do as a businessperson?
I have had this happen before. Although it was no fault of mine, I offered to repair the damage. It really is a case by case scenario as well, but customers tend to remember acts of good faith.
8.) What purpose does the kype serve on a spawning fish? Thanks Paul B great question!
It is a weapon. Hey...some girls are worth fighting over!
9.) What is the only salmon that multiple spawns and lives longer than all the rest?
Ill assume you are not referring to the trout members that share the same Family/Genus and therefore, my final answer would be Atlantic. I have got to stop reading into these things.
Bonus Question
10.) What is the one thing or things that you learned in your taxidermy life that made you the taxidermy addict you are today? What was it that hooked you? Money, freedom, new friends, or the challenge, what was it that made you a full-fledged taxidermy junkie?
Certainly not money or freedom...I guess it was the opportunity to be creative and artistic.
1. Yes and No. It depends on the position of the fish in the food chain and it's ecological nitch. Predators, like mammal and bird species, tend to have eyes that point forward. Prey species, again like mammals and birds, will have eyes that are more laterally located so that their field of vision is wider.
2. It is an auditory organ(sound receptor) that picks up aquatic sound waves. The more primitive the fish, the less developed the lateral line(Esox species are an example). The more modern species have more highly defined lateral lines.
3. Head junction, tail junction and body shape definition.The first two are pretty much self explanitory, they HAVE to fit. With the definition in body shape the guys that cut the fins off and make reproductions have the advantage(I don't). Fish have a lot more shape than most taxidermists are aware of, that's why a filled body(not half cast metod) is almost always lacking in definition. Cut the fins off the fish and the shape become much more highly defined.
4. Alcohol soak, rehydrate in borax solution and washed in detergent(degreaser) they all get treated the same. Cold water get a slightly longer time in the degreaser.
5. My college Icthjyology is 35+ years old, and very rusty. They're all sunfish family, but I believe that the crappies are not as closely related as the bass are.
6. KEEP IT CLEANED, and lube the needle monthly(if not more often) with vasoline.
7. I ship very few fish and when it's necessary I encourage the customer to use the business' that pack and ship. When a customer damages his fish on the trip home, it's usually a minor fin problem and I take care of it for them. It happens so seldom that I can't remember the last time. I usually tell them, "treat the fish as though it was glass" and they don't seem to have any problems.
8. I have no idea.
9. Atlantic Salmon(Salmo salar).
10. My Grandfather took me hunting and fishing when I was small, thus my interest in wildlife. I started my "taxidermy career" at age 11, but the methods were, at best primitive, so advancement was slow as I tried to find more information and modern methods. You "old timers" will know what I mean, anyone coming into the field in the last 20 years has NO IDEA of how hard it was to learn in those days. It was the first competitions of the early 1980's that really fueled my "addiction", even though I'd been full time in the business for over 5 years by then. My "addiction" has deminished with the years, but I still enjoy the business. It has given me the freedom to be my own boss, to spend time with my kids as they grew up that other dads didn't have the chance for. AND a lot of great friends, like Yox, Richard C., JOhn C, George and even Cecil(who I don't agree with very often on a lot of subjects). And SO MANY more, who don't frequent this site.
Rick,
When you ask questions like #s 1,2,5,8,and 9, please provide answers after a suitable lenght of time so we can know if we got them right!
1.) Can a fish see in front of its self? I would guess limited visibility. I have witnessed the same as someone above with bluegills turning sideways and looking at a bait before before taking it as well as bass.
2.) What does the latter line actually do? detects vibrations underwater- a sort of ear.
3.) What are 3 important aspects that will make or break a fish when carving a body on your own? A good pattern, measurements and knowledge of anatomy. This is not my strong point which I hope to correct with Rick in a few weeks.
4.) Warm water fish and cold water fish do you degrease them differently if yes how so? What are your tricks for doing so? Products formulas etc...For warmwater fish a short Dawn soak is good. On coldwater fish, I use Grease Buster or the bloodout/degreaser(a brain fart is keeping me from the brand).
5.) Which are more closely related and how? A largemouth to a small mouth or a largemouth to a Crappie? My guess is the large and smallmouth as they are both black bass.
6.) What do you do to keep your airbrush in tiptop shape. Explain? I am guilty of not always cleaning it properly and regretting it next time I use. I generally like to take it apart, clean with laquer thinner, and leave it disassembled until I use it again. Sometimes I will soak it.
7.) If you had a customer receive a fish in a state of damage from shipping or just taking it home what do you do in this situation? What would you do as a businessperson? I had this happen. I paid return shipping, make the repair and returned the fish. Possible question next week: What if a customer is unhappy with fish?
8.) What purpose does the kype serve on a spawning fish? Thanks Paul B great question! To fight or scare off other suitors, works in conjunction with brighter colors.
9.) What is the only salmon that multiple spawns and lives longer than all the rest? Atlantic.
Bonus Question
10.) What is the one thing or things that you learned in your taxidermy life that made you the taxidermy addict you are today? What was it that hooked you? Money, freedom, new friends, or the challenge, what was it that made you a full-fledged taxidermy junkie?
Originally it was to save money, as I wanted to mount more fish than I could afford. Later, the friends and the artistic expression brought out by competition.
Give a call durning the week. I will be here teaching just want to touch bass for the final details! Great answers by the way!
Rick K
1.) Can a fish see in front of its self?
Yes but limited to the area of the visual cones particular to the fish species.
2.) What does the lateral line actually do?
Well it does a few things first it is series of pore-like openings to sensory canal of the main nervous system of the fish along the sides of a fish. What it does is help the fish distinguish water pressure and secondly it is to detect small sound frequencies less than 100m HZ. Here is the bizarre thing that most people don't know is that it splits in to 3 regions going to the tip of the snout and the lower jaw as well as the sides of the body creating the Neuromasts system of capsules. Basically again it is to help detect pressure changes in the waster.
3.) What are 3 important aspects that will make or break a fish when carving a body on your own?
a. Pay attention the flow it all comes from the flow of the fish remember a fish is Hydrodynamic so it must all flow with minimal drag in the water.
b. Don't take too much off all at once. Go at it, as you were test fitting all the time. Be sure that you maintain balance and flow.
c. Remember there are two sides to a fish and they are not necessarily bi- symmetrical. So with curves the sides will be different in their muscular profile.
4.) Warm water fish and cold water fish do you degrease them differently if yes how so? What are your tricks for doing so? Products formulas etc...
Basically the same process. I will use a bit more degreaser if needed for larger Salmoniformes. I have been using Epo- grips degreaser as a final wash it seems to work very nicely!
5.) Which are more closely related and how? A largemouth to a small mouth or a largemouth to a Crappie? Trick Question. Lets look at a few things first. If you break all three fish down into categories of taxonomy you'll see they are all related according to standard of classification. The class is Actinopterygii meaning the ray-finned fish, the order in which they are found is Perciformes means perch-like fish. The family they fall under is Centrarchidae meaning of freash water sunfishes, the specaies is Micropterus which is give name to the Black bass family. The binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species So we have how and where it all gets its name from. With that said there are many diffrences from one to the other includeing but not limited to shape size and spesific anotomical diffreneses.
Here is a point of interest for some (maybe). During the past half century the scientific name of the largemouth bass has changed several times. It has been classified in the genus Huro in the past but currently is considered to be in the same genus as the smallmouth bass; Micropterus. Micropterus is the genus given to a Smallmouth Micro being described as smaller and pterus Greek. for winged . Classification names do go through changes over then years and typically the last name is give to the classifier. However lets look at our Largemouth for a moment. Its mouth is not micro being small it is large Macro and mouth in Latin is ora so how's this. The name Black bass is and can be broken down to describe the fish in this way too. For example, in Latin Melano means black, Dorsi means spiny,
and Taenia means banded. This might be describing a fish that has a
Black with spines and band on it. So may be the Black bass should be called Macropterus Macro Ora Melano Dorsi Taenia. LOL having fun yet? LOL
6.) What do you do to keep your airbrush in tiptop shape. Explain?
I steel wool the needle every other time I paint. I keep my paints thinned as well.
7.) If you had a customer receive a fish in a state of damage from shipping or just taking it home what do you do in this situation? What would you do as a businessperson?
Fix the fish immediately at no charge. My work should never look bad if I can help it in any way.
8.) What purpose does the kype serve on a spawning fish? Thanks Paul B great question!
For territorial presentation and superiority advantage for rival males. The whole pacific classification of Oncorhynchus onco meaning hooked jaw and rhynhus meaning hooked nose is given to Salmoniformes (salmon like fish) who posses the physical ability to morph the head during he spawning period. What is the real reason? Basically as mentioned it serves them the 2 purposes of courtship display and territorial dominance as the device to grab other males buy the caudle peduncle and throw them in some cases out of the water.
9.) What is the only salmon that multiple spawns and lives longer than all the rest? Salmo Salzar (Atlantic salmon. Can live up to 16 years and multiply spawns.
Bonus Question
10.) What is the one thing or things that you learned in your taxidermy life that made you the taxidermy addict you are today? What was it that hooked you? Money, freedom, new friends, or the challenge, what was it that made you a full-fledged taxidermy junkie? In some jobs or work or what ever what a person does is not necessarily who they are. In taxidermy I'm a taxidermist through in through. I always have it tuned to the station in my head. It is an addiction and I'm glad it is a good one. To be able to see Gods creatures and to have the opportunity to learn and study nature gives me value in my life. It is not for every one that goes with out saying however if it is you'll be hooked for life.
Purpose of the lateral line.
-A fellow fish enthusiast had heard that the lateral line also helped a fish stay balanced, like our inner ear (cochlea) helps us. He pulled a couple of the lateral line scales off one side of a fish and the fish leaned or tilted when placed back in the water. It could not stay perpendicular to the bottom.
-What purpose does the kype serve on a spawning fish and where
do those vertical scratches that are often on the back of stream trout (mostly males) come from?
I had often wondered about the scratches and the kype, I was able to witness the answers to both a couple years ago. I have a nice trout stream that borders my property on the north. I get an awesome run of browns every fall in October or November, depending on water levels. I was able to watch a 20" plus male (along with about 10 smaller nmales) hold his ground below a large female that wasn't quite ready yet. Every time one of the smaller males would try to sneak past, he would open his mouth as wide as possible while turning at the same instant, and nail the intruder low in the mid section of the fish with his kype or battering ram, and the fish would basically roll into his open jaws and CHOMP. I watched for two hours and wished I had an underwater video camera. I have never witnessed this with other species, but am sure it must work the same.
PB