December - can you believe it?! Don't forget NOT to wait until Christmas Eve to go shopping for your beautiful wife!
The Billies should be back in the blue tomorrow but its going to blow 40 inshore so we are now shooting for Friday - Friday sounds nice, Saturday not so much.
I received the following email from Mitch Roffer who does the satelite shots that we use to help our odds during the season. I found the data in the email (tournament winners, chlorophoridim (or whatever) in the water, boat show shedyule etc) very interesting and thought you might enjoy it. Read on and Tight Lines!
ROFFER'S OCEAN FISHING FORECASTING SERVICE, INC.
60 Westover Drive, West Melbourne, Florida 32904-5126
U.S. Toll Free 800 677-7633 o Office 321.723.5759 o
Internet fish7@roffs.com o www.roffs.com o
ANOTHER RECORD YEAR OF FISHING ACTION
December 01, 2009
What another great fishing year it was. Thank you for realizing that every one of your fishing trips is important enough to have the comprehensive fishing forecasting information that ROFFS provides. Our goal is to get you to the concentrations of feeding fish fast using science and experience. The fishing oceanographic analyses increase your fish per gallon of fuel used ratio, as well as, increase your fish per hour rate. The 2009 fishing year was another record year for ROFFS. Our clients (you) won awards in 537 categories in 129 major tournaments. This breaks our (your) previous record (435 winners in 2008) and increases the 18 year tally to 4785 winners! We are often told that ROFFS helps good fishermen get better and helps even out the playing field for people who are not on the water everyday.
A Maryland State Record blue marlin (1062 lbs.) record was set by the team of Captain Skip Opalko, Mark Becker, and Robert Farris (angler) on the No Problem when they won First Place Blue Marlin at the Ocean City White Marlin Open. This raises our overall tally to four World Records, one U.S. Record, and 17 State Records.
ROFFS clients also won top awards in multiple tournament venues such as the North Carolina Governor's Cup, World Billfish Series Mid-Atlantic Division and Gulf of Mexico Division, Ocean City Marlin Club Seasonal, Beach Haven Marlin and Tuna Club Seasonal, Cape May Marlin & Tuna Club Seasonal, Northeast Florida Marlin Association Seasonal, Mobile Big Game Fishing Club Seasonal, Houston Big Game Fishing Club Seasonal, and Corpus Christi Big Game Fishing Club Seasonal awards. Please review the enclosed Winners List and send additions, photos, and other corrections. We also received many notes of great fishing days independent of tournaments.
Overall, we were able to fulfill 96% of all requests for analyses this year again. I never thought we could repeat this record set last year. This is truly an amazing feat by our team of expert satellite fisheries oceanographers. This was accomplished due to the experience of our analysts that manipulate (re-calibrate, re-navigate, integrate) and interpret the satellite and other oceanographic data. ROFFS is now using all the functioning NOAA infrared satellite data (NOAA_15, 16, 17, 18, 19), as well as, the NASA Terra and Aqua satellites (infrared and visible ocean color-chlorophyll + dissolved colored organic matter misnamed "plankton" or "clarity satellites") and the European Space Agency (ESA) Metop-A (infrared) and ENVISAT (visible ocean color) satellites.
With the abundance of satellite data, as well as, other hydrographic and meteorological data we are better able to visualize and understand the ocean circulation and water mass boundary features related to fish distribution and catch success. This allows ROFFS to continue providing our unique and superior detailed fishing oceanographic analysis, even though it is a time intensive process. We continue developing state-of-the-science customized tools and techniques in our never tiring attempt to provide more accurate, precise, and reliable analyses.
OFFICE NEWS
Our web site (www.roffs.com) is always being improved with new articles, photos, educational material. We have learned that many people purchase our analyses directly through the internet. This helps our late night clients who decide to fish after we close the ROFFS main office. Keep a keen watch on our website for new publications and presentations related to fisheries oceanography, fish forecasting, satellite remote sensing and fish conservation. Analysis of our client's purchasing patterns indicate that most of our clients (97%) are receiving their analyses via email and that 74% of our clients are using GPS (Latitude - Longitude). Thank you for purchasing computers and printers for your boats, condos, beach houses, etc., so that you can take advantage of the color analyses.
We are already working on improving our background charts for the 2010 season. Please provide additional comments on charts, areas, and products you would like to see us provide special attention to. Please communicate your ideas on this and other issues as soon as possible so we can start working on them. We are developing new products that integrate new oceanographic data derived from public and private sources into our fishing forecasting analyses.
SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH, BOAT SHOWS, AND SEMINARS
ROFFS remains active in the scientific community. We continue to work with National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and the International Commission on the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) on fishery independent assessment of the bluefin tuna size. This three year study entitled "Improving the NOAA NMFS and ICCAT Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Fisheries Management Decision Support System" is a collaborative effort with ROFFS (as Principal Investigator), NMFS Miami, FL and Pascagoula, MS Laboratories, University of Miami Cooperative Institute of Marine and Atmospheric Science (CIMAS), and the University of South Florida Institute of Marine Remote Sensing. As team members of the NASA Biodiversity and Ecological Modeling Science Team, as well as, the NASA Ocean Color Science Team we continue to work to advance the science of satellite remote sensing to benefit society. We are working with others on ocean observing and are members of many coastal ocean observing regional associations (e.g. Florida COOS, SECOORA, and GCOOS). The technology learned in these research efforts is transferred to you through the enhancement of our fishing oceanographic analyses, as well as, with advances in mapping, monitoring, and modeling the coastal ocean.
In 2010, we will be exhibiting again at the Atlantic City (NJ) International Powerboat Show Feb. 03-07 (booth #319) and the Miami (FL) International Boat Show Feb. 10 - 15 (booth #M-50). Again this coming year I will rejoin the Saltwater Sportsman Magazine National Seminar Series team as a National Instructor for the New Bern, NC (Jan. 16th), Islamorada, FL (Jan. 23rd); and Mohegan Sun Casino, CT (March 13th) seminars. I will also be participating in other seminars: West Marine, Wilmington, NC (Jan. 14th); Cape May Marlin & Tuna Club, Cape May, NJ (Feb. 02nd); and Fisherman's World, East Norwalk, CT (March 11th); We are finalizing the dates for the New Orleans, Boston area and others seminars. I would like to visit your fishing club or organization to make a scientific presentation on the effects of the ocean conditions on the distribution and catchability of marlin, tuna, sharks, mahi, wahoo and kingfish. Please call if you are interested in hosting a seminar.
Have and happy holiday season and healthy, happy successful New Year!
Mitchell A. Roffer (Ph.D.), President 09336amar