Well said!
I have been doing "fish mounts for 35 years(both skin & replicas). MY fish will be custom cast and reproduced, period. They stay better looking forever(as long as done correctly to begin with)
I have a 21.5 lb. steelhead I caught and molded over 10 years ago. I have had many offers from folks wanting to buy it, and will not sell it! I do have the mold, BUT I kept the origional cast for myself. I have used the mold Dozens of times since I Made it. This has allowed dozens of people the opportunity to release thier fish. They did this of thier own free will. I AM NOT a catch and release guy by any means, BUT, I think replicas are a prudent way of perpetuating a trophy AND a live fish.
I have been a fishing guide for over 15 years, so I have some perspective that most anglers do not. I believe this..... We all have the right validated by the purchase of a state fishing licence to harvest any fish we chose....
This being said, I have released fish that I have a pre-existing mold for to fight another day........... I have had fish in the net that I agonized over releasing and let them go because the resource was more valuable to be since I did not need the fish for an accurate mount.
Just my 2 cents.
