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Angler's Profiles
by Hugh Markey
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| A series of articles introducing RISAA members to the rest of the club. |
| (From the July, 2004 Newsletter) Doug Berk |
At three a.m., a low rumble of thunder
awakens Doug Berk. He opens one eye, groaning softly. The
sound of heavy rain washes over the deck outside the cabin of his
boat. He had made the 90-minute trek from his home in Manchester Connecticut the night before in order to be ready for an early start this morning. Pouring rain might be annoying to anyone trying to enjoy a weekend aboard a boat, but Berk’s groan comes from a different concern: today is Take-a-City-Kid-Fishing Day. He knows that in a few short hours there will be well over a hundred youngsters milling around Greenwich Bay Marina, eagerly awaiting the opportunity to fish aboard the boats belonging to RISAA volunteers. For many, it will be a first-time experience; one they may well remember the rest of their lives. “This will probably pass through,” he thinks as he rolls over to grab a last hour or two of rest. ON A FLUKE…
A RISAA member for the past four years, Doug
Berk says the club is an important part of fishing. “I think the
kind of things RISAA is doing in terms of conservation, lobbying, and
fisheries activities are really important,” Berk says. “That’s
why I try to stay involved as much as I can.” Berk’s involvement
with the club includes a number of seminars on one of his favorite
forms of recreation: fluke fishing.“I started fluke fishing years ago, before it really became popular. It was kind of a way to escape the crowds of boaters chasing after bass and blues. Plus, the texture of the meat is just wonderful!” he says. “Now that fluke are becoming more popular, there seem to be fewer fish around. Our resources are being punished, in a way. With more and more people trying for the same resource, it’s important to preserve what we value.” ALL ASHORE THAT’S GOING ASHORE!
In another RISAA miracle, the rain has passed,
leaving puddles around the docks of the marina. The shore  crew
has long since set up the tables and is now dishing out doughnuts and
coffee to boat owners and crew. Soon, van after van of excited,
noisy children begin to arrive, even as the boats make their way to
their assigned slips. Berk’s boat, a 28-foot Grady White, has
arrived as well. His 6’5” figure towers over the sea of smiling
faces as RISAA president Steve Medeiros begins matching captains and
passengers.“Most years, we wind up having some groups cancel at the last minute,” Medeiros says over the PA system. “This year, all the groups we invited are coming, and we had two boats cancel at the last minute. Captains, if you are able to accommodate more passengers than you signed up for, we sure would appreciate it if you’d let us know.” Immediately, Berk steps up to the plate. “We might be a little crowded, but that’s no big deal. Steve, I can take more kids.” Relieved, Medeiros assigns more children to the Carla J’s passenger list, and in a short time the captain, a crew of three, and five other passengers set off in pursuit of fun and bluefish. THE RHODE ISLAND CONNECTION
How is it that a man who lives ninety minutes
away from the nearest Rhode Island shore calls the Ocean State his home
fishing ground? The connection goes back a long way.“My grandparents used to have a cottage in Misquamicut,” Berk explains. “My parents and I used to spend our summers down there. I grew up fishing the Weekapaug Breachway.” Over the years, skyrocketing property values, the passing of his grandparents and scattering of his family all combined to make continuing ownership of the cottage impractical, and the place was sold. By this time, though, Berk had a strong feeling for the waters around Rhode Island. “I consider this area to be my home fishing area,” he says. “I’ve always fished around here. When I bought my boat, I decided to keep it at Snug Harbor. I felt like I have my own place on the water.” GOT FISH?
The clouds have disappeared and the bay is
nearly flat calm as the Carla J heads out of the marina. Berk’s  brother
Chuck and RISAA member Mike Valentine quickly set the lines out and the
boat begins to troll. The guest list includes three boys and a
girl, along with a young woman from a church group contacted for the
trip. The group is polite but quiet, and there is some awkward
small talk as they wait for the first hookup. Berk looks calm and
self-assured at the helm, but he would later confess that those first
few minutes were mighty tense.“When we first got out there and started hearing from other boats calling ‘Fish on’, I thought ‘Oh man, I hope we get into fish soon’! It seemed like it took an awfully long time before we got going.” He needn’t have worried. Minutes after the first boat proclaimed they had found the fish, rod tips aboard the Carla J began to bounce wildly. It wasn’t long before there were big smiles and high fives all around as the first blue was brought aboard. The scene would be repeated many times that morning, with all guests having many chances to catch fish. Once the catching began, Berk became more talkative. “My wife and I have been married 35 years, and I’ll bet she’s only been out fishing with me a handful of times. She says, ‘Doug, you’re just way too intense when you fish.’ And you know what? I think she’s right!” he laughs. Berk’s intensity about fishing has combined with a desire to share his knowledge with others. He currently is hoping to get together with his nephew to create a fishing video for the club. The topic would probably be striped bass, though his real ambition is for larger fish. “I’d really like to do one on tuna, but the fishery these days is just negligible. The current limit of one fish per day per boat is discouraging.” HOME AGAIN, HOME AGAIN
Returning to the marina, the kids are more
talkative. They thank Doug Berk and the crew for the great time
and join the rest of the crowd, clutching their freshly filleted
bluefish and trading banter with friends about how many fish they
caught. It’s hot, and the smoke billows from the barbeque.
A line of kids and volunteers snakes its way around the canopy as the
shore crew deftly serves burgers and dogs to the happy fishermen. “Guys, make sure you keep these,” Berk says as he hands the kids blue raffle tickets. “Everybody all set? Are you happy? Great, have a lot of fun.” The latter comment is unnecessary. As the tall man quietly heads back to his boat, it is obvious that these children, and many others like them, have already had a lot of fun, thanks to people who stepped up to the plate the way Doug Berk did. |
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