Long story short, I finally stuck a giant. After 20 years of chasing spots, I caught an 11.08 lb behemoth. i really want to commemorate this fish, so I need to find someone to make a replica. Problem is, there aren't many molds of an 11 lb spot floating around. Are there any taxidermists that can make a replica of this thing???
I’d have that scale certified , those rapala scales can go either way . You might have caught one that beats the world record . I like to verify my scales after every big fish , some were over some were under .
Haha man I started panicking on the way home. I’d never checked how accurate my little rapala scale was and thought maybe it weighed light and I let a world record go. But I checked it at home and it’s pretty close to accurate according to my certified postage scale haha!
dvkawboy wrote:I’d have that scale certified , those rapala scales can go either way . You might have caught one that beats the world record . I like to verify my scales after every big fish , some were over some were under .
Def gonna get a certified scale (those brecknells all the big timers use are expensive!) You never know in NorCal. I checked it against my certified postage scale at home and it weighs +/- .05 in the 5 tests I did.
IGFA world record Spotted Bass is 10.38 lbs, California is 11.2 not IGFA certified because no biologist to verify species. You need a witness, photos of measurements etc.
Special bass like yours will not have a replica mold of a 11 lb Spot.
unfortunately Roberts Trophy Fish Mounts is no longer in business.
Congratulations!
Tom
Pat wrote:WOW! Congratulations! And Kudos for letting her go.
Thanks Pat. I was so scared of hurting her, especially so close to the spawn. Gotta protect the resource! Here’s a pic of me releasing her.
Having caught a few giant LMB over the years I understand the drive to release a healthy pre spawn giant.
Looking back should have taken a few moments to document those catches, that are rare moments.
You have a few good photos that can be mounted professionally to save the memories.
agian, congratulations on your very rare giant Spotted Bass.
Tom
Lake Fork Taxidermy does excellent work !!
They are well known for replica work and did an outstanding job on a replica LM for me.
Congrats on your amazing catch and for letting that behemoth swim again !
WRB wrote:IGFA world record Spotted Bass is 10.38 lbs, California is 11.2 not IGFA certified because no biologist to verify species. You need a witness, photos of measurements etc.
Special bass like yours will not have a replica mold of a 11 lb Spot.
unfortunately Roberts Trophy Fish Mounts is no longer in business.
Congratulations!
Tom
Hey thanks for clearing that up. I was reading an article on that 11-4 and the possibility of it being an Alabama bass vice a spotted bass. Likely mine is an Alabama bass as well. Seems like semantics, but details are important!
Pat wrote:WOW! Congratulations! And Kudos for letting her go.
Thanks Pat. I was so scared of hurting her, especially so close to the spawn. Gotta protect the resource! Here’s a pic of me releasing her.
Having caught a few giant LMB over the years I understand the drive to release a healthy pre spawn giant.
Looking back should have taken a few moments to document those catches, that are rare moments.
You have a few good photos that can be mounted professionally to save the memories.
agian, congratulations on your very rare giant Spotted Bass.
Tom
Man I was so shaken up when I caught her I didn’t know what to do. My live well was only half working (aerator only, no fill) and it was starting to rain. I wish I would’ve taken a few minutes to get myself composed and get some better pics or maybe a video. Live and learn I suppose. I had to take her measurements with pieces of cutoff braid lol
csilva wrote:Lake Fork Taxidermy does excellent work !!
They are well known for replica work and did an outstanding job on a replica LM for me.
Congrats on your amazing catch and for letting that behemoth swim again !
Thanks for the lead! Hopefully they can work with spots as well!!
There's a gentleman in the Redding area last name Smith that has done some beautiful largemouth mounts for my brother. He's very reasonable with about a two week turnaround. He insists on picking up the fish in Redding so it doesn't get damaged in shipping. I know he does skin mounts, don't know about fiberglass replicas?
monte300 wrote:There's a gentleman in the Redding area last name Smith that has done some beautiful largemouth mounts for my brother. He's very reasonable with about a two week turnaround. He insists on picking up the fish in Redding so it doesn't get damaged in shipping. I know he does skin mounts, don't know about fiberglass replicas?
I’ll ask around to see if I can find him. Thanks monte.
kraetzer wrote:Just saw this posted by Carl Jocumsen and thought it was pretty cool https://prints.fish/
Maybe something that goes along with your replica.
That’s awesome dude! My wife knows a few printmakers also, so maybe I go a non-conventional route. Good looking out!
In my logical mind it's the only place in the state and maybe the country that can grow one that big!
Yeah it seems that someone let the cat out of the bag a few years back. It’s still a tough lake to fish, but sometimes it pays off
I'm not surprised it's tough, it seems most places with big fish don't yield those giants easily. Probably the closest I came to fishing where it's not real difficult to hook a big fish is Lake Baccarac in Mexico.
monte300 wrote:
In my logical mind it's the only place in the state and maybe the country that can grow one that big!
Yeah it seems that someone let the cat out of the bag a few years back. It’s still a tough lake to fish, but sometimes it pays off
I'm not surprised it's tough, it seems most places with big fish don't yield those giants easily. Probably the closest I came to fishing where it's not real difficult to hook a big fish is Lake Baccarac in Mexico.
That’s why we play the game. If it was easy it wouldn’t mean as much to me. That being said, I got incredibly lucky. At bullards, it’s 8-10” or 8-10 lbs. Not a lot in between and the low end is the norm.
You should try and find some bass fishing forums in AL or southeast where big spots are more common and the replica folks might have more molds. Try bass boat central as you could get some leads there…..
Goose wrote:Long story short, I finally stuck a giant. After 20 years of chasing spots, I caught an 11.08 lb behemoth. i really want to commemorate this fish, so I need to find someone to make a replica. Problem is, there aren't many molds of an 11 lb spot floating around. Are there any taxidermists that can make a replica of this thing???
