Gray Taxidermy August 2013 Newsletter - Issue 32

Gray Taxidermy was chosen to mold the pending IGFA World Record Mako Shark

Jason Johnston of Mesquite, Texas, caught the massive fish after a 2 1/2-hour battle off the coast of Southern California on June 3, 2013.

It was a three day cross-country adventure to get the massive shark to the Pompano Beach, Florida, Gray
Taxidermy headquarters. Once the shark was taken off the air-conditioned trailer and placed in a giant sandbox, our team of expert mold makers quickly started to prepare the shark for the molding process.
The entire crew had to work quickly as the shark was being donated to NOAA and its oceanic laboratories for
additional scientific purposes. Tissue and bone samples along with the entire vertebrae were taken for research.

Scientist hope to learn vital information about the reproductive habits, aging and feeding behaviors as well as better understand the size and age relation of these species.

Soon after the vital organs were removed and sent to laboratories for scientific research, Gray Taxidermy was chosen to mold this Mako Shark which is a pending IGFA world record at 1,323 lbs. and 11ft in length. It would exceed the 1,221-pound record Mako catch made in July, 2001, off the coast of Chatham, Mass. that Gray's also had the honor to mold.

At Gray Taxidermy - The World’s Largest Marine Taxidermist, we are thrilled and honored to have been
given the opportunity to mold such a great species and to be a part of the scientific process.

Captain of the Month – Captain Ben Fairey

The order pulled from last month’s order came from Alabama. It was an almost 6’ Wahoo! Way to go Captain Ben. For this esteemed title of Captain of the Month, Captain Ben will receive from REACTOR Watch Company, a GRAVITON II watch and a plaque from Gray Taxidermy.

Captain Ben Fairey is the owner/operator of “The Necessity” out of Orange Beach Marina. Captain Ben is a 40-year veteran of the fishing industry and 7-issue holder of a USCG 100 Ton Master Captain’s license. Captain Ben is an accomplished and award-winning fisherman, specializing in bottom fishing, big game fishing, and tournament fishing in the Gulf of Mexico. He has achieved numerous milestones and received industry recognition and awards for his fishing experience and expertise. He has also guided several state and world records as well as being the current Alabama state record for Cobia.

Due to his experience and passion for the sport, Captain Ben has had the opportunity to hold many local and regional leadership positions advocating for the industry: He recently met with United States Vice President, Joseph Biden, to provide insight and advice regarding the effects of the Gulf Oil Spill on fisheries throughout the region. His leadership positions include:

• Vice President, Orange Beach Fishing Association (2010)
• Board Member, Gulf Shores Orange Beach Tourism (2009-2010)
• Faculty Member, Salt Water Sportsman magazine seminar series (2005-2010)
• Advisory panel member, Gulf of Mexico Fisheries Management Council (2010)
• President, Orange Beach Fishing Association (2009-2010)
• Appointed to Alabama Seafood Promotion Commission by Gov. Robert Bentley

The determination of Captain of the month comes from a random drawing. Each month, every order placed with Gray Taxidermy is entered in a drawing. At the end of the month, one name is randomly pulled from all entries. Along with the new watch, the captain will also be awarded a Trophy plaque with an engraved plate from Gray Taxidermy. The more orders turned in, the better your chances.

Mate of the Month – Carlos Espinoza Jimenez

The Mate of the Month fishes in Costa Rica! The lucky customers that caught/mounted a Blue Marlin on the “Super Fly” live in California and are now looking forward to that beautiful Trophy being hung on their wall. This month’s winner of a pair of Costa, Blue Mirror Corbina sunglasses is Carlos Espinoza Jimenez.

CONGRATULATIONS CARLOS!
Carlos is the mate on the “Super Fly” in Costa Rica. Carlos has 14 years of experience fishing in Quepos and Los Suenos. “I have been happily married for seven years and have a son that loves fishing and adventure. I used to teach mathematics but my fishing experiences and support of a great fisherman (my brother Daniel Espinoza) made me change careers. What else can I ask of God if everything here is "Pura Vida."

“I would like to say thank-you to Gray Taxidermy and also compliment you on the tools that you make available in the
education of responsible fishing. I like to use social media to maintain a direct and efficient line of communication with our customers. They always tell me what a great experience they had on the boat and always comment on the excellent work that is done by Gray Taxidermy.”

“One day a customer wanted to mount a Roosterfish, but the fishing was slow. The clients still insisted that we fish all day... without success. When we returned to the marina we started feeding some small fish with pieces of bread when two Roosters appeared that were at least thirty pounds each. The customers were so excited to see the fish, they exclaimed "we want those two Roosterfish as trophy mounts" and we never even caught them. It was incredible.”

“We work together as a team to achieve our goals. With every goal met, there is a great sense of satisfaction!
Thanks Bill, Joel, Pancho and the Gray Team.”

The determination of Mate of the Month comes from a random drawing of all orders turned in during the previous month’s time.

Region of the Month – The NE and Alaska

A Chum Salmon was the lucky pull from Captain Brandon Gee. Congratulations Captain Brandon. Thanks to Hopkins Carter Marine Supplies and Fishing Tackle out of south Florida for sponsoring this contest and giving Captain Brandon (2) Battel BTL 800 Penn reels.

We have covered many areas across the globe over the past 9 months. These areas have been a lot of sunshine and warm weather, hit the beach or get on the boat in a bathing suit. This month we are heading north for some much cooler temperatures!

Alaska Fishing is the angler's dream come true with some of the most incredible fishing in the world. Alaska's oceans, rivers, and lakes are teeming with huge runs of record breaking Salmon, Rainbow Trout, beautiful Arctic Char, barn door Halibut and many other challenging sport fish. Alaska is home to five species of Pacific Salmon and holds the world record for the much sought after King Salmon. All of this is found within one spectacular setting.

Alaska Natives, who make up 15 percent of the state's population, maintain many traditions such as whaling, subsistence hunting and fishing, and old ways of making crafts and art. Native heritage history and culture can be found in such diverse places as Ketchikan, Anchorage and Kotzebue as well as in hundreds of villages where people live in traditional ways. While Native culture, as a whole, may define much of Alaska's
appearance; the state contains a broad mixture of cultures. In Anchorage, for example, the school district has found that its student body comes from homes that speak 83 languages.

We go from the largest state in America to some of the smallest. The NE! Fishing in the NE is a very vast topic. The NE is full of great freshwater fishing and inshore saltwater fishing as well as a great offshore fishery. Bay fishing is very popular in the NE, it offers calm waters and a relaxed atmosphere. The unique bay water has a variety of fish such as black and blue fish, summer and winter flounder, striped bass, sea bass, and many other species. When heading out to deeper water you find a variety of Sharks, Tuna, Marlin, Dolphin, Skipjack, Tilefish, and Cod. The deepwater bottom dwellers from the Mid-Atlantic through Maine are also huge in abundance.

The big fall run starting in September is when Long Island locals and dedicated fishermen know there are rewards to be had as the fish bulk up before they migrate for the winter. Doesn’t matter what the weather, you can find those hard-core NE fishermen on every bay, canyon, point and bank bringing home the catch. We salute you!!!

What Makes a Fish a TROPHY???

As we look at the last months orders from around the globe, we see a really cool trend….. Salmon, Queen Trigger, Bonito, Red Snapper, Speckled Sea Trout, African Pompano, Triple Tail, etc… That number of small game fish mounts is on the rise. The high number of species coming in for mounts explains that more and more – YOU GUYS GET IT! It doesn’t need to be a monster to mount a fish. The customers want em all! Create the experience, be excited, you just took your client on the trip of a lifetime and your customers want the perfect way to remember that day – A Trophy Mount. As a side note, the number of release mounts is also high! Well done from our team to yours!

Midway 2013

The mid-year feedback seems to be positive relating to the US Economy and most Captains confirm there are more tips and customers are generally happier and are spending a bit more to fish. It is the perfect time to reflect back on the goals we set for ourselves.

Are you and your crew on track to hit your set targets for the year? Do you set goals for your business? The more successful charter boats feel that setting a goal for your business regarding tips and mounts is a crucial part of keeping communication within the team and overall success of the business on track. Setting a goal is great motivation for all of us. At the end of a trip, after the customer goes home.

Discuss with your team what worked, what could be better and mark another mount off your goal for the year. We are getting several phone calls to get updates on the number of mount orders turned in for the year. There are captains and crews that are right on-track, teams that are way up and there are some that are down and are now coming in for an evaluation or further help. Set your goals and communicate with your team. It’s hard to be successful without defining success!

Just as a side note… (Because we love this) one captain set a goal this year of 200 mounts - he’s at 113!
Can you guess who???

Gray Taxidermy Salutes Charter Boat Captains and Crews

Gray Taxidermy Salutes Charter Boat Captains and Crews As leaders in the fishing world, our Captains and Mates are true professionals. Stop by any dock in every part of the world and you will see the great guys and girls who make up the elite group of charter boat pro’s who earn a living entertaining the public in a trade we like to refer to as “Sportfishing.”

Gray Captains and mates understand that it’s not just a boat ride, a fishing trip or a daily grind. It’s the reason they got in the business of fishing everyday and sharing this passion with the world. A Gray Captain understands that fishing is the easy part, Gray Captains are:

• True professionals with entertaining clients as job #1
• Maintain a top-quality boat and tackle to capitalize on the best fishing possible for their clients.
• Educate their clients to their style of fishing.
• Ensure your clients have a fun and memorable trip.

Those who truly operate this way get the best tips, best repeat clients, fish mounts and sail the most. In every port in every part of the world you will see Gray Captains and Mates sailing and understanding they are the best! We salute all of you for what you do as. we are in it together forever! That’s why Gray Taxidermy is the Captains Choice. Gray Taxidermy is proud supporters of Charter Fishing Captains and the Charter Fishing Industry for over 50 years.

Trophy Flag Update

In markets where flags are not popular, as well as those where they are used heavily, it is agreed that Gray Trophy flag is a great tool to create more excitement during a trip, not to mention the “Bragging Rights” in the marina. Cabo, Cancun, Costa Rica, the Panhandle and the Carolinas have come in strong using the flags to engage the customer and maintain the thrill of the catch and anticipation of the coming mount. Did I mention mount numbers have increased in ALL these areas.

Be positive and engage your customer, use the tools available, increase your mounts and hit your goals!
Show the marina – Your Team Gets it Done!

Featured Fish of the Month - Spanish Mackerel

Over 80 species of fish were turned in for orders last month. The lucky pull comes from Panama City Beach, FL. Congratulations to Mate Scott Strawn off the boat “Genie” out of Lighthouse Marina. Scott will be receiving from Gray Taxidermy and Costa a new pair of Tuna Alley, blue mirror sunglasses!
Now, our fish of the month.

Spanish Mackerels are members of the large family of fish that include the Tunas and other Mackerels. The fish exhibits a green back; its sides are silvery marked with about three rows of round to elliptical yellow spots. Its single row of cutting edged teeth in each jaw (around sixty-four teeth in all) are large, uniform, closely spaced and flattened from side to side. The average weight of a Spanish Mackerel is from 2-3 pounds, while a weight of 9-10 pounds is considered large. Although these fish vary greatly in size, they share many common characteristics including being very fast and powerful swimmers.

Spanish Mackerels are considered coastal pelagic fin fish that form immense fast-moving schools that range the open seas of the Atlantic Ocean, from New York to the Gulf of Mexico. In the late summer and early fall this species migrates southward to spend the winter and early spring along Florida's southern coast. Spanish Mackerels do not appear to move freely around the Florida Keys, creating separate Gulf and Atlantic populations.

Spanish mackerel are found in the subtropical and tropical waters off North America and the Caribbean. They are locally found along the Atlantic coast from as far north as Nova Scotia (Canada) and south to Florida along the Gulf of Mexico (US). Florida is considered to be the area with the highest abundance of Spanish mackerel found. Spanish mackerel can be found residing at depths ranging from 33-115 feet. They are often found in very large schools near the surface of the water. They frequent barrier islands and the passes associated with these islands and are rarely found in low salinity waters. Spanish mackerel larvae occur mostly offshore while juvenile mackerels are found both offshore and in the beach surf.

Tip of the month

If your customer hires you to take them charter fishing, they expect a full day of entertainment regardless of the fishing. The best crews who understand this realize that this begins at the dock before leaving.

If you want to be more successful, engage and speak to the customer about the trip. Set up expectations
for the fishing, explain the tackle (rods, reels, etc..) introduce the option of taxidermy and create the experience prior to leaving the dock.

Once you’ve laid out the experience, there can be no disappointments, no false expectations and a bond
established between you and your customer. Your customer will have a great time on your boat because
there is certainty what they are paying for, more often than not, we hear people say “I’m not really worried
about what we catch, we just want to have fun”!

So, make it fun! Get to know your clients and You will reap the rewards of your work!

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