# Replica Fish



## Doogie

who would you recomend for your replica fish? I broke the 20lb mark this last weekend at LOW, but had to let em go cause he was a inch short of the 40 inch slot


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## waterwolf

Fiber Tech Productions

Email [email protected]
Phone # 218-963-8002

Does good work.

Taylor


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## ruger1

Matt at Artistic Anglers in Duluth, MN. He is the best. If my word is not good enough for you, go to Cabelas and look at the mounts. He's does the fish for Cabelas.

He's done all my fish to date.

http://www.artisticanglers.com/


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## bearhunter

wait and catch another. replica's look very fake and i've seen a bunch. round smooth fins are the givaway imo


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## Rick Acker

bearhunter said:


> wait and catch another. replica's look very fake and i've seen a bunch. round smooth fins are the givaway imo


WRONG! Than you haven't seen the new replica's...I will go as far to say they are BETTER than a skin mount. No shrinking, the color holds longer, no fading...You should see my replica Smallie that I have compared to my skin mounts...Love em!


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## ruger1

bearhunter said:


> wait and catch another. replica's look very fake and i've seen a bunch. round smooth fins are the givaway imo


I have to agree with Rick. Replica's (graphite) beat the heck out of real mounts. Real mounts fade, crack, and age. The replicas look more realistic than the real thing and last forever.

PLus the fish lives to bite another day.


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## drjongy

bearhunter said:


> wait and catch another. replica's look very fake and i've seen a bunch. round smooth fins are the givaway imo


A real mount looks like crap in several years. Good replicas are much better and last forever. Plus, like has been pointed out, the fish gets to live and perhaps give another angler a good fight someday.

For musky, some of the good taxidermists are charging the same for real and replica mounts...so there is no financial savings for keeping a fish. I think this is real cool of them to do that, and when I catch my trophy someday they will be the ones to do my mount. :beer:


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## timberlandtaxidermy

I too prefer replicas over skin mounts, however a quality skin mount will last a very long time as well. You really shouldn't be able to tell the difference without close inspection. For example, can you tell which of the following are replicas and which are skin mounts?


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## honkerslayr

drjongy said:


> bearhunter said:
> 
> 
> 
> wait and catch another. replica's look very fake and i've seen a bunch. round smooth fins are the givaway imo
> 
> 
> 
> A real mount looks like crap in several years. Good replicas are much better and last forever. Plus, like has been pointed out, the fish gets to live and perhaps give another angler a good fight someday.
Click to expand...

Yeah I have the same exact feeling as well. Let the fish go and help the population grow, and you have the satisfaction of knowing that, and you can still have a replica made to remember it. just take a photo, some measurements and then you're golden!!! Plus another big factor with me would be trying to keep the fish in prime condition untill you arrive at the taxidermist. My dilemma is usually the money aspect which makes for a longer storage time. Instead I'd just rather get a replica. They look great especially if you get it done from someone who knows their stuff! :beer:


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## topnotch

Doogie

i mount tons of fish, skin and replica, they are both nice if done right and a skin will actually last a long time if its not exposed to harsh elements like moisture or heat, replicas are also nice for many reasons and smooth fins on replicas can be easily ground to be not smooth, usually its the paint job on a replica that gives it away, replicas actually are usually more anatomically correct because there is no shrinkage that occurs from real tissue drying., 
there are some pictures of my work floating around this site and if you want more info or pics , pm me and id be glad to send you some

tyler


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## Slayer_54

go with Lax! they have amazing replicas, got a 50" musky this summer but due to a shortage in funds never got it done. but have been lookin and so far they have the best for your buck.

http://www.laxreproduction.com/


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## Ref

ruger1 is right!!!

I am an extreme critic when looking at mounts. Some replicas I have seen look terrible.

I have had Matt at Artistic Anglers in Duluth do a 30 lb. lake trout, 19 inch grayling, 1 1/2 lb. perch and 1 lb. bluegills. His replicas are OUTSTANDING! I have had several people not be able to tell it was a replica. The lake trout and grayling are 12 years old and look like new. I will NEVER kill another fish to have it mounted.

The above stated reasons are all correct too:

1. The real fish is still swimming.

2. Twenty years from now, just wipe the fish off with a damp rag and it looks like new.

3. The cost is about the same as skin mount.


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## GrayBack

If you find the right taxidermist do the real fish! Way better than a piece of plastic on the wall! That you didn't catch...anyone can say they caught a fish of any size when they are replicas!


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## Ref

Why kill that fish? :eyeroll:

All you need to do is: 1) measure the length 2) measure the girth 3) take a picture of the fish. Then throw it back. :beer:

Anyone that sees my fish knows that I caught it. I don't need to impress anyone with something I didn't catch.


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## ruger1

GrayBack said:


> If you find the right taxidermist do the real fish! Way better than a piece of plastic on the wall! That you didn't catch...anyone can say they caught a fish of any size when they are replicas!


You feel the need to lie so you lump us in with you? I don't need to prove how great I am by the fish on my wall. So I can be comfortable knowing my replicas are a true representation of the fish I caught. AND the fish I caught gets to live another day, breed, and possibly bring joy to another fisherman.


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