Fish Boats Registry

Meet The Team

The Founders

Bill Taylor, Publisher

Bill Taylor has introduced thousands of people to the boating lifestyle and generated millions of dollars for communities through his poker run boating events, including substantial amounts for local hospitals and charitable organizations. A lifelong boater himself, he has nurtured a dream to launch an American saltwater and freshwater magazine that uniquely services the avid fishboat enthusiast.

Along with longtime friend Gordon Houser and hours of talks and careful planning, this dream began to take shape. Gordon Houser, currently national sales manager for fishing products with MCE Television Network, is a 50-year veteran of the marine and fishing industries, with stops at Thompson Boats Company of New York Inc., Chris Craft Corporation, CBS Publications, Donzi Marine Corp., Wellcraft Marine and Genmar Boats.

Capt. Barry Gibson, Editor/Associate Publisher

Barry brings with him 27 years of service with Salt Water Sportsman magazine, 22 of them as editor. Barry is a long-time proponent of responsible fishery management. Gibson has served on numerous federal boards including the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas and the New England Fishery Management Council. Currently hes a member of the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Committee, a founding member of the Northeast Charterboat Captains Association, and serves as the New England Regional Director for the Recreational Fishing Alliance. Barry has assembled an award-winning team of writers and sales staff, bringing more knowledge and expertise that will deliver readers and advertisers alike a boating publication unlike any other.

Editorial Team

Glenn Law

Glenn Law has covered fresh and salt water fishing for over 20 years, and has written hundreds of articles and taken thousands of photos. He is the author of A Concise History of Fly Fishing, and is a freelance writer as well as a Contributing Editor for Center Console Angler magazine. He lives in Princeton, NJ.

Heather Maxwell

Heather Maxwell grew up fishing Chesapeake Bay and the offshore waters of Virginia, and currently serves as the Tournament Director for Pirates Cove Marina in Manteo, North Carolina, running nine major events annually. She frequently writes about saltwater fishing off the Outer Banks, and is an integral part of her husbands charter fishing business at Oregon Inlet.

Gary Caputi

Gary Caputi has contributed to regional and national fishing and boating publications for over 25 years. He currently serves as Offshore Editor for Salt Water Sportsman and as Director of Corporate Development for the Recreational Fishing Alliance.

Sales Team

Todd Taylor

Todd Taylor is Vice President of Sales for Taylor Media Group and has handled National Accounts since 1996. He is an avid outdoor enthusiast having worked on a number of TMG's recreational publications. He was instrumental in the the launch of Poker Runs America Magazine, a publication geared to the offshore performance boat enthusiast. He is also responsible for the launch of the Performance Boat Television Show and looks forward to another season with Fish Boats Registry 2007.

Roy Baird

Roy Baird got his start in the magazine business in 1990. Roy handles a large portfolio of national accounts for several magazines, including Power Boating Canada, RV Lifestyle, and was instrumental in launching Fish Boats Registry in 2005. He presently sits on the board of directors for the Canadian NMMA, and has served on the advisory board for Discover Boating.

Jo-Ann Searls

Jo-Ann Searls is a 20-year veteran of the marine industry. She began her marine publishing career in Vancouver, Canada, working with a British Columbia regional magazine, then branched onto the national front when she moved to Toronto in the late 80s. In addition to her public relations and advertising sales duties, Jo-Ann has earned a reputation as an accomplished writer/photographer.

Contributors

Rip Cunningham

Rip Cunningham served as Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Salt Water Sportsman for 33 years. An accomplished writer and photographer, he has received several awards from the Outdoor Writers Association of America and was co-host of the Salt Water Sportsman TV show on ESPN.

Barry Gibson

Barry Gibson spent 27 years with Salt Water Sportsman and is now the Associate Publisher of Fish Boats Registry. A long-time proponent of responsible fishery management, he has served on numerous state, federal, and international boards and is currently the New England Director for the Recreational Fishing Alliance. A well-known charter boat captain and guide in Maine, he enthusiastically chases everything from striped bass to giant bluefin tuna during the summer months.

Jeff Merrill

Jeff Merrill has been writing for numerous local, regional and national saltwater fishing and boating publications for nearly 20 years, and has fished extensively, inshore and offshore, from his home waters of New Jersey to Florida, the Bahamas and the Caribbean. He currently serves as a New Jersey representative for the International Game Fish Association.

John E. Phillips

John E. Phillips has written more than 5,000 fishing and hunting articles and been published in nearly 100 regional and national magazines. John writes his Alabama Outdoors column for 38 newspapers and has served as the Outdoor Editor for the Birmingham Post-Herald for the past 20 years.

Bill Jennings

Bill Jennings has an extensive racing background and is a licensed captain. For more than 35 years, he has conducted extensive testing on hundreds of pleasure and saltwater fishing boats, and has been published in several national boating magazines. Bill is currently Safety Director with Poker Runs America magazine.

Bob Stearns

Bob Stearns earned a degree in meteorology, but started a career in outdoor writing in 1969, with more than 1,500 articles in leading publications such as Field & Stream, Saltwater Fly Fishing and Salt Water Sportsman. He produced his first book, The Fishermans Boating Book, in 1984.

Zenon Bilas

Zenon Bilas was struck by the boating fever as a teenager in the early 1970s, fishing for stripers and walleye in Wisconsin. Zenon reveals all the facts of saltwater fishing boats with in-depth knowledge, detailed photography and reporting enabled by 35 years of marine experience. His knowledge and work has been featured in boating magazines throughout North America, Europe and Australia. He currently lives in West Palm Beach, Florida.