Gray Taxidermy December 2012 Newsletter

Gray Taxidermy Captain of the Month

Zach Willis - Congratulations Captain Zach Willis from the Florida Keys! Captain Zach turned in an order that was randomly pulled for the Captain of The Month program, sponsored by REACTOR Watches. He is awarded a GRAVITON 2 watch along with a plaque from Gray Taxidermy naming him, Captain of the Month, December 2012.

Captain Zach was born and raised in North Carolina. “I have always had a great passion for the water. It started when I was 6 years old. When I was still in school, I got a john boat and I would go up and down the shores of the Newport River. I spent many of my afternoons after school setting nets, clamming, oystering, shrimping or just fishing...
I knew where I belonged.”

“After graduation I got my captain license and started working with seatow and towboats when I was 20. I also worked up and down the Morehead City waterfront on charter boats. Throughout my seatow days I fished with Daryl Brower on the “Fishing Partner.” We would fish blue marlin tournaments as well as offshore charters.”

“My passion for fishing got the best of me; I quit towboat and took a chance moving to the Florida Keys to fish every day. Now captain of the “Tailwalker 3” at Hawks Cay, I have learned so much, from daytime swordfishing to kite fishing to yellowtailing. I enjoy taking people out on charters. For most of my clients, it’s their first time fishing, and I get to be a part of it.”

“I’ve been in the Keys for over two years now and get to fish almost every day. I really couldn’t imagine being any happier!”

Congratulations Zach, and thank you REACTOR Watches (The official watch company of Gray Taxidermy) for sponsoring Gray Taxidermy Captains in this project!! Each month, REACTOR awards a GRAVITON 2 watch to the Captain of the Month, an outstanding watch for an outstanding Captain!

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.

More Winners

It’s hard to believe that we are already in our third year publishing this newsletter! It has been such a successful way to keep everyone in-touch and informed. As a company we have grown in unstable times by being in touch with our captains and mates and listening to what is needed to aide your/our business. Our direction has never been more clear – we look out for you!

Starting 2013, Gray Taxidermy will be adding two new programs to our newsletter. Along with Captain of the Month and Mate of the Month we will also feature Regional Captain and Winning Fish Species. Both programs will have sponsors and prizes to be awarded.

Exclusively for captains…..Regional Captain will feature one area that will be hi-lighted in the newsletter. By the end of the year, the entire globe will be covered! One captain’s name will be randomly pulled from the previous month’s orders turned in from the designated area to receive a gift worth approximately $500.00+ from one of our new monthly sponsors that is specifically geared towards fishing for that region.
For our Mates, in addition to the Mate of the Month program, we are adding a new category, Winning Fish Species. One fish species will be randomly drawn each month, and will be featured in the newsletter. One order will be randomly drawn from all orders turned in during the previous month time with the winning fish species. That Mate on the order will receive a special gift.

We are very excited to be able to hi-light more Gray Taxidermy Captains and Mates. Good luck to everyone! The more orders turned in, the better chance to win!

Get the Newest Sales Tools Available!

It’s been a long time since the Gray Taxidermy fish catalog has been updated! The Gray Team has worked months putting together a brand new catalog and it’s finally ready! As you can imagine, it would be impossible to put every fish type we create in one book, so after interviewing 100’s of captains and mates, The Gray Team has put together a list of fish that will not only cover your area, but the area your customer came from as well.

Use this catalog as a tool to sell multiple trophy fish to your customers. Don’t forget, your customers usually fish in more than one place, and with the help of the new catalog, not only will they see beautiful trophy mounts from your area, they will also see the trophy fish they caught from back home – the one they didn’t mount, but still can.

If you don’t have a copy yet, get in touch with your area representative, or give us a call at the office. Ashlee, our Captain Liaison, will be happy to make sure you have ALL the sales tools you need to insure your businesses mounting success!

The Last Mate of the Month of 2012…
Lige Lawrence

Lige Lawrence - Lige started working in the yachting industry over 12 years ago. At 21 years old, he caught his first swordfish and like the sword, he was hooked! After that first big fish, he spent all his time and money on fishing. Eventually, he began getting paid for his new obsession, and life working on a charter boat began.

Lige worked on several boats, learning his craft until he found his home on the “Local Knowledge.” Lige’s moto is “practice, practice, practice”! Once a week, Lige encourages his fellow mates on the dock to practice harpooning and gaffing pumpkins floating in the pool. “There is no room for errors on a charter, you have 4 hours to produce fish and get it hung on the wall.”

His secret to mounting? Lige was taught by Capt. Mike Milroy, his former mentor, to practice in the mirror, building confidence and making sure he appears certain and informative when talking to his customers. In the end, it’s a team effort with Capt. Mike Johnson putting the fish on the boat and the other mates for getting the job done.

What a great way to wrap up 2012! Thanks to Costa Del Mar for sponsoring this program for Gray Taxidermy Mates – You Guys Rock! Way to get it done Lige! Enjoy your new Costa Del Mar, Blue Mirror 580 Corbina sunglasses. As always, the Mate of the Month comes from a random drawing from all the previous month’s orders.

The sponsor of this program, Costa Del Mar, is awarding Lige a pair of Blue Mirror 580 Corbina sunglasses as well as a plaque from Gray Taxidermy! Once again, way to go Lige!! Way to get those orders in! We truly appreciate everything you do!

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

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Thank-you so much for your support!