6 How To Make Fish Mounts 



Preventing Spoilage 



Obviously, the angler's first concern, after the day's fishing, 

 should be the prevention of spoilage to his intended mount. This 

 can be accomplished by freezing or the use of Formalin. If both 

 these methods prove to be unsatisfactory, the angler should skin 

 his fish in the field and salt the skin thoroughly. 



Freezing. If time allows, the best method is to freeze the fish 

 and keep it frozen until time for skinning or molding in plaster. 

 Be sure to wrap the specimen in wet material before placing it 

 in the freezer. The first laver should be a smooth-textured cloth , 

 dripping with water. Any rough material will press irregulari- 

 ties into the fish's bodv which freeze that way and are difficult 

 to remove when the fish thaws out. Do not bind the cloth with 

 twine or cord because this will also mark the bodv. Allow the 

 cloth to extend an inch or two bevond the tail so that the end 

 of the tail will be protected from bending when you fold back 

 the excess cloth. Now place the wrapped fish on a wet potato 

 sack and fold the sack around it. This heavy, wet sack will 

 supply additional moisture and protection for the fish when it 

 freezes into a solid package. Again, be careful not to fold the 

 end of the tail. Finallv, wrap the whole thing in heavy wax 

 paper which meat markets use for wrapping purposes. Bind the 

 paper with pieces of tape, such as Scotch tape, so that the 

 package will not unwrap. 



During the procedure of wrapping the fish, its "show side" 

 should be kept in mind because the opposite side must be 

 down when placing the specimen in the freezer. Usually, the 

 "down side" will flatten a bit, and this will make for difficulties 

 in molding. Write "This side up" on the paper wrapper of the 

 fish. Also, if possible have the fish placed on a flat surface in the 

 freezer. All of these small details pav great dividends when it 

 is time to mold the fish. Of course, if the fish is to be skinned, 

 such meticulous care of the specimen is not necessary. 



Arrangements for freezing specimens can usually be made 

 with some local food store, ice cream plant, or someone who 



