Gray Taxidermy July 2013 Newsletter - Issue 31

Region of the Month - Cancún / Cozumel

Congratulations goes to Captain Gabriel Lopez on Reel Joy II. His order for a Barracuda was pulled for the winner of (2) Battel BTL 800, Penn reels, thanks to Hopkins Carter marine supplies and fishing tackle out of south Florida!!

Next month region is NE and Alaska. Get your orders in!!!!

Four decades ago, Cancún was a deserted island and few even knew of its existence. It is hard to imagine how everything started. There was nothing more than jungle and mosquitoes at that time. Even a road had to be built through the jungle to be able to reach the eastern part of the Yucatan Peninsula. Cancun was the first ever large project this part of the country had ever seen. Today, three decades later, Cancun, once a forgotten jungle village, has grown into one of the world's most visited vacation resorts.

Cancun and the whole Yucatan Peninsula are home to one of the world's most sunny climates, but as if to compensate for that, we occasionally have strong winds and rain during the months of September, October and November. The average annual temperature of Cancun and Cozumel is 78 degrees, with fluctuations of 5 to 7 degrees. Of course, one of the best Cancun attractions is the Caribbean Sea with its gorgeous white-sand beaches and turquoise waters.

Cozumel is just 30 miles from north to south and 10 miles from east to west. Cozumel is also home to the largest reef system in the Americas, the Mesoamerican Reef, one of the top diving destinations in the world for its bright storybook coral reefs. The island of Cozumel is also home to a variety of natural beaches.

The culture of Cozumel is highly unique, in that it combines ancient Mayan traditional culture with modern Mexican culture, modern Caribbean culture and the unique culture of an area devoted almost entirely to tourism. In some ways, Cozumel is timeless with ancient ruins, small village habits and modern resorts all standing side-by-side in a small geographic area bounded by gorgeous beaches.

This beautiful vacation destination gives its visitors endless options to enjoy the ocean and all it has to offer, including world-class fishing. Vacationers enjoy an abundance of many types of fishing…. deep sea fishing, bottom fishing, fly fishing and light tackle.

Captain of the Month - Captain Mark Holland

Captain Mark Holland, along with his wife Kelly and daughter Taylor own and operate Matagorda Sportfishing Offshore Charters based in Matagorda, Texas along the Texas Gulf Coast. “My love for offshore fishing started when my then girlfriend Kelly invited me to go offshore during a ladies only fishing tournament, which I was the designated deckhand. From that day on, I was hooked.” Captain Mark and his wife, Kelly eventually started to compete in some local offshore tournaments and did quite well. “In 2002 we started to compete in the Southern Kingfish Association (SKA) tournament trail here in Texas. We qualified for the National Championships in Biloxi, Miss several times and competed against the best kingfish teams in the Nation.”

“In 2007, I decided to start our own offshore tournament here locally. Since then, our tournaments have grown considerably and we now direct four offshore tournaments here in Texas. I love offshore fishing and love to be around folks who enjoy the same passion. We still compete in a few local offshore tournaments from time to time, but our main focus is running tournaments and our charter business.” We run a 31 Contender Open with Yamaha Outboards. We put our clients on a trip of a lifetime. In the past couple of years, we have caught some outstanding fish. We had a client just 2 weeks ago that caught a huge 55lb 12oz Kingfish. So far this season, we have had 4 clients who caught a fish of a lifetime and have decided to have their catch made into a replica by Gray Taxidermy that are absolutely amazing.

We are glad you are on our team Captain Mark! Congratulations of winning the new REATOR GRAVITON II watch. Check out the electronic version of this newsletter for more information on Captain Mark! We are watching you Texas – Bring it on!

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 - Josh Calhoon, first mate aboard the Relentless

I have to tell you, this guy is on FIRE! Since mounting was introduced to Josh, his name keeps coming up at the office with a “new order in”! Way to go Josh! Congratulations on winning Mate of the Month and taking home a new pair of Costa, Blue Mirror, Corbina sunglasses.

Josh was born and raised in sunny Destin, Florida. Being raised in the "Worlds Luckiest Fishing Village" he naturally always had a fishing rod in his hand and his first job at the age of 14 was working on a fishing boat.

He has continued to work with some of the best captains over the last 10 years and has currently been working on the Relentless for the past 3 years with Capt Brant Kelly, one of the most reputable captains in Destin.

Josh has always loved fishing and is readily available to show his customers why he loves it. The Relentless has had some amazing customers already this year and Josh looks forward to more customers that are just as eager to catch "the big one," and mount it of course!

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

Pelagic and Gray Taxidermy… Bringing the love for Charter Boat Captains and Mates across the globe.

Check it out – New Pelagic visors featuring the Gray Taxidermy name! Get your orders turned in and collect a visor!! Pelagic has been a long supporter of Gray Taxidermy captains and mates.

We would like to thank them for their continued support of our guys! Pelagic is a name that is recognized everywhere there is water and everywhere that wishes they had water. Check out their site to get some gear!

We love when a plan comes together!!!

It’s a powerful message coming across loud and clear. Over the last 60 days, we have been experimenting in Mexico to see how the new FREE T-Shirts cards are working. Our Team has spent 1 hour each morning meeting with clients and introducing taxidermy to them and giving them a FREE T-Shirt card
(The card offers a FREE T-shirt with a mount order from their Captain.)

The results are in! We mounted in excess of 50 fish per week, simply by a “soft” introduction to taxidermy in the morning at the dock before fishing. Once on board, the crews introduced themselves as an agent for Gray Taxidermy, the World’s Largest Taxidermist, answered a few questions and had their client’s interest peeked on how to commemorate their trip of a life-time along with their catch of a life-time!

When communication starts early, this allows captain and crews to discuss the client’s past fishing experiences and any expectation for the trip. We KNOW this to be the key to more successful mounting, enjoyment for all, better tips with repeat business and great referrals. If you need some T-Shirt cards, give us a call at the office and we will have them coming your way.

Featured Fish of the Month – Blacktip Shark

The order came from Texas, the customer lives in Ohio! I don’t imagine the customer gets to see many fish that size with those kind of teeth! Congratulations to the Mate on this order, Captain Chris Foster, who has the luck to be able to fish with his dad, Captain Butch Foster. This lucky pull gets Chris a pair of Costa, Tuna Alley Blue Mirror sunglasses. Texas is a huge up-and-coming area, we are proud of you guys! Way to go Captain Chris!

A little info on the Blacktip...

The Blacktip Shark is found in warm coastal waters around the world—where it often encounters people. They can often be found in bays, estuaries, coral reefs, and the shallow waters off beaches and river mouths. During the summer some Blacktip Sharks migrate to typically cooler northern waters, while others stay put in warmer equatorial waters year-round. Blacktip Sharks are one of the most common shark species found inshore off the coast of Florida. Although the majority of shark bites in Florida are likely attributable to this species, there has never been a fatal attack credited to this species in this region.

They can be found in groups both young and adults feeding in shallow water. Blacktip Sharks use shallow inshore waters from South Carolina to Texas as nursery areas for their pups in spring and summer. This species is a relatively fast growing shark, reaching maturity at about 4-5 years of age and living longer than 10 years. Number of pups per litter is usually 4 to 6. Maximum size of Blacktips off the U.S. eastern seaboard is about 6 feet in length.

The shark's preference for in-shore waters makes it particularly vulnerable to coastal development, which eliminates critical habitat such as nursery sites, and commercial fishing, which is particularly widespread in the southeastern United States, Mexico, and India. Catching a shark is usually such an exciting experience for your customer.

Sharks easily have been a top-selling mount and make for great stories when hanging on your wall. With the advanced products we have available, we can make dental grade teeth to put in these mounts so that the shark can still be released if you would like.

Tips to Successful Mounting

The most common question we get is... How do I consistently mount fish? After many interactions with Captains and Mates, one-on-one talks and countless dock meetings, we have compiled our findings into a few simple basic steps.

The 4 Key Points to Mounting Fish

Present the idea early

• Introduce the opportunity of mounting the customer’s catch at the beginning of the trip.
  (Try using the new FREE T-Shirt cards to start the conversation).
• Identify who is interested before the trip begins.
• Let your customer know you work with Gray Taxidermy
  – The World’s Largest Marine Taxidermist, a company that has been in business for over 50 years.

Remember that ALL fish are trophy worthy!

• Remember that most of your customers have never seen a fish caught in the ocean! Once the fish is caught, spend a moment or two to show special features their fish has. (ie. Cool teeth! Bone crushing jaws! Beautiful colors and markings! etc.)
• Being the biggest fish isn’t the only reason why you commemorate a catch. How many reasons can you think of? First salt-water fish, once in a life-time vacation, kid’s first fish, getting married, guy’s weekend.

Be excited for your customer

• Excitement spreads, this translates into better tips, more mounts and happier customers which turns into repeat customers.
• The attitude of both the captain and crew set the tone on the boat. Maintain a positive outlook.

Display confidence in the product and in yourself and write up the mount!

• Gray Taxidermy has been in business for over 50 years! Your customer is in good hands and they are dealing with the best.
  We will continue to offer the same quality and care that they received while in your boat.
• Assure the customer they are getting the highest quality product worldwide.
• Be sure to confidently complete the order form with your customer before they leave.
  
  

Testimonials from Gray Taxidermy Clients, what they are saying?

Alexis,

I just wanted to say again what a great job the staff at Gray Taxidermy did on my sons once in a lifetime Marlin. They painted it how I wanted with helpful suggestions that beat my expectations. I have enclosed a picture of the fish as it hangs on our wall. I will highly recommend your company to anyone.

Thanks again, Mitch Zaborowski, Michigan

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