Mounted Fish
The most common way to preserve a fish is to display it lengthwise on a board or similar, but for anglers looking for something different there is a long row of other ways to create a fish memento.
Here are a few examples:
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Whole fish preserved in formalin jar
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Head mounts
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Preserved tail fin (dried or cast)
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Bills
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Spears
Head mounts
Head mounts are usually made from large fishes, e.g. marlin and swordfish, where preserving and displaying the entire fish would be somewhat cumbersome.
Molding
If you know how to make a standard whole-fish two-piece mold, you will not have any trouble making a head mold. Just do as you usually do, but focus on the head and upper body. Best results are normally achieved when pectoral fin/fins and a portion of the body beyond the fins are preserved together with the head. Including a portion of the dorsal fin can also be a nice touch. Always make the mold longer than your intended cast; it will then be easy to cut the mounted fish head to make it fit at the desired angle.
Once you've cut the cast at the right angle, attach it to a backboard. Wooden backboards are popular and you can use flat-headed screws countersunk below the surface of the cast to fix the mounted fish head to the wood.
Today, mounted fish heads that face out from the wall at an angle tend to be more fashionable than mounted heads facing head-on. However, with a bit of creativity one can create appealing mounted fish heads in virtually any angle. Do not be afraid to adhere to your own taste and preferences instead of automatically mimicking what everyone else is doing.
Formalin & Drying
Dry preserved fish heads can be mounted on plaques or displayed on shelves. They make a beautiful addition to any still life. Fish with imposing or otherwise interesting teeth are especially popular for this purpose, such as barracuda, pike and pickerel.
Start by removing the fish head from the rest of the body by making a cut right behind the edge of the gill cover. It's important not to disengage the tongue of the fish. Some anglers remove the gills, while others prefer to keep them where they are.
The next step is to gently clean the inside of the skull and cut away any loose flesh and bone. Since this is not a skin mount, there is no need to cut away all of the skull - you just need to open up the skull a bit in order to make it possible to extract the brain. These holes will also make sure that the formalin enters the entire head. If the formalin solution cannot reach every part of the skull, your mounted fish will not last very long.
Open the mouth and use a twig or wire to secure it in an open position. Prepare a solution comprised of one part formalin and nine parts water. Place the head in the solution and leave it there for at least two weeks.
Remove the head from the formalin solution and place it in open air. Try to find a spot with good ventilation and low air humidity, away from direct sun shine. Arm yourself with patience; trying to rush to process by placing the fish head in an overly hot place, e.g. in the sun, next to a hot fan or over a radiator, will not yield a good result.
After a few weeks, check if the head has become hard. If so, cover it with 2-3 coats of lacquer or enamel. Spraying is usually easier than painting.
You can now create a mounted fish head on a piece of wood or simply display the head as it is.