Carving out a niche in the fishing collectibles market
Neal Bryant

For fishermen like myself, the memory of landing a prize catch is usually enough. Photographs also serve as a fantastic reminder. However, there is an alternative way of immortalising your greatest achievement. Fish carving is a fantastic way to make your catch tangible again, long after you have returned the live specimen back to it’s natural habitat.

As well as the fact that it is illegal on the rivers and lakes that I fish, the thought of killing a fish in order to have it stuffed and mounted sickens me. This means that I am left with memories or photographs. However, with this fish carving process gathering momentum I may not need to rely on my hazy memories and often poorly taken photographs anymore.

Fish carving is a very lengthy and meticulous process. Firstly, a picture or description of the fish must be provided. Then the carver will select the relevant wood (usually redwood or something with a similar consistency). The next step is for a pattern to be created and transferred to the piece of wood selected. Next the carver will cut a rough fish shape out of the wood. The various features of the fish are then routed out to give a 3 dimensional shape. When the carving process is over the fish is outlined with a decorative border.

Once all of the carving is complete the fish will need to be sanded down to leave it with a smooth finish, then the painting begins. This is obviously another very lengthy process with a professional artist taking many hours to ensure that the wooden fish is an exact match for the fish in the photograph down to the last dot on the last scale.

Fish carving began many years ago with the process emerging in Scotland late in the 19th century. Examples from that era are now very rare and have become rather sought after. Carved fish have fetched as much as £8,000 at auctions.

In my opinion the thought of collecting examples of carved fish is far more appealing than some of the more conventional collectible antiques. The better examples of carved fish are so expertly reproduced that people often mistake them for the original counterpart. I would be particularly keen to collect carved fish of catches that I have made. If only I could catch a fish worth immortalising!!