ANNUAL MESSAGE FROM "THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARDS", BRUCE DE SHANO

Welcome to the fourteenth issue of the Off Shore Release.  This is a great way for us to keep you informed on our products and their uses.  Mark Romanack has been the editor for this paper since its inception and we have spent many days together fishing and hunting.  Our families are all close and now with Mark teaming up with Mike Avery and his television program, I think you are going to see more exposure of Off Shore Tackle Company LLC and Riviera Trolling Systems Incorporated than ever before. Thanks Mark and Mike!  

I would like to recognize a couple of our Promotional Staff for their excellent year.  Thanks to you for your accomplishments, and all your help in promoting Off Shore Tackle Company LLC products!  

Tom Keenan, FLW Angler of the Year 

Pat Neu, PWT Rookie of the Year and PWT victory at Escanaba.

There are many more winning Off Shore Pro staffers at Team events around the country; congratulations to all of you for your success!

Sales have been steady, with growth areas in Minnesota and Ohio .  Mille Lacs in Minnesota seems to have discovered “Trolling” for big walleye with Off Shore Side Planers.  That is great news!  Now if we could only get the 2 rod rule passed in that great state we could see some real sales.  We are working on a couple of new products that will be tested this year for consumer sales in 2008.  If you have any suggestions on new products or changes to our existing ones, please let us know.  This year, the OR32 Night Light 2 (Red) and OR33 Night Light 3 (Green) are starting to give the night anglers some real help.  It has 360 degrees of visibility; making it easier to find your boards when night fishing. 

The Yellow Ranger VS620 powered by Mercury’s Opti-Max caught a lot of Saginaw Bay walleye this summer, my mom and dad were visiting for the summer and we fished as often as we could.  Dad really enjoyed the fun fishing and the big numbers of eating sized walleye we caught.  Shallow water with Side Planers were the ticket with all the calm days.  Where is this weather when it is tournament time?  Thanks dad for making it a great summer.

I started using a new rod holder this year, made by Folbe Products and it really performs well. I can go from spot to spot without worrying if my rods will come out of the holder and they are easy to get the rod out when a fish is on.  They are very adjustable for running boards and super for bottom bouncing and dead rod fishing.  We used them on the Dipsey’s from Luhr Jenson while running wire and they are really good there. Check them out at www.folbe.com  or call 206-762-9674 .

I fished several NSBA striper tournaments and also one of the FLW saltwater events in Jersey City .  This is an underrated fish that needs more of us to go after.  What a fun fish to catch.  Contact Tim Tarter of Nancy Guide Service for some fast striper action on Lake Cumberland , Kentucky .  He can be reached at Ngsstriper@hotmail.com or by calling 606-871-9555 .

The annual NPAA meeting was attended by serious anglers and many of the Off Shore Tackle National Team and Pro Staff.  Pat Neu is the newest touring pro and now has number 77.  We held the meeting at the Holiday Inn in Dubuque , Iowa and everything they did for us was top notch.  The biggest news of the conference was the new Professional Angler Rating (PAR).  It will be tested this year and then made official at the 2008 meeting January 3-5.  For more information see www.npaa.net

Another year is here and as always it will be exciting and special.  There will be new tournament champions, new products, new tactics and many new places to fish for all species.  I am looking forward to seeing what the season brings for the anglers and the people here at Off Shore Tackle Company LLC and Riviera Trolling Systems Incorporated.  I know a big change here will be the wedding of my son, Nick, to Renee Charboneau on September 15.  That will be a great moment for me and congratulations to them.  Wow, I am getting old!

Speaking of my son, Nick and I went on some hunting trips this fall.  First, we were off to the St Lawrence River Outfitters Goose Camp with Mark Romanack and long time Off Shore pro staffer Jerry Lee.  We had calm, drizzly weather and still managed to shoot a limit of geese each day with a few plump mallards that tried to get into the decoys.  Mark and Jerry had labs so we did not have to even leave the blinds to get the Canada ’s we shot.  The outfitters have a great operation with excellent accommodations and world champion callers.  Liberal limits and nice weather makes it a great place to go.  Also, they hunt about 1 hour away from the Bay of Quinte so you might want to bring a boat and fish a few days too.  They can be contacted at www.stlawrenceoutfitters.com or by calling David Roy at 613-923-1412 .

Following the goose hunting, we spent several days with Tournament Pro Bill Ortiz (NPAA # 57) hunting trophy bucks at his new outfitting operation in Wisconsin .  We saw a lot of deer, but with high winds and no snow, the big bucks weren’t moving much.  Rich Mealey shot at a nice one; you will have to ask him what happened when you see him!

Early December found us again with Mark and Mari Romanack shooting a quail hunting program for Mike Avery’s Outdoor Magazine TV program. Randy Godman, a Striper Pro and seasoned quail hunter came along to show us how to hit these rockets.  This trip took us to Zacatecas , Mexico where we met Armando Klein, owner of Sierra Madre Hunting.  We were treated to great hunting, great dining and a nice view of Mexican hospitality.  We are looking forward to going back again next year for quail and dove.  We flushed about 200 quail each morning and they were very challenging to shoot.  He also has Coues Deer and Gould’s turkey.  We were very safe with a really friendly staff and townspeople.  Armando had Beretta shotguns for us to use; just pack your clothes and head south!  This is a great place for a family hunting trip.  Armando Klein’s email address is Aklein@sierramadrehunting.com. You can check out his website at www.sierramadrehunting.com.

That about sum’s it up for me this year.  On behalf of everyone at Off Shore Tackle Company LLC and Riviera Trolling Systems Incorporated; Good Luck and Good Fishing!

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