The mouth of the trout has been cut out with a small coping saw, remember the fish does not have a smiling face, the mouth turns down at the corners. The position of the eye has been marked, I normally just mark them with a cross making it easier to ensure that they are level and the gills and fins are marked out. To get the positions of all them correct look at the fish from all angles, it is easier to change them now than when they are burnt in.
The tail will have been reduced by this time and it can be finished, in competition
sticks the tail is flat and follows the same line as the shank. However I like to
put a slight curve in the tails on my fish and also put a wave in them, this allows
one to make the tails much thinner, stronger and more natural looking. I have found
that using a silver Kutzall, one-
The gills, fins, top lip and eyes have all been burnt in with a Pyrography pen, a small fine soldering iron would work just as well. One needs to try and follow the pencil lines as closely as possible and to burn the lines in deep enough so that they remain when the stick is finished
One can see the curves of the tail and the fins on either side of the fish as well as the anal fin just in front of the tail.
From the front the gills, eyes, nostrils and top lip! Can be seen. At this point, using a flexible shaft and a small burr I remove horn from inside the mouth in the upper jaw, as in an ordinary fish and in the bottom jaw I use the same technique to form the tongue. This is not necessary, but in any event the inside of the mouth needs to be finished off to remove any marks left by the saw.
This photo of the back of the fish shows that the curves in the tail are not severe, it is still in line with the joining rod, but they do add to the life of the fish. One can also see the adipose fin, which in a trout is fleshy, slightly proud of the fish's body. The back of the dorsal fin, which has been burnt in can also, be seen.
