Markus, Snag and Bacon's Gar adventure

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Sep 13, 2004 11:28 am

Beauty fish guys! Nice work!

Markus, who's mounting it for you??

HW

Post by **Markus** » Mon Sep 13, 2004 11:36 am

Hawg Wobbler wrote:Beauty fish guys! Nice work!

Markus, who's mounting it for you??

HW

A local guy here. Simons Taxidermy. He does great work and I not only give him a lot of work, I steer a lot of satisfied people his way as well.

I was hoping to to get a big Rainbow done this summer, but I never got a big enough one. Hoover has a nice bow there that he's presently working on. We'll post pic's when it's done.

He did the little gar I have on the wall. Bacon and RJ can testify to the quality of the work. The paint job he does is exceptional.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Sep 13, 2004 11:45 am

Markus,

Does he do replicas as well? Are his prices reasonable??

HW

Post by **Markus** » Mon Sep 13, 2004 11:51 am

Hawg Wobbler wrote:Markus,

Does he do replicas as well? Are his prices reasonable??

HW

No he only does skin mounts. No replicas.

His prices are industry standard. But because of the amount of business I put through his door, I get super prices.

I don't want to touch on a touchy subject, but he will be doing a muski for me. I'd like to hold out for a 50+ incher (and yes I know the Ottawa 52 inch size limit), I may go with a smaller one if the day warrents a memory.

When I'm in Ottawa, I will leave the decision to my host. If they feel the fish is to be released, back it goes. If they feel the decision is mine...at the cost of a lot of muski growling, home he comes.

I plan on having my own lodge one day and I'm slowly collecting a few wall ornaments until that day comes.

Let me know if you ever have a fish you'd like done. I'd be happy to help you out getting a good price.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Sep 13, 2004 12:06 pm

Markus,

Ottawa River is actually a 54" size limit. The Rideau is 44".

If you do catch a legal, it is certainly your choice to take the fish if you wish.

I will certainly keep that in mind. I would like a gar on my wall as well. You're making me jealous.

HW

Post by **Markus** » Mon Sep 13, 2004 12:12 pm

Whoops!

54 inches it is....I knew it was a big length!

If you wanna try for these gar here, let me know if you're gonna be in the area. Hopefully WIG will land a nice one tomorrow afternoon. I wanna get a big Wahooo!!!! out of him.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Sep 13, 2004 12:26 pm

Markus,

I will be taking you up on that offer as soon as I find the time to make the trip down there.

HW

Post by **M.T. Livewell** » Mon Sep 13, 2004 12:37 pm

If you wanna try for these gar here, let me know if you're gonna be in the area. Hopefully WIG will land a nice one tomorrow afternoon. I wanna get a big Wahooo!!!! out of him.

Oh sure, RJ gets fish. Bacon and Snag get fish. And soon W-I-G's gonna get fish.
And I'll I get is lure washing?!

Bacon, 46" gar ... once you get that thing stuffed, it's so big, you could use it for your bathtub curtain rod.
Here's me, just a little jealous.

Snag, get yours stuffed and we can use it to play lawn darts.

M.T. Livewell

Post by **Markus** » Mon Sep 13, 2004 12:47 pm

Mounted. Not stuffed. Get it right fish curse boy.

Bacons mount is gonna look awesome. That picture doesn't do that fish justice. We copuld see gar surfacing all around us all day. None like his though. And when the water broke and that thing shot straight into the air...my heart honestly stopped.

I was not expecting that.

Bacon did pateintly work the bigger twister for it though. Nice work indeed.

Post by **Markus** » Mon Sep 13, 2004 1:42 pm

Here's a few more pic's from our day.....

Me and Bacon with a small 30 incher. If you want to play "Where's Waldo" there is a small gar surfacing in the background water if you think you can find it!

Another shot of bacon, this time wresting the big worm with the death grip! Makes you wonder how my boatside 40 incher got away with a grip like that!

Landing big fish is fun, but we all know the skill that is needed to hook the little ones!

Post by **nighttroller** » Mon Sep 13, 2004 2:07 pm

Without sparking a debate, advanced taxidermy in Toronto does incredible work and you can let your (future) huge Muskie swim away to get even bigger. There are advantages to replica mounts, but this is a personal decision!

Post by **Markus** » Mon Sep 13, 2004 2:46 pm

nighttroller wrote:Without sparking a debate, advanced taxidermy in Toronto does incredible work and you can let your (future) huge Muskie swim away to get even bigger. There are advantages to replica mounts, but this is a personal decision!

I've checked that option out nighttroller. Like you said, it's a personal preference, but here's what's steered me into skin mounts over the replicas...

1. It is more expensive for replicas. The process is costly and deals are tough to come by.

2. I just can't shake the feeling that it's a plastic fish on the wall and not a true enough reflection of the one I caught. I'd always feel he was going to turn towards me and start mouthing the words of some silly elvis song.

3. People always have doubt when they see a replica. "Is this a true reflection of the fish, or did he just submit some fisherman tale measurements to the plastic molders."

I'm looking forward to seeing Kens walleye replica at Quinte. What are the advantages to replica mounts, other than the fish gets a free pass? Not being smart, I honestly am interested in learning more about them.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Sep 13, 2004 2:54 pm

The one benefit that I have heard about replicas is durability. I understand (and I'm not at all experienced in this area) that skin mounts have a tendancy to degrade over time, whereas the replicas are more durable in this capacity.

The arguement that I hear most often in favour of replicas is the intended use of the mount. I've heard many times of anglers who have had a mount done of a nice fish, it goes up on the wall for a few years, and then it spends the rest of it's life collecting dust in the garage. If this is what you anticipate happening, it might make more sense to save the fish, and get a replica done. If you're not going to enjoy the mount for years to come, seems like a waste to kill such a beautiful fish.

If on the other hand, you are going to show off this fish for years to come, and appreciate the catch in the long-run (as Markus intends to do in a lodge), then I could see value in having a skin mount for the purposes of authenticity as Markus stated.

HW

Post by **nighttroller** » Mon Sep 13, 2004 3:04 pm

I had all the same reservations you do. I caught a 16 - 6 walleye last year in BOQ and had to make the decision on whether to keep it or go the replica route. I had seen the work of Advanced Taxidermy at the Sportsman show in Toronto and in my eyes I couldn't tell the difference from the skin mounts. After taking the measurements of the fish and several pics I opted to let her swim. I totally understand people going for the skin mounts, I just didn't have the heart to kill the fish! I wish I had the email from Advanced Taxidermy that listed some advantages of replica mounts, two I remember are they last longer and are easier to repair if something happens to them. I am going to receive my mount this month so I will let you know how it looks when I get it. I simply wanted to remind people that there are options for mounts but it is all in what you are comfortable with!

Post by RJ » Mon Sep 13, 2004 3:05 pm

Markus,

We talked about stinger hooks!...remember?...

Damn!

RJ