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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 January, 2000 Newsletter) SKIP STRITZINGER |
It was less than 2 years ago that the RISAA first made headlines, as anglers
across the state began to take notice of what would quickly become the most
influential fishing organization that had ever been assembled in Rhode Island.
Since then, the RISAA has stayed in the spotlight by becoming legislatively
active, and by promoting such activities as Take-A-City-Kid-Fishing Day.
While it's great to be recognized for such accomplishments, it should also
be known that RISAA is a club that is loaded with fishing talent. And,
if we're going to talk about talented RISAA members, we're going to have
to mention Saunderstown'sRobert "Skip" Stritzinger. In his first year as a RISAA member, Skip has quickly established himself as one of the club's premier anglers. A quick review of the past year's seasonal and special tournaments reveal his name listed repeatedly throughout the final standings. He literally dominated the Yearlong Boat Division, capturing first place for Striped Bass (40.23 lbs.), Bluefish (17.34), Fluke (9.54), Scup (2.22), and Black Seabass (4.32). He also took second place in the False Albacore (10.0), Tautog (10.05) and Yellowfin Tuna (42.28). Skip also was the man to beat in the Special Tournaments. I won't bore you with any more statistics; I think that by now you're getting the picture. I recently asked Skip what it was that he felt was attributable to his angling success. Skip stressed the importance of fishing with older, more experienced anglers, such as the ones he has met through his association with the Jamestown Striper Club. He gave the example of a tautog trip that he went on this past fall with four of that club's members who had "a combined total of 160 years of fishing." They were into non-stop blackfishing that day, and most fish topped 6-7 pounds. Skip took his biggest tautog ever that day, just over 10 pounds. It's no accident that Skip has become one of the state's most prolific anglers. Growing up in 
Saunderstown, R.I., Skip began fishing at 8 years old with his dad, Lee
Stritzinger. Fishing "pier 21" of the Jamestown Bridge (the old one,
that is), they would target bottom fish such as scup, seabass and flounder.
Skip also had the advantage of having grandparents that lived on the water
during the summer months.As he grew older, Skip continued to avail himself to Narragansett Bay's resources. While in high school, he would spend summers shellfishing commercially from a small skiff that he purchased with his own money. He also developed into a good student-athlete for North Kingstown High, as a pitcher and first baseman for the baseball team. He also wrestled for NKHS. In 1972, during the summer before entering his freshman year at U.R.I., Skip took a job on an offshore lobster boat named the "Atlantic Queen" out of Point Judith. He saved some money, and eventually purchased his own lobster boat, a 36' Novi. He used that boat to put himself through college, graduating in 1977 with a degree in General Business Administration. For the next 18 years, Skip worked for for Ryder Company (the rental people). He was relocated to Texas, but moved around a lot in that time span, always coming back to Rhode Island when he got the chance, especially during the summers. During the summer of 1982, he met his wife, Jennifer. The attraction was enough on both their parts to maintain a long-distance relationship until they eventually married in 1989. In 1992, they moved back to Rhode Island, where Skip has taken a job as director of transportation and logistics for CVS. Jennifer, for the time being, has left the professional world to be at home with the couple's two sons, Derek, 7 and Brayden, 3. 
Derek, under the guidance of his dad, is already developing into an outstanding
angler. This summer he took a 33 lb. bass of the south end of Block
Island! You know what they say - the apple doesn't fall far from the
tree!While Skip was away from Rhode Island, he fished mainly for freshwater species. Among those species were fresh water stripers that inhabited Texas' many rivers. Most of those fish topped out at 12-15 lbs., but were a really fun experience with light tackle. In '92, when he came back home, Skip bought a 23' walkaround and started targeting big stripers. Fishing mostly off Jamestown and Newport, Skip has apparently mastered the art of drifting eels, and he has earned a reputation for catching big fish on a consistent basis. Both this past season and the one prior, he took 7 fish of 40 lbs. or over. Three years ago he had over twenty 40-pound fish! If there's a shortage of big fish out there, somebody forgot to tell Skip! Like all good bass fishermen, Skip is very scientific in his approach to the sport. One thing that he does on every trip is to carry a weighted marker on board. When he hits his first fish, the marker goes overboard, marking the hole or hump that hopefully is holding more fish. Although this method is used widely for fluke fishing, it's rarely used for hunting down big bass. Coincidentally, it's a rare thing to see a guy boat 7 fish over 40 lbs. in one season! I'm looking forward to spending some time on the water fishing with Skip next year. In doing so, I'll be following his own advice by fishing with an older, more experienced fisherman! I may need a 6 foot pry bar to get him off of Dave Fewster's boat, however. I guess that's the price you have to pay for being one of the best - everyone wants to follow you around! |
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