Hello Floridians, Last April, I chartered a fishing boat in Jupiter for my son and I. Captain and mate were great, and my son caught a 24" fish which we wanted to preserve as a memento of our day. I'm not a fisherman and this was my first charter. The captain said we had to use his taxidermist at a cost of $500 to make a painted fiberglass replica of the fish - all cash up front. I was ok with that, but I got additional bills from the taxidermist: $320 crating fee + $160 freight. I just received the fish, 4 months after the trip, and the "crate" was no more than a cardboard box. Weighed about 7 pounds total, so UPS freight couldn't be more than $20 from FL to NY. The fish looks nice, and I built a wooden plaque to mount it on for an additional $100. I WOULD LIKE TO REPEAT THIS TRIP, but the cost of the trophy and the charter exceeded $2500. That's a lot of lira for a plastic fish. Is this some kind if tourist scam? Is it possible to choose your own taxidermist, or is it customary to use the captain's guy? Any advice or taxidermy recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks, Jonathan
That sounds way too high. What kind of fish? The noun price seems a little high for a glass mount, but the packing charge sounds ridiculous. Who did you use? Check out King sailfish mounts. They are a replica mount company and most of thier prices are on the website. You give them the measurements and a picture and they paint the closest mold to that size. Sorry the trip hit you like that.
Grey's Taxidermy. I would have liked to shop around but had no choice. (Lousy photo) I built the black frame in the background, and I supplied the silver plaque. Image Unavailable, Please Login
The mount does look nice, but for you supplying the background and the plaque, that seems like way too much. I might call them and see what they say, or the captain. If he's not in on it be may not take kindly to his customers being taken advantage of. If he is, write it off. There are plenty of good guides down here if you decide to come back.
Troy, Thanks for the advice. I checked out King's website, and their prices are very reasonable. I also like that I can release the fish and order a reproduction online. As for the taxidermist and captain, I'm not looking for restitution. A lesson learned....
Fair enough. If you are ever back down this way, send me a PM. Always looking for a reason to go fishing. Can't promise fish, but I can promise a good attitude. Hope he had a great time, that's what it's all about.
I hate to be the one to tell you this but that is a well known scam that charter captains run down here on the unsuspecting. If you google search I'm sure you'll find it. The captain gets a big kickback from the taxidermist and the jack the price way, way up with BS extras as you've seen. I'm glad you and your son had a great time. They can't take that away. But that fish is a jack crevalle and although a strong fighter it is considered a trash fish. It shouldn't have cost you even a quarter of that price for a jack. You can get a six foot tarpon mount for around $1,500 and that's a desirable gamefish. They might as well have had you mount a pilchard! (Baitfish) Locals like to out these shady captains because it's a disgusting practice. At the very least never book him again. Maybe send him an email letting him know you don't appreciate being scammed and will never use or refer him. It boils my blood but I hear this same story all the time. There are lots of captains in that area that are reputable. Next time let me know and I'll recommend a few that are honest.
Forgot to add that you can go to any taxidermist and get a mount to commemorate an occasion. You simply need a picture or you can give them the length and girth and they'll make one the exact size. Sailfish mounts is highly rated but like anything else in Florida always be cautious.
Taxidermy scams in the charter industry - The Hull Truth - Boating and Fishing Forum Here's a link to an older thread I found quickly. Search and you'll find pages more. Too bad we can't do a sticky for all the Fchat members you look here before coming down.
Since tourism is so important to Florida's economy, why hasn't Consumer Affairs cracked down on this scam? Hard to believe Gray's, the world's largest marine taxidermist, would engage in such petty practices.
Florida, the sunny state for shady people! Seriously, that's a great question. Every season they'll air a few segments on the news and catch a few captains but then they are right back at it. It's sickening. The important thing is you and your son have a great memory. It sucks to get burnt but the memories are real.
As a near life-long resident of Florida, I'm ashamed that people like the charter captain you used can still get away with their antics. I suppose there's nothing illegal about it so they just keep doing it. Maybe you could post your story, along with the names of the offenders, on the web site that Anthony posted. Gray's has had a sketchy reputation for a long time. Again, what they're doing probably isn't illegal, but their poor service and outrageous charges should be exposed. The last really reputable tax, JT Reese, went out of business several years ago.
Although the captain may have profited in the end, he never once pushed the mounting service. His only "crime" was not offering any options other than Gray's. Gray's order form listed the price of $500 for the fish, based on size, plus an undetermined amount for crating and shipping. When I received the whopping bill for crating and shipping, I called a manager at Gray's and he gave me an ultimatum: pay the extra costs or lose my $500 deposit and no fish. I think Gray's is primarily to blame for gouging me.
Lots of great advice here so I don't have anything to add in that respect. Your story reminds me of the time my Dad took our family deep sea fishing off Miami when we first moved there from Michigan back in 1967. We didn't know how to fish but my Dad wanted to catch a sailfish so he got us a charter out of Haulover. Six of us taking turns when a fish hit and we caught a bunch of Kingfish but no sailfish ( wrong time of the year ). When it came my turn to take the rod at the next strike I fought the fish and the mate pulled it over the side and my first fish was a four foot Barracuda with the biggest, gnarlest set of teeth you could imagine. I was around 10 years old and catching that cuda as my first fish ever was to me the coolest thing ever. Several months later Christmas rolls around and for my last present my parents brought out this big box and set it in front of me. I peeled off the wrapping paper to find a big crate that took a hammer, pliers and wire cutters to open. We got one side of it open and much to my surprise, there was my Barracuda mounted. They told me it was a plaster cast of the fish for the exact size and they kept his teeth and put it in the mouth or duplicated them so they matched. I can't remember how they did it back then but it was a total surprise to me and I was blown away. I had that thing hanging on my wall for years. It is very cool that you took your son fishing AND got his fish mounted. While the Jack isn't considered a " prize " gamefish they are exceptional fighters and with it being the " first " it is well worth getting mounted. Nobody wants to get gouged but its the experience and memories that count.
Seems to me, it'd be a lot cheaper to take the fish home, skin 'em, filet 'em and cook 'em up on the grill, no? BHW
In all honesty I think they saw you coming a mile away (tourist and fishing novice) because you got a Jack mounted. It's really considered a garbage fish here. Sorry for the brutal honesty, but it doesn't mean they should have screwed you.
My kid doesn't care what species the fish is, it's the thrill of catching it that matters. Mounting it, whether it's a jack or a marlin, is a perfect memento of a great father & son day on the water. Would you tell your child "we're gonna throw this one back because someone on Fchat said it wasn't important enough to mount"? The point is that Gray's, the world's largest marine taxidermist, is ripping off tourists and the Florida da's office does nothing about it.
use internet, there are a bunch of replica taxidermists and they aren't all created equal. get good recommendations. I had a replica done of my 12 pound bass (25.5") and it was $400 plus $50 for shipping.
I've seen uglier and smaller fish mounted than that Jack. Yes, us natives don't get excited about them usually, but I never mind catching one. I am glad you had a great time, sucks to find shady people. If you make it back, hope you have an even better trip, and mount a fish three times that size.
Happened to us about 15-20 years ago. My dad chartered a boat out of key west. Went fishing for dolphin. Caught a nice one and was offered to have it mounted. Paid the initial price then they kept on adding on more and more charges till my dad got fed up and stopped paying. That was it, no fish or refund
Many years ago I caught a 24 1/4" Rainbow trout. And while I recieved a fishing citation for the fish, I grilled him up and ate him. I was recently thinking since most fish mounts today are just replicas I would perhaps order one made his size in a simple wall mount. I have done some preliminary research on this. Now my question: What is hand tipping and is there anyhting else I should know about or look for when getting this mount done? Thanks for any insight.
