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Cermele: Some Cheap Tail
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June 23, 2009
Cermele: Some Cheap Tail
A long time ago, I posted a blog about a brief phase I went through where I decided to take up home taxidermy. Let's just say I thought that phase was long over...until I visited the taxidermy studio of Michael Dinkel in Soldotna, Alaska, last summer. In the back room, Dinkel had about a dozen giant halibut tails drying out, all neatly displayed on pedestal bases. After he explained that no one ever wants a 300-pound halibut mounted in its entirety, the tails made sense. My wheels began to turn, and I vowed on the spot that I was going to try this with the next big striper I caught. Well, here it is.
Replica mounts aren't exactly cheap. Nor are skin mounts, which also require you to kill a fish that you won't even get to taste. If you think about it, you can gauge the size of a fish pretty well just by seeing the tail. I imagine this would work well with salmon, pike, maybe even really large trout if you wanted a trophy and still wanted to eat your catch.
This whole process took about a month. I scooped the meat out of the base of the tail, and rubbed the inside of the hollowed base with Borax laundry powder to preserve it. Then I filled the cavity with Great Stuff plumber's foam, pressed the tail between two pieces of cardboard and let it dry for three weeks. I know my paint job could be better, but hey, at least you know it's supposed to be a striper. The whole thing cost me about $10.
What do you think? Good way to have your cake (fish) and eat it too?
JC
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Comments (33)
i really like that idea. i would never make a mount cause i woyuldnt beable to use the meat but with that you dont have to waste it
Joe that's a really wicked idea since I'm broke. Do you have to order that laundry powder?
Nope, you can get it in pretty much any grocery store.
Dammit. How many big fish tails have I tossed after cleaning the whole time thinking man I'd love to mount this fish
I'm lovin this idea Cermele...I think a nice redfish tail would be pretty sweet!
cermele,
quite the artist... nicely done.
That's a pretty neat idea. I guess a fishes tail isn't too strange, but if you mounted a buck like that ...
Thanks for the "idea" stripers are hitting now so this is "great"
Another one would make a nice pair of book ends ...nice job!
Very interesting if I do say so. What do you use to get the meet out of the tail? Just a knife?
Jack, mostly just keep slicing away and pulling it out, but a grapefruit spoons works really well, too.
hey thats pretty sweet joe...the rope base is a nice touch...what kind of paint works best?
King, I used straight up Krylon spray paint for the base (layer of white, layer of light gray, layer of dark gray) and plain acrylic for the stripes. Then sealed it with clear acrylic spray.
thanks for the 411 joe, looks great!
nothing like a tall tale eh?
2Poppa's right: that idea is a pair of bookends waiting to happen...
A regular Martha Stewart!
I like the idea of cheap tail... mine is still costing me plenty on a daily basis, but it has it's trade-offs...
Anyhow, what a clever idea, and the tail you did was well done. I had the same idea for turkey decoys- I thought if I could skin a couple of hens and a jake, do the borax thing and then figure out how to fashion them to a styrofoam body with a fake head and a stand, I would have a fool-proof setup. I have two dried skins in a box somewhere... that is all the further I got... I also am not sure if feathered decoys are legal. I will have to check into that.
Does it "smell" while "curing"? Mom asked.
Same for me? sounds like it would stink like heck.
Remember, stink stems from meat rotting. If you clean as much meat out as possible and coat the inside very thoroughly with Borax, you're preserving it, so it SHOULD NOT rot, only dry out and tighten up. You may get a hint of fish smell if your nose is right on top of it early in the drying process, but if you've got flies and the neighbors are complaining you've done something wrong.
This tail is on a shelf in my house, and if it stunk, I promise you my fiance would not tolerate it. You just have to take your time and do it correctly and there should be little or no smell whatsoever. The smell would only be that of the oil in the tail, not the smell of old rotting fish.
Very nicely done... seems like a very good financial alternative for a full body mount.
Very Cool. I will do this with my next Striper. Thanks for the idea.
On some fishing trips, we took a roll of Japanese rice paper, lots of India ink and a 1" brush to make ink prints of fish to be devoured in a shore lunch. Paint one side of the fish and press it on the paper for the print. Took a little practice. "Gyo Taku", I think the process is called.
That Striper tail is a real innovation. Well done.
What I want is the tail mount hanging on the wall of one room and a head mount on the other side of the wall in the next room! ;-)
Cheap Shot, you should do that with a deer. The head side would look normal & the other side would be good for a laugh.
Taxidermists have been doing this with halibut tails forever, but as a taxidermist, I am honor bound to act horrified that anyone would think of doing this with any other species! No, no, no!!! Terrible idea!!!
Great idea! I've been using borax to preserve my turkey beards and tails for years and there's no smell. Now I've got to go catch a fish with a tail big enough to save.
Awesome! I am for sure going to do this.
That's an awesome idea. I'd be for mounting a catfish tail that way. Because a catfish's tail is better looking than its face:)
awesome idea!! now i just have 2 catch that trophy fish first!!
Interesting...
Great tip! And I agree 1 more for bookends!
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I'm lovin this idea Cermele...I think a nice redfish tail would be pretty sweet!
Another one would make a nice pair of book ends ...nice job!
King, I used straight up Krylon spray paint for the base (layer of white, layer of light gray, layer of dark gray) and plain acrylic for the stripes. Then sealed it with clear acrylic spray.
Remember, stink stems from meat rotting. If you clean as much meat out as possible and coat the inside very thoroughly with Borax, you're preserving it, so it SHOULD NOT rot, only dry out and tighten up. You may get a hint of fish smell if your nose is right on top of it early in the drying process, but if you've got flies and the neighbors are complaining you've done something wrong.
This tail is on a shelf in my house, and if it stunk, I promise you my fiance would not tolerate it. You just have to take your time and do it correctly and there should be little or no smell whatsoever. The smell would only be that of the oil in the tail, not the smell of old rotting fish.
Joe that's a really wicked idea since I'm broke. Do you have to order that laundry powder?
Nope, you can get it in pretty much any grocery store.
Jack, mostly just keep slicing away and pulling it out, but a grapefruit spoons works really well, too.
hey thats pretty sweet joe...the rope base is a nice touch...what kind of paint works best?
nothing like a tall tale eh?
2Poppa's right: that idea is a pair of bookends waiting to happen...
On some fishing trips, we took a roll of Japanese rice paper, lots of India ink and a 1" brush to make ink prints of fish to be devoured in a shore lunch. Paint one side of the fish and press it on the paper for the print. Took a little practice. "Gyo Taku", I think the process is called.
That Striper tail is a real innovation. Well done.
What I want is the tail mount hanging on the wall of one room and a head mount on the other side of the wall in the next room! ;-)
i really like that idea. i would never make a mount cause i woyuldnt beable to use the meat but with that you dont have to waste it
cermele,
quite the artist... nicely done.
That's a pretty neat idea. I guess a fishes tail isn't too strange, but if you mounted a buck like that ...
Thanks for the "idea" stripers are hitting now so this is "great"
Very interesting if I do say so. What do you use to get the meet out of the tail? Just a knife?
thanks for the 411 joe, looks great!
A regular Martha Stewart!
Does it "smell" while "curing"? Mom asked.
Same for me? sounds like it would stink like heck.
Very nicely done... seems like a very good financial alternative for a full body mount.
Very Cool. I will do this with my next Striper. Thanks for the idea.
Cheap Shot, you should do that with a deer. The head side would look normal & the other side would be good for a laugh.
Great idea! I've been using borax to preserve my turkey beards and tails for years and there's no smell. Now I've got to go catch a fish with a tail big enough to save.
Awesome! I am for sure going to do this.
That's an awesome idea. I'd be for mounting a catfish tail that way. Because a catfish's tail is better looking than its face:)
awesome idea!! now i just have 2 catch that trophy fish first!!
Interesting...
I like the idea of cheap tail... mine is still costing me plenty on a daily basis, but it has it's trade-offs...
Anyhow, what a clever idea, and the tail you did was well done. I had the same idea for turkey decoys- I thought if I could skin a couple of hens and a jake, do the borax thing and then figure out how to fashion them to a styrofoam body with a fake head and a stand, I would have a fool-proof setup. I have two dried skins in a box somewhere... that is all the further I got... I also am not sure if feathered decoys are legal. I will have to check into that.
Taxidermists have been doing this with halibut tails forever, but as a taxidermist, I am honor bound to act horrified that anyone would think of doing this with any other species! No, no, no!!! Terrible idea!!!
Great tip! And I agree 1 more for bookends!
Dammit. How many big fish tails have I tossed after cleaning the whole time thinking man I'd love to mount this fish
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