Joe - Congratulations again on that mighty fine record fish!!
The pictures turned out great - Good job there Jimmy
They really do give a good idea of what that pig actually looked like size-wise. It's a monster for sure.
One thing you might consider is getting a replica mount of your record fish. With the pictures you have and the measurements, you should be able to get a really nice reproduction done and those things can look just like the real deal if they're done correctly plus they last forever. I don't have anyone to refer you to, but there is a guy over around Fork who does fantastic reproductions on bass that would be worth digging up. There is a cafe over there that has a mount of a big bass fixing to inhale a large bluegill and both fish are very well done. I will track down my buddy who can tell me the name of this cafe and you could call them to see who done the mount.
Whatever you do, before I dropped that kind of $$, I would inquire over in the open discussion or maybe the bass pages for references of anyone you decide might be under consideration for this project. I've had good experiences and bad experiences with taxidermist - just like all professions there are both types out there and it can be hard to weed out the bad ones before you have paid out a bunch of your hard earned money. Just do your research carefully and you should wind up happy.
There is also a
Taxidermy Page over on the Hunting Forum as well and you might want to peruse that. Those guys are mostly into birds and animals, but it's a such a small number of people in the craft, those guys are going to know who the good ones are with fish. Regardless of who you get, be prepared to be
Really patient - it will be worth waiting on.
Shoot, just go for it. Get the replica done on that record fish and then get those other two mounted natural on that driftwood. That would make an awesome addition to your living room and I'm pretty sure Mrs. Midlothian Joe would agree it will be well worth the cost whatever that might be, to have a permanent remembrance of such a remarkable feat.
I still can't get over the size of that fish - especially the height of him. Good grief he's huge. Fantastic catch Joe!
Jon
![[Linked Image]](https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8614/16378169455_6959c5a915_t.jpg)
