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Angler's Profiles
by David Sanford
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| A series of articles introducing RISAA members to the rest of the club. |
| (From the June, 2004 Newsletter) David Sanford |
In the early morning of a summer’s day, a fishing charter pulls out
of Snug Harbor. The sunlight dapples the water like diamonds
tossed on a blanket. Seagulls lazily circle overhead and the  morning
chill reluctantly surrenders its grip to the summer sun. A young man
working as mate, a self-described “dock rat”, steals a moment from
preparing the boat to glance back toward the shore. There on the
rocks of the West Wall, a woman stands enthusiastically waving her arms
in farewell. The young man casts a quick look around to see who
may be looking, then smiles and waves back. His hesitation is to
be forgiven; after all, not every guy working a fishing boat wants to
be caught waving goodbye to his mom. The same scene is repeated
many times that summer and over many others. It’s a memory now,
but one that is held close by a man who still loves to share his
passion for fishing with his own family as well as perfect strangers:
RISAA member and 2003 RISAA Tag and Release champion Dave Sanford.DOCK RATS AND FRIES
“Yeah, I grew up around the charter boats,” Sanford says of those early days. “If you’re
around the docks enough, the captains get to know who you are. I
can remember one day I was hanging around eating a box of French fries
I had just bought, and Capt. Al Anderson
says, ‘Come on, Dave, we’re going out.’ I said, ‘No thanks, I’m taking
a day off.’ ‘No you’re not, we’re going out, so let’s go.”
Although the teen may have wanted to relax and enjoy the fries, he knew
he was needed, and made short work of the snack to join the charter. Dave Sanford credits his extensive knowledge of the water to those early years. He sailed out with a variety of well-respected charter captains, acquiring a wealth of expertise as a byproduct of his hard work. “I really learned a lot about fishing during that time,” Sanford recalls. “I got to know where the fish were, but I also learned about things like keeping a boat clean and how to deal with customers.” As the young man grew up and moved on to other careers, he retained his love for the sport, as well as his desire to share his enthusiasm with others. Years later, he would carry that enthusiasm to the television airwaves. UH…HEY BUDDY, CHECK YOUR FLY
Several years ago, Sanford found himself and friend Mike Gill doing what many of us do to wile away the time: channel surfing on the TV. He paused between the shopping networks and  the
Sesame Street reruns when the image of someone fishing caught his eye.
“I saw this show on cable TV. There were these local guys who had
a fishing program on the local cable access channel. It was
really a lousy show, poor photography, the guys swearing on the
air. I said to Mike, ‘We can do better than that.’”The two men contacted the local cable station to investigate the possibility. As is the case with every cable station, the company made camera equipment available to the general public once they completed a training course. As they completed their required instruction time, Gill and Sanford discussed the content of their show. The two had recently begun to devote more and more time experimenting with the fairly recent idea of saltwater fly-fishing. They decided that this would be an ideal way to bring their delight with their sport to the airwaves, in a manner they and their families would be proud of. The show, dubbed “Check Your Fly”, included fourteen episodes over a two-year period. It wasn’t long before Sanford left behind the bulky equipment provided by the cable companies in favor of lighter, higher quality cameras. He called upon the students of New England Tech to help with the editing. Gradually, the show took on a consistent look: action fishing shots, fly-tying tips, and regular guest appearances. The latter included professors of marine biology from the University of Rhode Island and Providence College, as well as a special appearance from RISAA’s own president Steve Medeiros. Today, Sanford’s partner and co-host Mike Gill has moved away, and other members of the crew have moved on, leaving the future of “Check Your Fly” in limbo. The show still maintains a web site containing a wealth of fly fishing tips and video clips (www.checkyourfly.net), and Sanford retains the hope that the show may continue. After all, it has given Sanford a platform to talk about another aspect of fishing which he considers an important part of the sport: tag and release. AND THE TAG AND RELEASE AWARD GOES TO…
As Dave continued to pursue his passion, he also began to think about
the seeming ebb and flow of the striper population. Concerned
that the barren, dirty days of the eighties could one day return, he
became involved with tag and release through the American Littoral
Society. “I began to fish at the Hurricane Barrier in Providence, along
with guys like Dave Pickering. Catching smaller stripers there, I
began to wonder where exactly these fish went as they grew.” This
sparked yet another new wrinkle in the sport: tag and release in order
to support scientific research. Sanford’s efforts were further encouraged as he began to hear of fish he had tagged being caught. The location of the new catching was as diverse as that same Hurricane Barrier to the beaches of North Carolina. His dabbling grew to an addiction. “I got to the point where I didn’t even want to go out if I didn’t have any tags with me!” he laughs. After hearing about the 2002 RISAA tag and release champion, Sanford decided to push himself to exceed that record. He succeeded, with a total exceeding 350 tagged and released fish in the 2003 season. He credits his family with much of his success. FISHING AND FAMILY
Over the years, Dave Sanford has infused most of his family with a love
for fishing, as well as tag and release. Sons Taylor, 21, and
18-year-old Jordan still accompany Dad on trips. These days one
of the most enthusiastic cohorts is his 14-year-old daughter Kelsey.
“She’s one of the biggest fishermen in the family,” he says
proudly. “She doesn’t mind getting up at four a.m. to go
out. She’s excited right now, knowing I’ll be going out to check
the herring runs soon.”  While his wife Deborah
doesn’t quite share the enthusiasm, she doesn’t mind, either.
“She’s wonderful!” Dave exclaims. “She understands about
fishing. She knows it’s my only addiction!”Eldest son Taylor now relives some of his father’s past experiences, working the charter boats of Snug Harbor during the summer months. Somehow it may not be too difficult to picture yet another generation of Sanfords eyeing the shoreline, waving goodbye to Mom (and Dad!) as the boat slices through the water and the love for fishing carries on. |
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