Simpson Taxidermy On-Line

While I have won ribbons in almost all categories of competition, one of the the things I do best, and enjoy doing most, are fish reproductions. And having been in this business for 25 years, I can tell you the last 5 years have seen big improvements in the quality and selection of available fish replicas. Not only are more sizes and species being continually added, but the fins on many repro's are now thin and flexible and many can now be finished on both sides for competition style pedestal mounts.

    I do not manufacture the reproductions myself, (with the exception of the Sturgeon heads) - but rather I use reproductions available from MANY companies. Currently, I purchase unfinished replicas called blanks from more than 10 different manufacturers. This enables me to match, or nearly match, your fishes species, length, weight, girth and sex with a suitable replica. I find the closest match to the size & species you request, in best quality reproduction I can get. You may be given a choice of several sizes and types or there may be limited selection. Many species are not popular to reproduce and as a result, choice may be limited. My job is to use my skill & experience, and transform a piece of molded fiberglass into personal wildlife art and a visible memory of your trophy.
   All reproductions are cast from real fish & there are 3 main parts to every reproduction -

Mold - this is the cast of the actual fish. It can be plaster, fiberglass or rubber

Gel coat - this is the first layer put in the mold & is the part of the repro you see. It is usually some form of polyresin casting material.

Fiber or support layers - this provides thickness, strength & durability to the replica. Most commonly use is chopped fiberglass or fiberglass mat.

    The detail in the reproduction depends on the quality of the mold and the material used in the gel coat. Together these materials produce the replica or "blank". There are 2 main types of materials currently used make fish reproductions - fiberglass & acrylic resin. Graphite reproductions will discussed later

FIBERGLASS REPRODUCTIONS - (or "glass")

    Fiberglass reproductions began in the 60's and was used mainly for saltwater fish - bill fish, tarpon & sharks - all to hard to mount with conventional methods. Molds and materials have improved much since then, but many of the old molds are still in use by some companies. "Glass" reproductions have rigid, opaque fins and in general lack the finer detail of acrylic resin. They are usually one sided and are not suited for table or pedestal mounts.   However, there is more selection (different species & sizes) available in fiberglass than anything else and with a little artistic effort on my part, they make very nice looking mounts. Glass is very durable and are the best choice for bars & restaurants, outside decoration and very large fish.
ACRYLIC RESIN - (or "resin")     This is one of the newer generation of materials being used to make replica's. I have used reproductions from several different companies and while the material being used is slightly different, I am very pleased with these newer reproductions. In general, resin replica's have more detail in the scales, mouth & fin areas. The fins are thinner and semi-transparent. Some offer cast latex mouth inserts for incredible mouth detail, or open gills with gills cast in place. These are my first choice in reproductions. The only real disadvantage is the limited selection, but it is growing. For the most part, my cost for the blanks is the same as the fiberglass, and I charge accordingly. But from one company in Canada, my cost is nearly double. Replica's ordered from this company are charged $11.00 per inch
GRAPHITE REPRODUCTIONS     It now appears to me that Graphite reproductions (for which I have had many requests) are a myth. I have yet to find a company that makes a reproduction from graphite and I have come to the conclusion that the idea of a replica from graphite was concocted to appeal to customers as the latest & greatest thing. Since the graphite would only be used as the internal support material, there would be no real advantage to it over fiberglass. One manufacture even told me that he grinds up pieces of old graphite fishing rods and mixes it with the fiberglass mesh so he can tell consumers that his reproductions are "Graphite".

Latex - This is a rigid casting latex which picks up amazing detail in our sturgeon, catfish and salmon heads. It is poured into the plaster mold and allowed to sit for several to form a "skin" about 3/16" thick. The excess latex is poured back out and the skin allowed to cure for 24 hours and then it is removed from the mold while still flexible. After a couple of days, a backboard is attached and it is filled with foam. At that time, the mouth can be installed, eyes set, whiskers installed and any defects repaired before painting.