Preparing halibut skins for bow backing?

[Selfbowman]

What is required to prepare the fish skins to back a bow? Arvin

[loefflerchuck]

Scrape flesh off. Same as snakeskin. They shrink if you cut them on wet and should never come off if your glue is good

[sleek]

Its my understanding from talking to a taxidermist that fish skins turn grey with age. Just an fyi.

[GlisGlis]

do you need to degrease before drying or applying?

[WhistlingBadger]

do you need to degrease before drying or applying?

I was wondering that too.  I'm thinking maybe I should start saving some carp skins for trading.

[Pat B]

I've only done carp skins and snake shins but I always wash with warm water and Dawn detergent and rinse well with warm water. I do the same with the bow but rinse it with boiling water. After that both glue surfaces are clean, hydrated and prepped for gluing.

[HH~]

Skin em flesh em secure em dry em.

Arvin my buddy Bart shot you bow. Shot a great score for first SB Shoot!!

Thanks
Shawn~

[Selfbowman]

Man there was a lingcod that was about2” short. That would have made a beauty. Arvin

[sleek]

Gadda buy you a fish stretcher. Or give their back a good massage and try yo pop their spine to make em longer.

[Selfbowman]

No sleek they where legal length just not quite long enough. Needed a 55” or over and was told those are pretty rare. We had a 43” that we caught. Slot 30-45 and then over 55”.

[willie]

Pics, or it didn't happen 

around the campfire maybe? we want to hear about all the fish killin

[HH~]

Halibut skins are nice, small long skinny eels are nice. Saw many nice Morrays i would have loved to have but skin is more like rawhide when there big.

Some Halibut has great stars on back!

HH~

[Selfbowman]

Short story 3 men 150# of filets. Two pics.

[Selfbowman]

Lots of pinks.

[HH~]

I love ground fishing. You can get into some tremendous fish of all kinds. No Silvers yet?

Shawn~