You can put the fish back and still put it on the wall.
A replica is built from the same measurements and photographs you would take before releasing a fish anyway — length, girth, and a few clear pictures. We sculpt and paint it to match your fish, not a generic blank. The fish swims away. You get the mount.
This is the one thing we do that doesn’t require you to ship us anything. If you caught it in Alaska, Ontario, Florida or Tennessee, we can still build it.
What we need from you
- Total length, nose to tail tip
- Girth at the thickest point, if you got it
- Weight, if you have it
- Clear side photographs — the whole fish, in frame, in good light
- A close-up of the head and gill plate if possible
- Species
- General water type and region (color and markings vary by water)
- Whether you want it swimming left or right
- Any body curve or pose you have in mind
More reference photos is always better. Fin shape, spot patterns and color are what make a replica look like your fish rather than a catalog fish, and we can only match what we can see.
What a replica can and can’t match
We match species, size, proportion, pose, and color and pattern as closely as your reference material allows. Well-photographed fish come out very close. What we won’t promise is that every individual spot and every healed scar transfers exactly — that depends on the quality and angle of the photos. Send us what you have and we’ll tell you honestly what we can hit.
Species we build
Musky · Northern pike · Walleye · Largemouth and smallmouth bass · Lake trout · Brown trout · Brook and rainbow trout · Salmon · Panfish · Sturgeon · Saltwater species
Great Lakes fish are a specialty. We are in Wisconsin, we have mounted thousands of fish, and we know what a Green Bay walleye and a Lake Michigan brown trout are actually supposed to look like. See our musky work and Great Lakes brown trout.
Skin mount or replica?
Both are real options and we do both.
A skin mount uses the actual fish. It requires you to freeze and ship the fish properly, and it means the fish doesn’t go back.
A replica is sculpted and painted. The fish is released. Replicas hold color better over decades and are the only option for a fish you legally have to release, or one that has already been eaten.
Current pricing for both is on our Pricing page — skin mounts and replicas are priced per inch.
Habitat and display options
A replica on a plain panel is a fish. A replica on driftwood, on a custom water base, breaking the surface, or set in an ice scene is a piece of the day you caught it. We build all of those in-house.
Ordering from outside Wisconsin
Nothing needs to be shipped for a replica order. Send measurements and photos and we will handle it from there. Finished mounts are crated and shipped anywhere in the country. See Shipping.
Common questions
How accurate is a replica?
Very, when the reference photos are good. Species, size, proportion and pose are exact. Color and pattern are matched as closely as your photographs allow.
I already released the fish and only have a phone photo.
Send it. If you have a length — even an estimate against a rod or a net — we can usually work with it. Tell us what you know and what you are guessing at.
How much does a fish replica cost?
Replicas are priced per inch. See our Pricing page for current rates.
How long does it take?
Replicas run on our standard production schedule. Current delivery times are on the Pricing page.
Do you do saltwater fish?
Yes.
Can I get a replica of a fish someone else caught?
Yes — replicas made from a father’s or grandfather’s old catch photo are one of our favorite projects.
Start your fish replica
Send your species, length, girth and photos. No fish required.