How will $4 per gallon change your season?
 

Will you go fishing less, stay closer to home, or just do the same thing? (If I was smart enough to do a poll, I woulda done that :o )

Listening to the news tonight, & talking with someone who owns a gas station today, and watching the future players jump the barrell cost up, plus the fat cat's at the oil companies giving themselves obscene 400 million dollar bonuses, I think $4 will come very soon...this will also drive other retail costs up, due to increased shipping costs, I would also think anyone in business, will have to pass the increase along to the customer, too large a jump to absorb.... Somethings gotta give.. recreation, travel, playtime, God Forbid, Fishing?

The 225 Suzuki will be dry again for another season.
:wall: :wall: :wall:

Yes at $4.00 My fishing habits will change. Thats just outright crazy. God bless anyone out there that can afford 60 or 70 mile round trips at that price.I will stay in the bay with my little four stroke and have clammer show me how to catch Schoolies!:sick: :sick: :jump:

Spoke to Steve about this today while fishing in Matunuck, he was telling me his trips will be cut in half if the price goes up to $3.50, I dont plan on nightly trips for dinks in south county the way I use to.

There is a point where something gives. Its 20 bucks for me to drive to matunuck and back and thats only burning 6 gallons

Cost me $69 dollars to fill up today in gansett..OUCH.........

I miss my 130 Honda 4-stroke already, but when I hit the pumps, the 25 HP Merc 4-stroke on the end of my 16 footer is already saving me some bucks. Still once I have some personal crap behind me freeing me up to shop for a boat again, I'll definately look at small versitle rigs with 4-stroke power. I was originally thinking nice 22 foot bay boat with a 150HP, but I might rethink that and go with a 17-19 foot Key Largo with a nice hull and 90-115HP. Might have to tweak the thing to get a trolling motor mounted, but if the gas keeps going up, lighter and simple might be the way I go.

I will tell ya, I was skeptical on the key largo but, on Charlie soars advice I went ahead and got it, what an awesome little boat this is ! The hull is made very strong and the layout is awesome, plenty of room to fish. I have had it out 6 times and went all over the place, the gas needle has yet to move. And its fast enough for me at 32mph with two guys. There is no comparison to a carolina skiff or even a small whaler this boat has em beat, if you decide on key largo you wont go wrong.I am very happy

The front is perfect for a trolling motor, you wont have any problem mounting one. which is going to be next on my list. The boat even comes with a fishfinder and GPS, I really did not have to buy any extras it came with everything right down to the bumpers.Very very economical boat.....

My 90 on the Skiff and I will do alright. I would like to find a place closer to the water to store the boat on the trailer. It ends up be almost more gas to tow it down to the ramp then to fish on it.
I don't like leaving it on a hook, I have never been comfortable doing that.

You only come this way once....so the only fishing habit that will change for me will be how much I spend on fuel! I work hard, winters are long and I look forward to my fishing season so I am not going to let rising fuel costs deep six my fishing in any way, shape or form! As I said....life is short....your dead a long time so I am going to take my swings while I can......cause you don't know when your time may run out my friends!:hihi:

17.8 mpg on the last spin up to and back from Maine. I'm really starting to like diesel now. Price is much more controlled than gas. Seems to change alot less. It just went up at the local station 17 cents in 2 days but it's still cheaper than the gas now. I got a laugh the other day. I drove by his station at 7:10pm and he was at one price and he was closed all day. I drove by again at 5am the next day and he don't open til 7 place was dark cept for the new prices. Guy must wear a freakin commando suit at nite to go change the price board :conf:

I am the same way, I was agonizing on if I should get a slip but, I wont be able to sleep at night without the boat in the driveway Everytime it rains I will be pulling my hair out wondering if my bildge pump is working:hihi: ! Your right the cost of towing is expensive but, for me anyway the ramp is about a mile away and right in the center of the bay so, I am lucky in that regard.

You got that right Larry.

Fishing in general has become almost a rich mans sport, bait and tackle alone is freakin high. If your fishin 3-4 times a week driving 20 minutes or more your either signal or/and comfortable. Then you get into boating and its a whole other ball game. For a number of years I've been able to support my habbit doing 1 lawn a week @ 35 bucks I know it doesn't sound like much but thats a tank of fishing gas. This year its going up to $40 but if it goes to 4$ a gal. I'll get another lawn at 25 or 30$. I'm not going to stop doing what I luv to do when I know that a little time and sweat gets me what I want.

I run 115 and fish 90% of the time alone, theres no pressure and I'm enjoying being at ease fish or no fish...one of the reasons I bought the boat. Bill, I considered the keylargo's too. At the time GB owned my boat, it had all the features I was looking for in a bay boat. Livewell and closed transom for power drifting was high on my list. I think the seaswirls boats feel bigger and stronger then most boats of their simular size. You mentioned the gas needle, not sure on all boats but when shes full it takes a while for that first fuel reading then all of a sudden 1/2 to 1/8 tank in 5 miles.....Shut up Clammer.

oops! I could be on empty and not know it? Glad you mentioned that, I will have to keep a close eye on that.Clammer said your boat is sweet! I Just asked around from people I trust and everyone kept on pointing me to the key largo's for value, at the boat shows I could not find one in the price range with the same features, acually not even close. The other boat I was considering was a Maritime skiff 16 but man, it was a strippy, they give you nothing!, no live well, no storage, no cooler seat etc.. the key has all that. Time will tell but so far I like it, I wont be chasing tuna in it, its to small but for what I do its perfect. Nice and tight with eels! Cant wait!

Trailering to islands in summer nights will be cheap too.:)

Just have to buddy up with folks from here to defray costs! Nice to fish with good people!:kewl:

How will $4 per gallon change my season?
 

We'll be stuffing all our gear into Canalman's little fuel efficient car more often now rather that using my hog of a pickup.His car already smells like fish anyway.:yak6:

I will not let them oil giants ruin my fishing, I will change nothing, I willl fish more and further if need be. Like Bigfish said, you only go around once and tomorrow could be your last day, so fish your a$$ off, and pay for it later! Fish On you Fools!!!!:hee:

Luckily I dont have to drive far to fish, and in the boat I'll probably stay a little closer to the dock

I am with Big Fish, I will try to get someone to join me to take the pain away

Def playing the carpool game this year.
Solo trips are gonna hurt.

Ill fish local and since I work in towns that I fish...Ill plan my trips for before and after work...not much different...but I probaly wont do as many solo spur of the moment hop outta bed fish are calling my name trips

Yeah right Slingah.....the fish call you constantly......and you will answer their calls.....for you are a sick, sick man!:bgi:

I think it will hurt a lot more for guys like myself who have 160 roundtrip miles to the canal or about the same to RI. Thinking of taking the camper more this year and just staying.

I'm taking the BigFish approach, I'm not changing. At worst I'll generally just tighten my belt this year to fund my normal fishing patterns.

Typically I stay on my home territory of Aquidneck Island. If it falls quiet here I head over the bridges to Narragansett and SoCo. Hopefully the fishing is good in Newport this year...

The only place where it might affect me is for the canyon runs. I'll have to have a charter, or at least some guys to pick up the fuel tab before I go. The days of solo canyon trips are gone. But for the "regular" fishing I probably won't change very much.

I am surf guy who lives 62 miles one way from SoCo. $4 a gallon will definitely put a crimp in my travels. I get 20mpg roughly so thats 3 gallons each way. $25 per trip will start to hurt since last year I fished 100+ nights. $2,500 just for gas is outrageous.

Like T19 said,
Still go fishing but do a stay over and make a few days out of it.:)

Last year we paid $5.00 at the dock in Harwitch per gal.
24 miles out to crab ledge,another 20 miles trolling for tuna.

Looks like I will be eating more fish and chips from the pizza place!
Unless they show up at ___ __ and ___ :as:
VB

Its about 85 miles each way for my regular stomping grounds in RI. I will take a real hurting w/ $4 @ 17mpg. It would most likely take out all my mid-week trips, and Ill use the 14' tin skiff w/ 20hp during the week, and can do 3, 3 hour trips on 6 gal.
Even at $3, I will be picking my days and fishing smarter throughout the season in order to save $ chasing mediocre fish

besides cutting back on the throttle a bit it won't.... fishing is my joy

it wont affect me
 

at all.... i found the solution
i have no worries anymore

Fill me in...

Drive slow, like me.
Instead of using the big boat, get your crazy little brother to tow you around in his kayak!:tm:
I do have to buy him like $20 of sambuca do get him to do it, though...beats 80 gallons in the Formula at $320.
Not to mention the $100 in the Avalanche to get the boat somewhere!!!
UUGGHHHHHH,
Later,
Rick