Howdy,
I recently caught my first billfish; it is 9 ft 132 lb Striped Marlin. Could anyone reccomend places that make nice replicas? I'm looking to keep it under $850. Im still in College so I don't have a lot of expendable income. Any advice/reccomendation is appreciated!
Gig 'Em
PAUL
Gig 'Em back at ya. And CONGRATULATIONS!
Not my first billfish by a long shot, by I just got one of them bad mamba jambas myself down in Cabo. My first marlin, though. From memory, going back to age 12, I've fought some big fish in fresh, brackish, salt and deep sea around the world. None of them compared, not even my 11'6" sailfish, in strength, wit, and persistence than the 9' striped marlin caught two days ago. When the pics come I'll post some....
More to the point, this was among the most colorful and beautiful fish I've ever seen, and I raise fish of all kinds including peacock bass among others. When the fish jumped in full sunlight, it flashed great color and brilliance. That is what I want to see in the trophy and for the amount of money invested in this fish, including having it mounted, the full, complete, natural and individual shape, colors and patterns of this great fish that took us nearly an hour to boat. I paid premium and expect to get it.
Until I see the finished product I can make no recommendation, only state that including flying to Cabo, resort hotel, offshore charter, limos, taxis, licences, taxes, taxidermy, etc. this fish cost many thousands of dollars (fortunately not into tens of thousands) and I want it to reflect the memories of the trip and the most awesome fish battle I ever was a part of.
For me, this was the fish of a lifetime.
I suspect it must be similar for yourself, even if you had some help with expenses, and as such I would try and find the very best replica I could get as opposed to the cheapest. Someday, even $2000 might not seem like a prohibitive figure, especially for an Aggie applying himself.
