Fish Replica
Today, there is no need to send a caught fish away for mounting since it is possible to have a high-quality fish replica made to commemorate the catch. The is especially beneficial for anyone who practices catch-and-release. It is also a convenient option in situations where a fish would spoil long before you reach civilization, or when you simply don't want to carry around a heavy (and potentially smelly) fish during your continued fishing expedition. You can eat your fish and have it too by simply noting the particulars of this specific catch and let a professional create a fish replica for you.
Important points when creating a fish replica
-
The species of fish
-
If the fish belong to any specific color morph
-
Sex
-
The measurements of the fish
Helpful additional information
-
Distinctive marks
-
Weight
-
Photographs of the fish, preferably from various angels
What is a fish replica made from?
The most common type of custom made fish replica is the fiberglass fish replica. A well made fiberglass replica can be highly lifelike and look extremely similar to the captured fish, especially if the artist has been provided with photographs of the specimen. A fiberglass replica can actually look more like a living fish than a stuffed fish with real preserved skin would.
What is a rouge fish replica?
The most common type of fish replica is made to look like a particular fish specimen or at least a particular species of fish, since fish replicas tend to be order by anglers that wish to commemorate a specific catch.
There is however a field of fish taxidermy known as rouge taxidermy, where stuffed animals and animal replicas are created without having any real counterparts. Sometimes a fish replica mimicking an extinct species of fish will also be considered a rouge fish replica, especially if the species died out thousands or even millions of years ago.
Some rouge fish replicas depict mythological creatures or cryptids, some are made from parts of two or more animals (usually wildly different species) and some are entirely of the creator's imagination.
Examples of fish and other aquatic replicas that would be considered rouge replicas by most taxidermists are those mimicking Van Gölü Canavarı, Lagarfljótsormur, Lake Tianchi Monster, Champie, Kraken, Jörmungandr and mermaids, including so called Fiji mermaids.
A rouge fish replica or a rouge replica using elements of one or several fishes can be created for various purposes. Rouge taxidermy has traditionally been common in sideshows and dime museums. Artists such as Polly Morgan and David Blyth have created numerous examples of rouge mounts for their installations. Last but not least, rouge replicas can be used as a part of a con or scam.
In 1789, a pelt and sketch of a platypus was sent to the United Kingdom from Australia. When the remnants of the strange creature and its accompanying sketch arrived to the UK, a lot of people presumed that it was an example of rouge taxidermy where a duck's beak had been forged with the body of an animal resembling a beaver. When English zoologisk George Shaw described the platypus in the Naturalist's Miscellany in 1799, he actually took a pair of scissors to the dried skin in order to be able to meticulously examine it for stitches.