Gray Taxidermy Newsletter
Issue 35 - November 2013
Captain of the Month, Rich Gomez
The order was for a 46” Wahoo for a customer from North Carolina, the lucky Captain comes from Key West, Florida. Captain Rich Gomez had the lucky draw this month to be named, Captain of the Month! Captain Rich is being awarded a plaque from Gray Taxidermy naming him Captain of the Month along with a gorgeous new Neutron REACTOR Watch. REACTOR Watch company believes in and supports our Charter Boat Captains from around the world, Congratulations Captain Rich!
Captain Rich operates Captain Conch Charters out of Charter Boat Row in Key West, Florida. “I was born and raised in Key West, Florida, and have been making a living on the ocean for 35 years. I started off as a commercial fisherman, then went on to mate on a charter boat and eventually ended up a Captain and now owner of 4 offshore fishing boats”.
“I attribute my success to hard work, love of fishing and even more than that… love of people. I truly enjoy making people happy and I try emphasizing that to my employees”.
“I am a show-off at heart (as most charter fisherman are) there is nothing more fulfilling than having a plan come together and creating wonderful memories for people from all walk of life”.
“I have worked with Gray Taxidermy for 27 years because they are the best at creating a permanent keepsake for my customer. Guys, keep up the good work and I look forward to 27 more!”
The Team at Gray cannot say enough how much our Captains and crews mean to us! We will always look out for and strive to find new ways to help support our guys that are Getting It Done on the water!
Thanks for all you do Captain Rich – Here’s to you!
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, Chris Barnett
C’mon Man! I want those glasses!!!
We hear this a lot! Congratulations to Chris Barnett from North Carolina. He was the Mate on the order pulled for Mate of the Month – November. The order was a Sailfish for a customer from Ohio. Way to go Chris and Captain Mike Sindell from “C-Therapy.”
Chris is awarded a pair of Costa Del Mar, Corbina 580 Blue Mirror sunglasses and a plaque from Gray Taxidermy naming him MATE OF THE MONTH.
The best part about putting this newsletter together is reaching out to the winners of these programs. Chris was no different – very excited to hear the news. This is what he said about his time fishing……”I am a third generation fisherman from the Outer Banks, North Carolina. I have been fishing since I was 5 years old. I have had the opportunity to fish a great deal since I have been young. I have seen fish from 1,000 pound Marlin in the ocean to 1 pound Trout in the Sound. I love to fish for either one, they both are just as exciting of a catch. Every day on the water is a great day! Thank-you Gray Taxidermy and Costa”!!
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, South Florida!
(We kinda like it here…)
Congratulations goes to Captain Mike Johnson of the Ft. Lauderdale charter
boat, “Local Knowledge.” Captain Mike turned in the lucky order that won this month, Region of the Month contest. For this lucky draw, Captain Mike is taking home (2) Battel
BTL 8000, Penn reels that have been donated by Hopkins Carter. Captain Mike is one of our
“Top Mounters” here in South Florida, he has also turned in orders where his Mate has won Mate
of the Month in the past, so we are very happy to award him this month with this prestigious honor.
Having our Showroom/Office/Warehouse/Operations Facility in South Florida, we have been blessed to have done a fair amount of fishing here. The fishing ranges to almost every type of fish on the planet and covers both freshwater and saltwater.
South Florida has a huge variety of lakes and canals where you can find every species of Bass, Crappies, Bluegill, Snakehead, Carp, Gar and Catfish of all kinds for the freshwater fans. Then we can head to the Bay and enjoy a great variety of flats and in-shore fishing where you find Snook, Tarpon, Redfish, Permit and Speckled Sea-Trout to start with. These two types of fishing alone can keep angles busy year round.
South Florida also has the some of the best off-shore fishing anywhere. As you venture off-shore, we find both Big Offshore Sportfishing boats and high powered 3 engine center consoles chasing the pelagic species. The South Florida reef is alive with Snapper, Grouper, Tilefish, King Mackerel, Cudas, AJ’s and many more types of fish. Further off-shore the Sailfish, Wahoo, Dolphin (Dorado) and Blackfins are abundant. South Florida is also blessed with great daytime and nighttime Swordfishing mixed in with epic Shark fishing almost year round. From casting to trolling, live baiting with kites to deep dropping, South Florida has something for all anglers and most Charter Boats here are well versed in all types of fishing.
We are happy to call South Florida home, along with hundreds of Charter Boat Captains and Mates. We would love to show you around – stop by and visit any time!!!!
Species of the Month – Tarpon
Congratulations to Captain Fuzzy Davis for the lucky Tarpon order for this Month’s Featured Fish. This honor usually goes to the mate on the order, but this month, Captain Fuzzy was taking care of all of it! Captain Fuzzy runs the “Silva Dolla” out of Hilton Head and will be awarded a pair of Costa Del Mar, Tuna Alley, blue mirror sunglasses.
The Tarpon (according to Wikipedia)
The Atlantic Tarpon is found typically in tropical and subtropical regions, though it has been reported as far north as Nova Scotia and the Atlantic coast of southern France, and as far south as Argentina. They have dorsal and anal soft rays and have bluish or greenish backs. Tarpons possess distinctive lateral lines and have shiny, silvery scales that cover most of their bodies, excluding the head. They have large eyes and broad mouths with prominent lower jaws that jut out farther than the rest of the face. Tarpons have been recorded at up to 8’ 2” in length and weighing up to 355 lbs.
One of the unique features of the Tarpon is the swim bladder, which functions as a respiratory pseudo-organ. These gas structures can be used for buoyancy, as an accessory respiratory organ, or both. Tarpon uses the swim bladder as a respiratory organ and the respiratory surface is coated with blood capillaries with a thin epithelium over the top. This is the basis of the alveolar tissue found in the swim bladder, and is believed to be one of the primary methods by which Tarpon “breathes.” These fish are obligate air breathers, and if they are not allowed to access the surface, they will die. The exchange of gas occurs at the surface through a rolling motion that is commonly associated with Tarpon sightings. This “breathing” is believed to be mediated by visual cues, and the frequency of breathing is inversely correlated to the dissolved O2 content of the water in which they live.
The Tarpon inhabits coastal waters, estuaries, lagoons, and rivers. The tarpon feeds almost exclusively on schooling fish and occasionally crabs. It is capable of filling its swim bladder with air, like a primitive lung. This gives the tarpon a predatory advantage when oxygen levels in the water are low.
Tarpon is considered one of the great saltwater game fishes. They are prized not only because of their great size, but also because of the fight they put up and their spectacular leaping ability. They are bony fish and their meat is not desirable, so most are released after they are caught. Numerous tournaments around the year are focused on catch and release.
The hookset is difficult due to the hard mouth of the fish, which has been likened to the hardness of concrete, so many tarpons throw the hook on the first few jumps; many times an angler is asked, "how many tarpon did you jump?" rather than how many they caught. If the hook stays secure, then the fight is on. Tarpons have tremendous endurance and are one of the most exciting gamefish to fight—frequent spectacular jumps, long runs, and stubborn bulldogging are all part of the game. Although an experienced and skillful tarpon angler can usually land a tarpon in less than an hour, the average angler usually takes longer, from one to more than three hours.
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