A friend took David Aliff fishing one day in 1996 in a 12-foot tadpole and got him hooked on fishing. As Dave explains, "that’s a really small boat." At 6’ 3" and 250 pounds Dave is a big guy who must have put that tiny boat to the test.

Today, as director of Region 8, you might say that Dave Aliff is a super-sized guy leading a rather small, even tadpole-sized region. With just 80 members, Region 8 is being put to the test to keep up with bigger regions and other fishing tournament circuits.

Dave’s goals as region director are to increase membership and improve the payout on tournaments. Of course, the two goals are closely linked. Asked how to increase membership, Dave says, "We need bigger payouts to attract more members."

Part of the challenge as Dave sees it, is the competition from numerous tournament trails such as the BFL and Angler’s Choice that guarantee large payouts. "Too many tournament trails are siphoning members out of the Federation," he said. Region 8’s small membership of about 80 further hampers its ability to offer competitive payouts and appeal to fisherman out there looking to win prize money.

Dave Aliff and his fellow Region 8 members may have learned a valuable lesson however, that could benefit others—that not all that glitters is gold. When he sums up fishing in Region 8, Dave says, "Region 8 has a bunch of guys who go fishing to have a good time. It’s a great thing that we have going on."

For that reason, Dave does not see himself as an agent of change. "Everything is running very smoothly," he said. "Region 8 has a real family-type atmosphere. Everybody knows everybody. They all get along and chip in at weigh-ins to help out. There isn’t any bickering; no protests; and no efforts to DQ other anglers." Dave was warned by the previous region 8 director that he would have 3 calls from individuals complaining every day before a tournament and every day after. To this day, Dave has not received one call.

Dave is known for his soft-spoken personality but describes himself as "competitive by nature." Whatever sport he pursues, he does it with gusto. For more than 10 years he played A-league softball and tournament basketball. That changed after many injuries to the tendons in his knees culminated when he wiped out both kneecaps at the same time in 1993.

"That’s when I decided I needed to do something easier," Dave said. He took up pool and played billiard tournaments for several years. In 1996, Dave got serious about fishing—just as he had about softball, basketball and pool in the past. Within a few months of that first outing in the tadpole, Dave bought his own boat.

Dave grew up in Alleghany County, and his fishing as a youngster consisted of wading in rivers and fishing with crawlers and lizards. "Basically my partner, Stacey Barber, and I learned to fish in 1996. I read every book and watched every video I could find." By 1998, Dave and his partner were winning tournaments. That year, they won the Children’s Miracle Network and placed second in the Chucky Fulghum Memorial pro-am tournament, both on the Chickahominy river. In 1999, Dave finished second on the state team.

Besides being competitive, Dave is also very committed. Many people are changing jobs every other year, but not Dave. He has been a project manager at NASA for the last 17 years and is extremely proud to be supporting aeronautic and aerospace research.  He has also raised his son as a single father and you can hear the sadness and excitement in his voice when he tells you, "my son doesn't fish but he is on the varsity football team." Dave also stepped up to the plate and showed his commitment in 1999 and decided to get involved as a volunteer with the Federation as tournament director. When well-known Federation leader Jim Dalton was ready to step down in 2001 as the director of Region 8, Dave stepped in. For a person who doesn’t do anything halfway, Dave said, "It seemed like a logical step."

Dave is pleased to have a very stable region 8 board of directors. The same guys have hung in there and volunteered their time to keep the region running smoothly. This year, the Region 8 board welcomes Jason Weaver as new tournament director.

"Anyone who puts in the effort and volunteers time deserves a pat on the back," Dave says. He particularly highlighted Stuart Wood’s wife Bonnie for all the work she has done with the raffle tickets. He is also quick to point out all the work Brenda and Charlie Beale have done working on Tightlines. "Most people don’t realize how much effort goes in to give members a pleasant fishing experience at both the state and region level. It takes a lot of work." Dave credits Ken O’Boyle with developing a strong youth program in Region 8.

At the next Region 8 meeting on February 5th at Sam's Steak & Spaghetti House on Jefferson Avenue in Newport News, there will be a guest speaker, Bob Greenlee from the VDGIF who will be discussing last years study of the bass population in the James and Chickahominy rivers. All those planning to eat should be there at 6:30 pm and the meeting will start around 7:00 pm after everyone has eaten so as not to create a distraction during Bob's presentation. Region 8 will have a short meeting afterwards. All members and the public are invited to attend this meeting and presentation.

Several youth events are planned with the Bass Pro Shops in Hampton, including Angler’s Weekend taking place February 7-8. There will be demonstrations in the pond as well as guest speakers, seminars and educational booths. For more information, contact Doug Smith, marketing manager of Bass Pro Shops at (757) 262-5100.

If you would like to contact David Aliff, he can be reached at va_bass_region8@yahoo.com