8 How To Make Fish Mounts 



Dry ice is inexpensive, and I have always found people in these 

 plants courteous and cooperative. 



During one trip from San Antonio, Texas, my wife, Bo, and I 

 motored to Connecticut with two G.I. trunks of fish in our 

 station wagon. My pal, Larry Sheerin, and I had flown back 

 from a fishing trip in Mexico with snook and channel bass. Then 

 the three of us caught largemouth bass in Texas. We froze the 

 fish, put them in the trunks, and placed several cakes of dry ice 

 in each trunk. At regular intervals Bo and I stopped to replenish 

 our supply of dry ice. Our leisurely return home required several 

 days, but we had no trouble obtaining the ice for our fish. As a 

 matter of fact, we found it fun. 



George Albrecht and I were returning from a successful trip 

 to the Miramachi River in Canada, and with us were fine 

 specimens of a salmon and a grilse which we intended to mount. 

 The fish were originally frozen in the freezer of a small general 

 store in New Brunswick. We stopped at a motel for the night 

 and talked to the manager of the establishment concerning our 

 fish. The manager and his wife not only accommodated our 

 fishes in their freezer overnight but also invited us to dinner. 

 We discovered that they were a couple of ardent fishermen. 

 Returning from distant areas while keeping your fish frozen is a 

 task which should not discourage any angler. 



Formalin. Another method of field preservation is the use of 

 Formalin which is a powerful chemical. It is a colorless liquid 

 having a pungent odor with vapors that are intensely irritating 

 to mucous membranes. Although Formalin is invaluable to 

 scientists, both in the field and laboratory, I recommend that 

 children do not touch it without the direct supervision of an 

 adult. Adult anglers that can treat this chemical with respect 

 and a bit of caution will find it advantageous for fish collection 

 and preservation. 



Before attempting this method I advise the angler to be sure 

 to read about the use of Formalin in Chapter 12. When packing 

 Formalin for shipment into the field, the glass jars should be 

 well protected with excelsior, newspapers, or other material 



