THE BASS COLLEGE

i would just like to inform people who dont yet know about the amazing replicia mounts that can be done of a trophy bass. it just kills me to see people keeping the 5-9 pound fish out of my local lakes, ponds,rivers and reservoirs. if the fish is not close to a state record why not just get a replicia mount? you dont need the official weight of a fish 3 pounds shy of a state record. the fish over 5 pounds in the smaller ponds it very well might be the largest fish in the pond. just take the length/girth and a few pictures and you can have a mount done. just by having the length/girth of a bass they can make a very accurate estamation of the fishes weight. also the "fish" is fiberglass so it will last forever as apposed to a real mount.

check out this site

http://www.youngswildlife.com/#SlideFrame_1

The owner Tim paints the replicas himself and has done 3 mounts for me and my dad. i strongly recomend him. our replicas look the best compared to the others ive seen!!!

Good Post There are several really good replica mounts being done now. One local one here in Maryland is Travis Taxidermy. There are many others. Just take good measurements and close up photos and it is hard to tell the difference when they are done now.

yes! i just hate seeing people keep 5 pound fish!

They are the genetics that make the lake great, and if you remove them, you may as well go fish somewhere else..

If you take these fish out like that, especially in a lake where there are not that many really big bass, you will screw up the genetics and the spawn for next year and cut your own throat.

Nobody really cares anymore about a bass that is under 8 or 9 lbs from the Northeast.

I would mount a bass from here without worrying about it, if it was 10 lbs or over, as I know for a fact that any bass caught that is just shy of the state record or at the state record level, will not live more than 1 year more as that is is maximum age, and the chances are really good that the eggs are not fertile any more the year before it dies and sinks to the bottom as turtle food, but anything under 9 lbs is really stupid to mount when you can have large framed photos, certification on a scale in the photo, and with HD video now and cameras as big as a small phone, and replica mounts that are impossible to tell the difference without really close examination, you are really not doing yourself any favors keeping it. 

Now, that said, I understand why somebody wants to do it when they have never caught a big bass but as I said, the videos, replica's etc are the way to go if you ever want to catch another one. 

Some lakes really need these bass, and unless you understand what is in the lake, how many big bass arein it, their age, the food supply, etc you can not take them out and still have anything you will want to fish again soon. If every person just took one, in a matter of a few years you may as well just fish on the side of the road in a ditch!!

I have a 5 ft Barracuda, 8 lb bass, and a 45 lb striper all replica mounts from Atlantic Taxidermy in Florida and they are amazing. i have seen fish mounts all over but i always see that Atlantic Taxidermy comes out on top. It took about 3-4 months for them to ship it to my house in Jersey. Here is the site:   http://www.atlantictaxidermy.com/atlantic_fm/index.cfm?CFID=7202056&CFTOKEN=50160634

Mine are museum quality mounts that were done by Travis Taxidermy and they did work for the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC. The bass below was reproduced exactly how it looked when it came from the lake. They had measurements, photos, and video, and reproduced the exact bass. There is NO REASON to keep a bass under a state record anymore. 

When i get home from vacation I will take some pics of my fish, they are beutiful.

For those who want to learn more about growing big bass, trophy bass hunters, and pond stocking, click here<<<

Honestly, in some places like maybe Lake Champlain, Teneroc, and a few other select large bodies of water with high populations of trophy class bass, it would proably not hurt anything at all if a few people took one once in a while, maybe, but in small ponds in Delaware and Maryland it is a DISATER!!

I caught that fish that was over 7 at the end of the summer. I felt the same way, it would be a disaster for me to take that fish. I only know of a couple fish over 7 pounds that have been caught in the lake. I'm going hunting for that big boy in May. I'll be taking a lot of pictures but it won't be leaving the lake. At lease by me !

If you catch a trophy bass and DO NOT HAVE IT MOUNTED from one of our local ponds here in Delaware I will pay for part of your replica mount. All you need to do is provide a good photo, measurements, and video of it, showing that it is over 7 pounds, and was released, and I will pay 25% of the cost and I will make a free 11x14 Framed photo of it for you, as long as you are a site member here in good standing.

That is awful nice of you Steve. Your a true Sportsman !

Delawarebass at December 27, 2011 at 1:43 PM

If you catch a trophy bass and DO NOT HAVE IT MOUNTED from one of our local ponds here in Delaware I will pay for part of your replica mount. All you need to do is provide a good photo, measurements, and video of it, showing that it is over 7 pounds, and was released, and I will pay 25% of the cost and I will make a free 11x14 Framed photo of it for you.

That just for your area??lol

Right in Delaware only. I want to catch the bass and some of these ponds are only 20 and 30 acres and have just a few giants in them at best, so taking one out is a disaster.

A local lake near me, had a fish kill and had almost no bass left and somebody else there that lives on the lake and myself have been putting those big bass in there to restock it so when you take one out it hurts it.

If you really have to mount a trophy bass, make sure you grab it by the fins and hold it still!!!!!!

I totally agree with everyone on getting a replica it's the way to go. Plus someone else can catch and release her someday as well....case in point the infamous Dottie was caught and released many times before natural death.

dbbasser at December 27, 2011 at 8:52 PM

I totally agree with everyone on getting a replica it's the way to go. Plus someone else can catch and release her someday as well....case in point the infamous Dottie was caught and released many times before natural death.

Nice mount! I completely agree. I think that I will replica mount my first KS bass over 7 pounds that comes from a lake.

Sml175 at December 27, 2011 at 8:42 PM

If you really have to mount a trophy bass, make sure you grab it by the fins and hold it still!!!!!!

I meant to say get a replica. I guess that's why the post got deleted lol.

right. LOL