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How to Paint a Muskellunge

A prized taxidermied and mounted muskellunge fish needs a coat of lifelike paint to be properly finished. Taxidermist and writer Dan Rinehart is a proponent of making the game fish look as natural as possible. The finished look should capture the "muskie's" metallic shine with coats, "designed to create a slight overall shimmer."

The muskellunge is a member of the pike family and has a distinctive deep green color, striped with "bars." The fish thrives in freshwater ponds and lakes, and it can grow up to several feet long, and between 40 and 60 pounds, according to Cornell University.

Things You'll Need

Taxidermied muskellunge
Lifetone paints
Airbrush

Instructions

Base Coats
- 1
  Shade the lighter areas of skin, damaged by the skinning process, with a regular pencil.
- 2
  Shade the lighter epoxied areas around the eyes, for instance, by airbrushing first with Rich Brown and then Jet Black. Do not shade the belly, which is naturally lighter.
- 3
  Apply a medium base coat of Golden Sparkle to the whole fish side and head. Spray just enough to make a shimmery glow, without covering the natural patterns of the scales. Spray all fins to create a light shimmer.
Transparent Green
- 4
  Spray a transparent coat on the fish sides for a natural coloration. Rinehart applies Transparent Medium Green evenly to the body and head, halting a half-inch above the lightness of the belly.
- 5
  Apply pure white over the muskie's gullet, lower bronchial rays, belly, maxillary slot and inner mouth.
- 6
  Spray the unpainted edge of the belly with a low-power application of Transparent Medium Green. The color should match the tone and darkness of the sides. Be careful not to spray the green onto the belly.
- 7
  Paint the belly white, bringing the paint up to match where the green ends. Use a low-pressure spray setting.
Bar Pattern
- 8
  Native muskie bars are more intensely white near the belly, and peter out as the bar extends upward on the sides.
- 9
  Spray a coat of Transparent Medium Green over the entire side of the fish to introduce the bar to the green fish side, so the effect of the white won't be so startling. Overspray the green slightly into the belly to enhance the transition of the green sides into the belly area.
- 10
  Spray Rich Brown along the back to start to darken the area. The color should darken the fish from the head to the tail and down the sides.
- 11
  Spray Jet Black down the back but not down the sides as far as the Rich Brown. This step finishes up the darkening of the back and the side coloration.
Finishing Touches
- 12
  Paint the gills and fins with a coat of Gill Red to replicate the muskie's ruddy fins. Soften the red application with Transparent Medium Green, and spray another coat over all the fins. The red should darken and become richer.
- 13
  Darken the lead edges and the bottom edges of the fins using Jet Black.
- 14
  Coat the entire fish with a light, finishing coat of Golden Sparkle.

Animals & Science