A musky is the fish of ten thousand casts, and when the big one finally comes over the side of the boat it deserves more than a phone photo. Stehling’s Taxidermy has been building musky mounts in Jefferson, Wisconsin since 1978, from skin mounts of kept fish to hand-painted replicas of the 50-inchers you released. Every fish is painted in-house to your photos, and we ship finished mounts nationwide.
Start Your Musky Mount | See Pricing
Or call/text: (920) 650-7800
Musky Replica Mounts ($35 per inch)
Most musky mounts we build today are replicas, because most musky anglers release their fish. A replica is a fiberglass reproduction cast from a musky of the same length and girth, then hand-painted to your fish. Bring us the length, the girth at the thickest point, and a few photos from the net or the bump board, and we match the bars, spots, and fin color of your fish rather than spraying a generic pattern. Replicas never fade, shrink, or crack, and they are the only way to put a released fish on the wall.
Musky Skin Mounts ($30 per inch)
For a fish you kept, we still build traditional skin mounts. A musky skin mount is a big job, with long fins that need careful rebuilding and a head that has to be sculpted right to look alive, and it is work this studio has been doing for more than four decades. Freeze the fish flat and whole (see below) and bring it in.
Musky Mount Pricing
| Fish | Skin mount ($30/in) | Replica ($35/in) |
|---|---|---|
| 40″ musky | $1,200 | $1,400 |
| 45″ musky | $1,350 | $1,575 |
| 48″ musky | $1,440 | $1,680 |
| 50″ musky | $1,500 | $1,750 |
| 54″ musky | $1,620 | $1,890 |
Length is nose to tail tip. Driftwood, rock, and water bases, and feeding scenes with a sucker or a bucktail, are quoted with your mount. Pay in full, 50/50, three installments, or monthly through our Easy 8 Payment Plan. Standard delivery is 12 to 14 months, with rush service available at 180, 90, or 30 days. See the full price list.
Musky Mount Poses
- Wall mount, S-curve. The standard musky pose: a long, slow curve with the mouth partly open, on a driftwood or walnut plaque. Plan on four to five feet of wall.
- Strike pose. Mouth wide, body bent hard, chasing a bucktail or a sucker. A dramatic pose that works best on a wall or a floor base with room around it.
- Figure-eight scene. The fish turning boat-side on a water base, the moment every musky angler remembers.
- Tiger musky and pike-musky pairs. A tiger musky and a northern on one base shows off the difference in markings.
Field Care for a Musky Mount
- Releasing it? Measure length and girth on a bump board or with a soft tape, take photos of both sides while the fish is wet, and let it go. That is all we need for a replica.
- Keeping it? Do not gut, bleed, or fillet it. Photograph both sides right away.
- Wrap it in a wet towel, bag it, and freeze it flat. Fold the fins against the body and squeeze the air out. A musky is long, so clear a full shelf in the freezer; a fish frozen bent stays bent.
- Get it to us frozen. Drop off in Jefferson or at our New Franken showroom near Green Bay, or ship it in a cooler early in the week.
The full walkthrough is in our fish field care guide.
Musky Mount FAQ
How much does a musky mount cost?
$35 per inch for a replica and $30 per inch for a skin mount at Stehling’s Taxidermy. A 48-inch musky replica is $1,680. Bases are extra.
Can you mount a musky I released?
Yes. A replica is built from your length, girth, and photos. Most of the musky mounts we build are replicas of released fish.
Is a replica better than a skin mount for a musky?
For most anglers, yes. A replica lets you release the fish, it will not fade or crack, and it is painted to your photos. A skin mount is the choice for a fish you kept and want on the wall as the actual fish.
Do you mount tiger musky?
Yes. Tiger musky, Great Lakes spotted musky, barred musky, and clear-phase fish are all painted to match your photos.
How long does a musky mount take?
Standard delivery is 12 to 14 months, with rush service available at 180, 90, or 30 days.
