The Legendary Florida Speckled Perch
The Black Crappie, known affectionately across Florida as the "Speckled Perch" or "Speck," is the crown jewel of the winter fishing season. Whether you pulled a slab out of the lily pads on Lake Okeechobee or navigated the backwaters of the St. Johns River, a trophy crappie is a mark of a skilled panfish angler. Florida Fish Mounts, based in Cocoa, Florida, is the shop of artist Greg Cassell, specializing in custom-painted fiberglass Black Crappie replicas that preserve your favorite fishing memory for your home décor.
The Modern Solution: Eat Your Catch and Mount It Too
The greatest advantage of a fiberglass replica is that it allows you to keep your fillets. Crappie are widely considered the best-tasting freshwater fish in Florida, and no one wants to choose between a trophy mount and a fish fry. Traditional skin mounts are a poor choice for crappie because their skin is paper-thin and highly prone to shrinking and cracking as it dries. Greg solves this structural flaw by utilizing professional-grade fiberglass blanks manufactured right here in Florida. This ensures the deep, plate-like body and delicate fin rays remain permanently preserved without the fragility or decay of old-school taxidermy.
Anatomical Accuracy:
The Speckled Pattern A true Black Crappie (Pomoxis nigromaculatus) is defined by the irregular, dark blotches across its silvery-green body. Because every "Speck" has a unique arrangement of these markings, Greg treats your catch as an individual project. He meticulously hand-paints the specific speckled pattern and iridescent highlights to ensure top-tier biological accuracy, capturing the "slab" profile that defines a trophy panfish. We offer these custom builds in a range of sizes from 11 to 19 inches.
Custom Pattern Matching (Optional)
While Greg offers custom pattern matching at no additional cost, a photo is not a requirement for your build. If you do not have a photo of your fish, no problem. Greg will hand-paint your replica to the traditional, vibrant color phase of a trophy Florida Black Crappie. If you do have a photo you would like him to use as a roadmap to match your specific catch, simply upload it during the checkout process.
Select Your Mount Style
To begin your custom build, use the dropdown menus above to select your Mount Type and specific Length. We offer this model in lengths ranging from 11 to 19 inches. Half Mounts for the 11-inch replica start at our $160 shop minimum, and pricing scales accordingly as you increase size and mount complexity. Once you select your specific options, the final price will update automatically. Proceed through checkout to secure your place in Greg’s shop schedule.
