So here's a really short build thread. I have been looking for some fish to put into the bait station of my charter boat for quite some time. I tried all the big sporting good/fishing stores looking at different lures, but they just didn't seem quite right. Then it hit me...I went on the web and found some really nice pictures of silver and chinook salmon along with some various bottom fish that might actually be caught on the boat. Once I scaled them to the size I wanted on the computer, I just flipped the image 180 deg. for the other side of the fish and printed them out...cut out a small piece of 1/8 scrap wood to give the fish some width and glued the two sides together. The one thing left to do is spray a light coat of some kind of clear sealer on them, that should give them the just out of water sheen I would expect them to have.

Fish On!!

bob

"They look pretty darn good in person, at least my boys thought so, wife not as impressed yet."
She is probably thinking she is going to get stuck cleaning and cooking them.
They look good.
Regards,
Gerald.

Really great idea!!! I've been looking for the same for my 1:12 Monterey! I'll give your idea a try! Thanks!

I'd do some with the dorsal fin down (thats were it tends to go when they stop flopping around) they look great, maybe a quick dip in some thin resin, curl some tails up and down...

April 2010 issue of Garden Railways magazine has article on making fish, pg.48-49. The author cuts out a profile, like you did. Then he uses Testors Contour Putty to make the fish right and left sides rounded, ie 3-D. Finally, he paints the fish (primer first, some sanding, then finish coat). Probably a lot of work if you are looking to mimic a net or deck full of fish. But you might 3-D a few to put on the cutting board, or for your deckhand to carry.

Only thing left to do after the fishes are crated is spray them down with a little herring oil to give them that fresh oily look and smell!

Originally Posted by steamboatmodel

"They look pretty darn good in person, at least my boys thought so, wife not as impressed yet."
She is probably thinking she is going to get stuck cleaning and cooking them.
They look good.
Regards,
Gerald.

That's pretty funny. My wife loves to go fishing and we we catch trout or other small fish, she is the one that volunteers to clean them. After working as a deckhand for several summers, I think I've cleaned enough fish to last a long time.

I will be bending the fins around a little bit random when I coat them.

Brooks- The pics don't show it very well, but the piece of wood I put between the two pieces of paper does give a nice 3-d effect on the fish. I do like the idea of using putty for the guts too. Might have to try that!