148 How To Make Fish Mounts 



A head mount which faces out from the wall at an angle is 

 more attractive than a mount facing head-on. However, I have 

 made some unusually interesting large catfish heads that were 

 mounted facing directly away from the wall. After the cast has 

 been cut at the desired angle, attach a wooden backboard along 

 its back edges with flat-headed screws countersunk below the 

 surface of the cast. Hide the screw heads with some of the 

 material of which the cast is made. 



Bills or Spears of Big Fishes 



The preserved bills or spears of big fishes— sailfish, marlin, 

 swordfish, and sawfish— make excellent trophies. They are com- 

 parable to the mounted antlers loved by deer hunters. See 

 Figs. 150, 151, and 153 for ways of displaying these trophies. 



Swordfish. When an angler catches a swordfish, he never 

 releases it, because the flesh of this fish is always in demand and 

 usually brings high prices. Therefore, the angler nearly always 

 cuts the sword off and retains its as a trophy. 



Preservation of the sword is simple; actually it requires only 

 drying. As the sword is mostly bony in structure, it may simply 

 be sawed off from the head and then exposed to the air to dry. 

 In drying, the sword will lose some of its original color. Some 

 anglers paint the sword as close to the natural color as possible 

 and then apply several coats of lacquer. 



If a couple of holes are drilled along one edge and a chain 

 attached, the sword can be hung on a wall (Fig. 150). If the 

 angler prefers to have the trophy in an upright position on a 

 shelf or table, a piece of wood should be attached to the base 

 of the sword ( Fig. 151 ) . 



Some anglers prefer to clean or bleach the sword so that it 

 appears whitish. This can be done by simply immersing the 

 sword in salt water, but this procedure requires much time in 

 soaking. A better method of bleaching is to place the sword in 

 a 1 or 2 per cent solution of potassium hydroxide for about a 

 week in sunshine. The fleshy material will be broken down, 



