A Fish (Carving) for the Record Books | 90,000 Fish in the Making

This brown trout woodcarving represents a lifetime of fly fishing for one amazing angler, and is certainly one for the record books.
This carving build takes you not only step-by-step of how I create these one of a kind pieces, but also tells the Story of Bill Krauss, who may just be the most successful fly fisherman in recorded history.
This beautiful brown trout marks his 90,000 fish caught on a fly rod...that's right, 90,000.
Bill began record each and every fish as a challenge way back when he was a 16-year-old high school student, and has continued on to hit these massive numbers of catch & release fish.
Here's a Field & Stream article about Bill when he reached the magical 60,000 fish mark:
www.fieldandst...
I want to send a huge shout out to Bill for the amazing fly fishing career, and also want to thank everyone for coming along for this story and sharing with me your own story! Thanks for giving it a thumb's-up and subscribe. It means a lot!
ITEMS USED IN THIS CARVING (Please Note: Some of these links are affiliate links, meaning I will receive a small commission of any sale. The cost of the product is not higher because of this, and each sale does help support the channel, so thank you! Each product listed is what I use and trust for my work.)
(affiliate) COLWOOD DETAILER WOODBURNER KIT: amzn.to/3vdDJVD
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COLWOOD SCALE BURNING TIP USED (1/8"): woodburning.co...
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(affiliate) Iwata Airbush Compressor: amzn.to/3vhOk1Q
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(affiliate) Iwata Gravity-Feed Airbrush: amzn.to/3p8qQZm
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GRIZZLY G0513 BANDSAW (mine is the Anniversary Edition that ins't made, but same as this one):
www.grizzly.co...
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4-1/2" MAKITA ANGLE GRINDER:
amzn.to/3Hn0Uzu
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CARVING DISC USED FOR MAPLE MOUNTING PLATE (I also reviewed this on a KZbin #short):
amzn.to/352lvvy
#flyfishing #woodcarving #browntrout #field&stream

[@CaptRich-bi3gp]

That's some fish story! I can't even picture in my mind that many fish. Excellent work there yourself, as usual. And motivating Clive, double that atta boy!!!

[@RiverbendWoodworks]

Thank you very much! Clive did such a great job on his carvings, and it's great to hear he's working on even more now!

[@jimkelly8473]

Would of love to see Bill’s face when you presented to him..Thank you for sharing and giving

[@PennsPens]

Wow. That's an amazing fish carving, wicked detail. You possibly could've caught 90,000 fish in the time it would've taken to achieve this level in precision - lol. Cool story too, thanks for sharing.

[@RiverbendWoodworks]

Thanks! It was a blast to make and I’m honored they asked me to mark the achievement with this piece for sure!

[@ChooseyourownpathWoodcrafts]

The fins look really awesome

[@RiverbendWoodworks]

Thanks! Always fun trying something new.

[@zimmtex]

Such a great story! I think you were able to do it justice with this amazing build. I really enjoyed the video, great work!

[@RiverbendWoodworks]

Thank you so much! It was cool to see the reveal of this to the legend himself, Bill, and he watched the video as well and loved it all!

[@tomc.outdoors993]

Great job man

[@MCBWoodworks]

The trifecta! Killer carving, beautiful base and awesome story.

[@RiverbendWoodworks]

Thank you!

[@UcantFixStupid]

Your carvings are amazing. I'm tempted to give it a shot myself just to burn some time and learn something new.

[@RiverbendWoodworks]

I highly recommend giving it a shot! It’s a great, relaxing hobby for sure.

[@jaydee5447]

Silly good artistry

[@RiverbendWoodworks]

Thank you! It’s a ton of fun to bring these to life.

[@jasonmetz3456]

WOW!

[@carlleroux]

Wow, 90,000 fish! Amazing. I feel blessed is I catch 300 in a season. Your fish carving videos have inspired me to attempt to carve one myself. Just started yesterday. Do you ever do any videos on the entire paint process? Thanks for your inspiration!

[@RiverbendWoodworks]

I hear you on the average fish count each season, too! I am so glad you’re going to give fish carving a try. It really is a relaxing hobby, and, if you give yourself some grace in learning your style at the start, you’ll really find it to be the perfect blend of hobbies. Please share your progress with me via Instagram at @riverbend_woodworks or via email (email in about page). Can’t wait to see!

[@scottsundberg6738]

Way to tell the story and pair it with an impressive video/carving!

[@MitchellsWoodwork]

I just found you today on Instagram and followed your link here. Wow! Your artistry and attention to detail is out of this world. Exceptionally well done video editing too! 🏆

[@RiverbendWoodworks]

So glad you stopped by! Thanks for watching and if you have video suggestions please let me know.

[@FlyFishDan]

That is good stuff - great story! Gorgeous fish carving too - awesome.

[@RiverbendWoodworks]

Thank you very much!

[@sharkingaround]

Hey man! love the videos, they’re so relaxing to watch, keep up the great work!

[@RiverbendWoodworks]

Glad you like them!

[@mooney411]

As I'm watching the last few minutes of this video, Im once again in awe!! First as a fisherman, 90,000 fish is, well i can't even fathom that!! Im gonna need to slow down the video to really watch the progression of the trout. Amazing work! The detail, outstanding!!! By the way, ive ask about the net work before. I getting ready to restore an old net that was given to me by an old friend that got me into fly fishing. I'll try to send you the before and after!! Thanks again for the video!!

[@RiverbendWoodworks]

Please do! I would love to see the revamp process! I'll have my email in the "About" tab on my channel here momentarily, so please touch base!

[@leonidasleon1753]

Subtitulado buena amigo gracias

[@RiverbendWoodworks]

de nada, gracias por mirar!

[@burk3552]

Amazing Job,I live in labrador,we get monster brookies here,had a 10 lb male last year using mouse on the fly rod,watching him swim off alive and well was a good feeling,again amazing work u do,I'm hooked watching ha

[@RiverbendWoodworks]

That must have been an incredible hit on a topwater mouse, and a brookie no less! Great job, and thank you for watching!

[@andrewdg90]

Awesome stuff! I still need to make a small plexiglass tank to take on my trips!

[@RiverbendWoodworks]

It really is a great thing to throw in the pack for sure!

[@blakehale3704]

Unbelievable carving and story to go along with it! How did you like the plexiglass fins? Does it hold the paint nice just like the wood? Can’t wait for the next project!

[@RiverbendWoodworks]

Thanks, and yes, they painted up really well, though you got to use light coats for the first few or it might run a bit.

[@TrevorF03]

Amazing! I’d love to know more of the steps in the pain job.

[@RiverbendWoodworks]

Thanks! And I would, too! Haha! To be honest, I start with a core group of paint colors I select based on the reference images given to me, and the process is a bit of a hot mess, as I move pretty quickly between colors to get the right effect. If I tried to film it and describe the exact coloring process, it's a very safe bet that it would be very different the next time around. That said, I do know there are some great fish taxidermy channels that have specific species and paint steps, too. Taxidermists are true artists, and that could be a huge help.

[@mikebarnstable7038]

hi do you have a video of the making of your draw drown table?

[@RiverbendWoodworks]

I don’t have one made up, but it sure has crossed my mind because it’s a game changer for carving! Can be a bit of a pain if I clumsily drop a small bit, but that is rare. Great idea!

[@cristiansandoval420]

Muchas gracias por compartir tu talento, que tipo de puntilla ocupas en el pirograbador y que medida y lo otro que tipo de pintura usa para obtener esos colores tan reales saludos desde Chile

[@RiverbendWoodworks]

Utilizo una punta para quemar madera que vende Colwood wood burners, y es un patrón de escamas de pescado muy pequeño. Pondré un enlace en la descripción del video al producto. Utilizo pintura de aerógrafo de una empresa llamada Golden, y son geniales para superponer colores y conseguir un aspecto realista. ¡Gracias por ver!

[@cristiansandoval420]

@@RiverbendWoodworks muchas gracias genio

[@steveford5189]

Hi! I love your videos! Such a wealth of knowledge! What are you using as the glue in this one for the polycarbonate fins?

[@RiverbendWoodworks]

Thanks Steve! I used just a little bit of CA glue (thick) to position the fins, then the two-part SculptWood material to fill and sand smooth. Don't use too much of the CA glue with the fins though, because as CA glue hardens it gets really hot and can crack. I've had this happen with micro cracks on fishing lure lips not long ago.

[@steveford5189]

Thank you very much Jameson! I've been making "fun fish" for about a year now and I feel I have mostly been experimenting with style. My fish are not meant to be realistic or decoys but more fun wall decorations. I was thinking of plastic fins or something but really didn't know how to achieve that and by coincidence and ran into this video of the polycarbonate! Great idea that I look forward to trying. Thank you very much!!

[@RiverbendWoodworks]

@@steveford5189 you’re very welcome! Glad I could help. I will say I really do enjoy the abstract fish carvings a lot more these days, as the hyper-real ones take a long time to make, and as an impatient woodcarver, it’s fun to switch things up and speed them along while making something totally unique! If you haven’t already, be sure to check out the abstract trout carving videos I have on the channel, and I do have several more in the works that will blow your mind! Stay tuned!

[@steveford5189]

@@RiverbendWoodworks I didn't realize. Will do for sure! Thanks!

[@steveford5189]

Hi Jameson. I went to Lowe's and found some Polycarbonate but went with Acrylic instead and immediately I was thinking it might shatter and I just found out I was right. My question now is would you know if polycarbonate would shatter as well with a jigsaw? I don't have a table saw and I want to try clear plastic fins. Any thoughts and advice are appreciated. Thank you!

[@tomd3514]

Where can i buy one of these wooden fish of yours ?

[@RiverbendWoodworks]

I’d be more than happy to chat if you have a specific fish in mind or can let you know the fish I have on-hand anytime. Feel free to email me at: [e-mail] Thanks for watching!

[@MrWallyrooster]

Give a man a fish, he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish🐟 , and he eats for a lifetime!! (or in this case, several hundred lifetimes!!!)

[@daveosberg2714]

Hmmm.. brook trout fins on a brown trout? Nice work otherwise.

[@RiverbendWoodworks]

Good note, Dave! I was looking at the reference pics that were given to me, and the angles totally made them look more angular than the rounded fins that browns are known for! It's always good to use references, but it's great to always look outside those to get the best take on it.

[@aaronhale5874]

I’m a bit baffled to be honest. I thought it was a green river carpet croaker?

[@RiverbendWoodworks]

@@aaronhale5874 incorrect…this is a brown trout, so a brown river croaker.