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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
September, 2003Newsletter) Dr.Richard Zahora |
| “I like quiet cars, quiet boats, and loud bikes.”
Sounds like a bit of a contradiction in terms, doesn’t it? This
is a man who, by his own description, likes comfort when he
fishes. That explains his choice of a 28-foot Grady, which he
feels would get him out to his favorite offshore fishing spots faster
and in a sophisticated style. Yet this is also a man who takes
great delight in firing up his Harley Davidson motorcycle and blasting
off to bike rallies in far-flung regions across the United
States. Bikes, boats, business: just a few of the topics
discussed in a recent conversation with RISAA member Dr. Richard Zahora. ALL
CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL
 If the name sounds familiar to you outside the
realm of fishing, the chances are you have a pet. Rich is the
owner and chief veterinarian of Tiogue
Veterinary Clinic in Coventry. At the helm of the thriving
clinic for over ten years, Zahora oversees a crew which includes four
other veterinarians and a myriad of other staff. His tan speaks of recent hours spent on the water. As he sits in a booth of a small diner, Zahora looks fit and relaxed, with salt-and-pepper hair and eyes that look directly into those of another when he makes a serious point. “My work is really a huge part of my life,” Zahora says. He speaks of the long hours required to build a successful veterinary clinic. “We’re open from eight in the morning until eight or nine at night.” Although this is Saturday, Zahora has just come from a half day spent at work. “You really become hard pressed to grab your time off whenever you can.” Although his clinic caters mainly to house pets, Rich was originally trained as a large animal vet, caring for the cows and horses that populated the farms around his home state of Pennsylvania. He notes with some sadness the decline of the family farm which led to his change of specialization: “When I was a kid, there were many, many farms in the area. Most were places which had thirty, maybe fifty head of cattle. Today, those places are all gone. They’ve become housing developments, or they’ve been taken over by big corporations.” THE
LEARNING CURVE
As a boy growing up in a state without salt water around, Zahora spent
his outdoor time angling for trout and bass. Still, his main
passion was hunting. “I’ve hunted deer from the time I was 12
years old,” Rich says. “I still go at least once a year. It
just gets in your blood. Fishing is the same way.” After pursuing his career in other states, Zahora found himself in Rhode Island. It wasn’t long before he discovered salt water fishing, and the sport has remained one of his passions. He bought his first boat some years back, and, if you’ll excuse the pun, he was hooked. “What I think is intriguing about fishing is the combination of factors involved: presentation, location, the tides, the weather. You really have to learn all you can in order to be successful.” One of the ways he has deepened his learning is by his membership in RISAA. A friend introduced him to the club, and he cites the seminars as a good source of information. A highlight of Zahora’s RISAA participation was his recent foray into Take-A-City-Kid Fishing Day. He smiles as he recalls the day. “Boy, I’ll tell you. We really lucked out on the weather. I woke up around four in the morning and it was pouring rain. But the weather straightened right out by the time the event began.” Zahora shared the adventure with friends and fellow RISAA members Phil Strickland and Vick Sottile. “We had a ball. We brought out two kids and a chaperone, and I swear we had as much fun chasing after little chopper blues as the kids did!” WE
ARE THE CHAMPIONS
Other than his obvious delight in showing youngsters the joys of
fishing, Zahora recalls another recent event which brings him a great
deal of pride: his participation in a blues/bass combination tournament
last summer, sponsored by a Connecticut boat dealer. Fishing aboard a
boat owned by RISAA member Jim Mugavero, the team knew they were in the
running when they landed a 32-pound bass. Still, how close were
they? “They started with the fifth place winners. We were really just nervous about the whole thing, because we weren’t sure how we made out in comparison to the other teams.” As the list of winners ran on, the pair grew increasingly excited. Finally, the first place winners were announced. “We were just like a couple of kids, jumping up and down,” Zahora recalls of the moment when the duo heard their names called as first place finishers. “That was really the highlight of the summer.” SO MANY FISH, SO LITTLE TIME...
Rich Zahora has spent many years fishing, and recognizes Florida among
his top fishing spots. Still, there’s no place like home. “I have to say, when you consider the incredible variety of fishing we have available to us here in Rhode Island, there’s just nowhere else like it. The waters off Block Island and around the state provide us with a huge variety of fishing opportunities. It really is a world class fishing destination.” Richard Zahora has many plans for his future in fishing, including more concerted efforts at bagging some tuna. His reason for his devotion to the sport? “Because of the challenge. It’s like when you’re deer hunting and you find yourself a nice buck. You just want to get out there and do it!” |
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