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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 January, 2003 Newsletter) STEVE MEDEIROS |
On a cold night five years ago, a group of men discussed the fishing
club meeting they had just attended. “It was like, sit down, read
the minutes, and bang, we’re done,” said Steve Medeiros. The members
were sociable enough, but the meetings lacked a direction, a seriousness
of purpose. The men, roughly fifteen in number, wanted more from
an organization: resources for improving fishing techniques, a more organized
approach to meetings, along with a statewide respect for the recreational
fishing industry. “At that point, recreational fishermen poured millions
of dollars into the Rhode Island economy every year, and yet not one of
them was represented in the (regulatory) decision making process.”The talk turned, as it had before, to breaking off and creating a new club. The men began to meet informally, and began to draw up bylaws. The excitement of anticipating something unique and new was growing, but at the same time there was a bit of concern over whether the fledgling club would get off the ground. “Boy, do you think it will ever get to the point where we have fifty members?” Dave Fewster wondered aloud. “Dave, I’ll bet we’ll get a hundred!” The optimistic speaker had just been elected president to the newly formed Rhode Island Saltwater Angler’s Association: Steve Medeiros. GOT A MINUTE?
A typical day for Steve Medeiros often begins before dawn. Up at
5:30 or so, he sits sipping coffee in front of the computer, reading and
answering the emails that have arrived during the night. After that,
he’ll spend some time puttering with the newsletter. “That’s something
that I work on seven days a week,” Steve says. “The newsletter part is
kind of like a hobby for me.”Next, it’s off to work as owner/photographer of Medeiros Studios in Coventry, a business he has had since 1979. Family portraits, bridal pictures, even photos of boatloads of friends and clients line the walls of the studio. Still, there is more club business work to be done. Each month, RISAA spends $200 – $300 on stamps alone in dealing with the onslaught of mail related to the club. The majority of the mail goes through Steve’s hands while at the studio. If his regular work day ends at five or so, his RISAA day doesn’t. More often than not, he’ll head home for supper only to depart once again for a regulatory meeting or to host activities like the newsletter mailing committee meeting, which packs and mails out thousands of newsletters every month. “I’m a hands-on kind of guy. I want to be involved in everything, even if it’s just sitting there helping out.” With Medeiros spending an average of twenty-five to thirty hours a week on club business, it may be surprising that his wife puts up with it! SURPRISE!
“Lynn? She hates fishing,” Medeiros says of his wife.
The woman who is married to the man
who is married to RISAA hates fishing? It is one of several surprises
that arise in the course of the interview. “Nope. She doesn’t
like the bouncing around, and she doesn’t like the smell. She prefers
to sit at the dock on the boat. She helps out a lot with club activities
(that would be Lynn Medeiros you see collecting money when you come in
the door at a RISAA monthly seminar). She enjoys the social aspects
of the club.”One woman in his life who has indeed spent time angling with Steve is his daughter Audra. Steve recounts weekend overnights spent on his boat, “Photo Finish”, when Audra was young. 
“We’d be out in the bay, and Audra would still be asleep.
All of a sudden we’d hit a school of bluefish. I’d yell ‘Blues!’, and
she’d come barrelling up the stairs and grab a fishing rod. Half the
time she wouldn’t even take time to put her contacts in. She just wanted
to fish!” Now a sophomore at Roger Williams University, Audra’s priorities have changed a bit. “Now she’ll come out with me once or twice a year when the big stripers are in the upper bay. Most of the time she’d rather stay in bed sleeping, though.” SOMETHING’S FISHY
Another surprise is hearing Steve describe his own fishing abilities.
“I was never good at it,” he says laughing. “Early on it was just, buy some
worms, put ‘em on a hook, and hope for the best. There really was
no education about how to do it.” In fact, that was another reason
the club came into being: many people had a desire to learn more about their
sport, and saw the desirability to bring in experts to share their secrets.
Medeiros’ skills have improved these days, and he counts fluke fishing as his real passion. “I’ll tell you, once the spring striper fishing calms down a bit, and the fluke season opens, we’re like, 'Whew! Thank goodness for fluke!' There’s just something about relaxing, drifting along while you fish.” Second in line of Steve’s favorites is tautog, though he admits that’s somewhat less leisurely. “There’s a lot of work finding a spot, anchoring up, trying it out, pulling up and moving. But once you hit the right spot, it’s great!” ONWARD AND UPWARD
When it comes to making mistakes, Steve can be forgiven for the early
estimates of a hundred members. Now celebrating its fifth anniversary,
RISAA represents over 3,000 anglers and 17 affiliated fishing clubs. Today, Steve’s vision of the club continues to be one of growth. “RISAA’s gonna get bigger. It’ll continue to grow as long as it has guys to run it. There are thousands of guys out there who still don’t know we exist!” |
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