ANY TAXIDERMIST WHO MOUNTS TROUT FROM THE GREAT LAKES WILL have 101 horror stories about the difficulties associated with mounting these fish. Trout out of the Great Lakes tend to be very greasy and oily. For a taxidermist, this means more time cutting away oily material, rebuilding shrunken areas, and more attention to detail during the scraping process. The good thing is that these fish generate more money because they tend to be large. Also, it is normal for taxidermists to charge from $1.00 to $3.00 more per inch for trout, salmon, and char. In other words, they require more labor, but a taxidermist is paid for his/her additional work.

Lake trout are the greasiest of all the fish that I have mounted. Therefore, I thought this species would provide an excellent demonstration of how to easily manage Great Lakes trout, as well as trout in general. So let's get started...

If you want to subscribe or receive back issues, please select one of the following options: