In 1999 I went fishing for striper bass on Lake Texoma with a bunch of friends. It was a great trip and about midday on the last day of the trip I had a strike up close to the dam that I knew was no striper. It fought longer and harder than any fresh water fish I've ever taken. When I got it to the boat the guide started to get really nervous, telling me not to do anything that could let it get off the hook. He then uttered a few expletives and sputtered that it was the biggest smallmouth he'd seen in his 25 years of fishing and guiding there. It was pretty much the same thing at the bait shop where it was officially weighed and photographed. I was told that this smallmouth was only 8 ounces off the Texas state record, but I have never tried to verify that claim.The guide immediately asked me what I wanted to do with it. I said I guessed we should probably clean it and eat it with all the other stripers we'd taken. He looked at me like I was out of my mind and asked me if I realized that most people fish all their lives and never catch anything like that. Long story short, I let everyone talk me into mounting this fish. It took seven months to get it back and it has never been out of the shipping crate in over nine years. My wife would not have that bass on display in any of the three homes we've occupied since I caught it. I have finally given up ever displaying it and decided to see if anyone else has any desire for it. In retrospect, if I had it to do over again I would have taken a couple of pictures of it and let it go. I regret not coming to that decision then, but there was pressure from all sides to make a trophy out of it. It was mounted by Billy Moutaw of Hillman's Taxidermy Studio in Yukon, Oklahoma and I still have all the paperwork . The pictures are of the actual fish and there is basically only one angle since it is still mounted in the shipping framework of the box. Only my name on the plaque has been erased from the photos for privacy purposes.
PayPal money orders and cashiers checks accepted. The latter two must clear before shipment. Shipping only in the US and shipping charges include appropriate insurance. Shipping to Alaska or Hawaii is higher.