Wrinkled skin problem (longish)

I am working on my fourth fish, a brookie I got from Cecil (no trout here in central Ohio). I don't skin mount, only mold and cast, usually with body filler, but have experimented with urethanes, silicones, plaster, etc.

Anyhoo, this fish is practice for me so its no big deal, just want to know if this is normal or not. The brookie cast has, what I can best describe as "wrinkles" or "ridges" like muscles or tissue beneath the skin. Kind of like what you see on a catfish, towards the rear of the fish above his anal fin, and in front of his "tail".

Evidently, I overlooked this when I poured my mold. To me, it looks natural, but like I said, I'm new, with limited knowledge of anatomy. My guess is that if you were skin mounting over a carved foam body you wouldn't have this. I have a steelhead replica done by another taxi a few years back, and I don't see this, nor do I see it in others' trout. (They may very well be there, but I can't see them.)

I thaw my fish in icy cold water and dish soap for two or three days, so I can mold them on a Saturday. This particular fish, I pumped a good deal of caulk down his throat and his belly looks nice and full.

I can understand how these "ridges" could occur if a fish is posed and bedded with a radical curve, but that would be on the "inside" only right? This fish was very subtly bent. I could also see this happening if the specimen was decaying somehow, even if not visibly. Is that the case?

What do I do if I want a pedestal mount? These "ridges" are pronounced enough that grinding and filling with sculpt isn't an option, and I think that would look worse. Not to mention, somehow re-applying all those scales.

I have a nice brown trout in the freezer, also from Cecil that I may want to compete with on an amateur level of some sort, and I doubt if these "ridges" would be acceptable. How do I avoid this in the future? Or is it correct as is? (I'm thinkin' not) I'm simply trying to do the best work possible, any help in this area is greatly appreciated. TIA

Donny

 

Thanks for the quick replies fellas. I paint very unconventionally, and I'm trying something new so don't bust my chops on the paint. After seeing that replica, I think I might be okay.

Thanks again.
Donny

 

Thanks J. Scanlan, I feel better now. Although at nearly fifty years old, and having fished all my life, I could honestly say I could count on one hand the number of trout I've seen in real life, save Lake Erie steelhead. Sadly, we don't have the fishery in Ohio. Thanks again.