The Charter Fishing Industry for over 50 Years
January 2012
Roger That!
While we would love to get every charter captain and their crew to stop by and visit our facility, we know this may not always be possible. However, if you are ever in the area, please stop by and check
us out and get a personal tour, you are always welcome at Gray's! Until you can visit us to see the process up close and personal, we thought we would give you a brief look inside and see how a trophy mount is made.
Captains and Mates know it all starts with the fishing trip and by you catching that beautiful fish. But after the decision to get a trophy mount, what is the actual process to having it made? Well at Gray's it literally starts with Roger, one of our Molding Experts! Roger who originally is from Bay Shore, NY started working for Gray in 1981 and he just celebrated his 30th year with Gray Taxidermy. He holds a degree in Veterinary Science as well as Biology. On Graduation day he decided to visit Ft. Lauderdale for Spring Break and luckily for Gray, he never went back. After exploring Florida on his bike – it came time to go to work, and in through our doors he came.
Over the years Roger has done it all, cleaning the fish, cutting fins and bills, silvering, touch-up and of course the actual molding. It has taken years to perfect the process of getting the highest quality product but Roger is a true expert and now considered “The Man” when it comes to his craft. We can proudly say that Roger has utilized and perfected the technique we invented 50 years ago and he has arguably molded more fish than anyone in the world! This is a bold statement, but considering his devotion and history we are confident that no one else can state the same.
At Gray we have the privilege to see the results that our specialists create on a daily basis. Needless to say that Roger, and all our artists take pride in their craft. Our entire organization has the same mindset, that only perfection is good enough and a repeat customer is our greatest reward.
It takes a quality fish to get the best quality mold. At Gray we only make a mold from a fish that is in 100% perfect condition. In order to ensure the mount on your wall will look the very best and resemble the trophy fish that you once caught, we do not accept a fish with even a minor imperfection.
The entire process is a very meticulous task. You cannot overlook any step or rush through any of the procedures. As mentioned earlier it starts with a fish in perfect condition, followed by cleaning it thoroughly, placing it in the sandbox in a realistic position, setting the fins, filling the belly, positioning the mouth, etc. Then comes one of the most important steps, the application of the gel coat, which is applied in order to pick up every detail of the surface of the fish, including each scale right down to the lateral line. This also means that any imperfection or dust particle can be picked up by the gel-coat, which is why every fish caught is not a candidate for a mold.
After it is cured, several layers of fiberglass are applied. When it’s all set, the entire fish is turned over and the process is repeated on the other side. Once left to set the mold is opened and thoroughly cleaned. We now have a new model that can be used to start making custom trophy mounts.
You can learn more about the molding process on the Gray Taxidermy website. For more information, please explore the site or stop by anytime!
Tip of the Month
It’s a new year – Make a resolution - Set a mount number goal or a monetary goal for your boat
Mounting 2 averaged sized fish per week will give your boat an average of $800 per week.
- That’s $3,464 a month!!
Set yourself up for success before you start – get your mate involved, together you can make a plan to Hit Your Goal! All catches are mountable for a number of reasons.
Don’t forget, 2 dolphin = 1 sailfish. Don’t miss out and don’t be afraid to find out what works for other captains. Don’t let lack of enthusiasm be what keeps you from being successful.
It’s FREE. Set your goal, make your plan and succeed in 2012.
Gray Taxidermy's Captain of the Month
With the start up of this newsletter, we knew we wanted to highlight our captains and bring you information on what’s happening with Gray Taxidermy. The Captain of the Month and the Mate of the Month program has been a big hit!
The determination of Captain of the month comes from a random drawing. Each month, for every order placed with Gray Taxidermy, the captain’s name will be entered in a drawing. At the end of the month, one name will be drawn from all entries.
The winner will be featured in the following month’s newsletter as the Captain of the Month, and will be awarded REACTORS GRAVITON 2 watch (The Official Watch of Gray Taxidermy) as well as a Trophy plaque with an engraved plate showing them as Captain of month. And if you’re wondering – yes, you can win with only one order! Get as many orders in as you can to increase your chances!
We would like to recognize and applaud the involvement of our sponsors of both of these programs. As mentioned, REACTOR Watches have given us a really cool watch to give away to our Captain of the Month for each newsletter. Costa Del Mar also stepped up to supply a pair of Sunglasses for the Mate of the Month. It’s really awesome each month to get the names pulled and let the winners know! So keep up the good work!
Another Sponsor we want to thank is Pelagic! They have stood behind every program for Captains and Mates, and they understand how important you guys are to their business. They will continue to support the guys who work in the trade and We Love It! Way To Go Pelagic!! So, BIG Thanks to all these sponsors for believing in Gray Taxidermy and our Captains!
Click to Check Out Previous Winners from 2011
The February "Captain of the Month" is Bernardo Castillo!
Captain Bernardo started fishing some 23 years ago in Cabo San Lucus. He is currently captain of the Yanmar – a 23’ panga moored on the quay opposite the entrance to Funadaores Hotel Hacienda in Cabo San Lucas.
Captain Bernardo told us a story of one of his most memorable catches when he was working for the Solmar fleet. They hooked up to a Blue Marlin of 525 lbs, a great catch, but all of the customers that day were seasick and he had to get the Marlin in by himself! It took more than 45 minutes to reach the boat. We want to thank Captain Bernardo Castillo for all of his hard work over the years!
Captain Castillo said “I want to thank Gray Taxidrmy for this recognition, I have always recommended Gray to my clients for their trophies, and I look forward to continued work with you. Good luck to all and Come Fishing in Cabo San Lucas.”
Mate of the Month… Alex Cassais!
Alex was born and raised in Miami, Florida, and has been sportfishing with Ralph on the “Sea Cross” as his mate for over 20 years! “My favorite type of fishing is kite fishing and swordfishing.” The largest Sword to date and most memorable catch was a 550 lb Sword.
“I’ve been fishing all of life in Miami now I”m aboard “Sea Cross” in Haulover Marina”. Tip to other mates, “Keep your eyes and ears open at all times! You are never too old to learn”! It has been great mounting with Gray Taxidermy. The determination of Mate of the Month comes from a random drawing of all orders turned in during the previous month’s time. As winner of “Mate of the Month - February” Alex is awarded a plaque from Gray Taxidermy as well as a pair of Blue Mirror 580 Fathom sunglasses from Costa Del Mar. Way to go Alex!
Christmas in Cabo!
Christmas in Cabo! Gray Taxidermy held our annual Cabo San Lucas Christmas party in mid December for the all the captains and mates of this world famous fishing spot. This annual event has turned out to be a “MUST DO” if you are a Gray Captain or Mate in the Cabo San Lucas area, so if you didn’t make this year – make sure you don’t miss it next year!
The party is held as a thank you for the hard work throughout the year and to get everybody together as a team. Excitement was high as the invitations went out for the 5:30 pm start time at the very popular local nightspot and restaurant “El Squid Roe,” the only place large enough to accommodate the group of 700 captains and mates. Anticipation was rising as the guys lined up to get in. In fact there were so many people that the line went completely around the block in both directions causing quite a stir in the town. Ian was on hand with his lovely wife Susan, to greet each attendee personally and to thank them for their continued support and loyalty to Gray Taxidermy.
A delicious meal of fajitas was served and a local radio personality provided side-splitting entertainment as he impersonated well-known Mexican singers. Awards were given to the top producers for the year, lots of raffle prizes were given away consisting of Costa Del Mar sunglasses, Pelagic Gear, Tool sets, radios, etc... along with Gray Taxidermy T-shirts and hats!
Overall the atmosphere was great, a lot of fun and camaraderie. A special “Thanks” to Tracy Ehrenberg of Pisces Fleet for the pictures and submitting this story!
We really appreciate our Captains and Mates from all over the Globe! Tight Lines everyone!!
On site at Gray...
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