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Angler's Profiles
by Mike Lanni
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| A series of articles introducing RISAA members to the rest of the club. |
| (From the February, 2000 Newsletter) RICHARD BRADY |
This month's article features of the RISAA's more distinguished and seasoned
members, Richard "Dick" Brady of Bristol, RI. Very knowledgeable,
somewhat opinionated and extremely likeable, Dick is always one of the first
people I call whenever I am in need of sound advice.At 60 years of age, he's proven to be a wealth of information and experience, and he's always willing to share those attributes with those who will listen. If at times he will admittedly get a bit "long winded," it's only because, as a fisherman and an activist, Dick is passionate about his sport and what the future holds for it. Dick's love of fishing dates back to his childhood days, when he and his family would spend the summers vacationing at their beach cottage on Mount Hope Bay. Trolling clam worms from a 12-foot skiff with his dad, they would target big striped bass; and in those days, big fish were plentiful throughout our waters. At age 19, Dick really began to refine his angling skills by regularly fishing with his cousin, Bill Waring. As he tells it, Bill was one of the most accomplished anglers of that era, and Dick was blessed to have had the opportunity to fish with him. Targeting bass, the two of them would drift or flip eels around carefully chosen striper habitat, with many trophy-sized fish paying a high price for being fooled. The biggest one that couldn't outrun the drag on Dick's Penn 704 was a whopping 48 1/2 pounder that smacked a drifted eel one night at Anawam Cliffs. Due to circumstances beyond his control, there was a 17-year stretch when Dick's saltwater gear had to be stowed away due to a job relocation. A project manager for Lino-Type Company, he was sent to South America to oversee the company's computerized typesetting operations in that region. It was during those years, from 1973-1990, that Dick would count the days until his next vacation when he would return to Rhode Island and immediately reactivate his fishing gear. Upon permanently moving back to Rhode Island, Dick once again began to pursue his most beloved pastime, mostly from shore. Fishing Cape Cod Canal became a ritual, with great success. Many local shoreline ambush points were also revisited, and Dick was one again a happy camper. When Dick has the opportunity to hop on board a friend's boat, he also likes to pursue summer flounder. This past season, he boated an 8 lb. doormat fluke, and it's a lucky thing that he didn't enter the fish in our year-long tournament - he would have all our butts with that fish! A Shimano Calcutta 400 on a custom graphite stick took the fluke, and that outfit is Dick's favorite light-tackle set up. For bass, he now uses a Shimano Baitrunner spinning reel or a Penn 320 conventional, both on custom rods that he wrapped himself. In my opinion, Dick Brady exemplifies what a good fisherman should be because he knows that, at times, it is necessary to put the pole down and pick up the pen to write to a legislator on behalf of a fisheries management issue. His work as chairman of the Rhode Island Striped Bass Advisory Committee, and as a member of the RISAA's Legislative Committee, shows that his guy has his priorities in order. As a fisherman, I learned early that in order to continuously improve my angling skills, it was essential that I should draw on the life experiences of older guys like Dick Brady and Harley Benton - another legendary member that I will soon profile. These guys are walking encyclopedias on fishing and fisheries issues, and their willingness to share what they know make them invaluable members to our club. |
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PROFILES
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