156 



How To Make Fish Mounts 



from the angle of the jaw and working forward. Cut and scrape 

 away all bits of meat and gristle that may be adhering to the 

 jaws, and then rub salt on them and let it stay overnight. The 

 salt will draw out the juices and the next day the extra matter 

 adhering to the jaws can be scraped away more easily. Rinse 

 the jaws in clean water and lay aside to dry. Prop the jaws 

 apart with pieces of wood while drying, or the jaws will pull 

 together out of position. 



When the jaws are thoroughly dry, they can be smoothed a 

 bit with sandpaper to make a better appearance. Apply a 

 couple of coats of shellac before painting: flat black, gold, or 

 silver is especially effective. Screw the jaws to a stained plaque 

 (Fig. 155). Add the angler's information in the lower center 

 or lower right side of the trophy. 



Letter Openers from Bills 



A handsome letter opener— more a curio than a trophy— can 

 be made from the bill of a sailfish or a small marlin. I collect all 

 the bills I can and have fun producing letter openers which I 



Fig. 156. Sailfish and marlin bills make unusual and attractive letter 

 openers. File and sand the upper and lower (dorsal and ventral) sides. 



