How do you anticipate the rising fuel prices will impact your fishing endeavors?

[KennethWilliams]

Considering the current gas prices surpassing $4.00, I can't help but wonder how expensive boat fuel will be this year. Perhaps it will reach $6.00 per gallon? Despite the potential increase, I am determined to continue fishing! To offset the costs, we plan on consuming more food from our garden. How do you anticipate the rising fuel prices will impact your fishing endeavors this year?

[efishnc]

Hello and welcome aboard. 

Fuel costs won't affect my fishing much because I live right on the water... it's the rest of life that has limited the time I would like to spend chasing swimmers. 

This year I have made a resolution to get out in a boat at least once a week (after the ice is off), and I'm really going to try to keep that.  My passion is bass, but I'm gonna start the season off with walleye fishing this Friday night.

[Lamar]

  In bass tournament fishing I think it's hurt it. The team trail I fished was always a full field of 40 by the first of Feb. Now we're lucky to get 20 boats. I'm not sure if it's the high cost of boats or gas. A new fully rigged Ranger is 100 grand. If you can afford that then gas shouldn't be a big deal. For me I own a 18.5 foot aluminum Ranger with a four stroke 115 hp. Gas prices are down here in Ohio to around 2.75 per gallon and my tank is a 20 gallon tanks. Normally the gas prices jump a little in the summer so even if they go up a dollar then it will cost me an extra 20 bucks a fill up. I normally will go through two tanks a year. So 40 bucks is not going to stop me from fishing. I think the true fisherman will look at it this way because they want to fish. The other guys are just looking for something to blame why they're not fishing. Like my fishing partner always says " Just shut up and fish "

[brennan.chapman]

If gas hits $6.00 here, I may be a bit more thorough in selecting the boat launch for the day and my foot may rest a little lighter on the Hot Foot at times, but no extra days off.   

Filling a 47 gallon tank each weekend at $6.00/gal would become painful. Finding fish near the ramp may just become part of my strategy. 

[ctom]

Gotta pay to play. In the case of fishing or deer hunting, I am not going to NOT do either because gas is costing more. These are the only two forms of recreation that I take a serious part in and being closer to the grave than away from it I can think of a lot of things that I won't do before I give up on either of these two outlets.

[basscatlildave]

No I will fish when I can.

[bigjim5589]

Regular gas is under $3 here at the moment, just paid $2.79 per gallon for my car.  I don't know what the prices are currently for non-ethanol gas being sold for boats, but would think it's under $4.

I've been shore bound, and had planned to try & get my little boat operational, so if I can accomplish that, I don't expect gas prices to stop me from fishing.

If it got too bad, and that might depend on what happens in this next election, I have another boat that needs some fixing, and I can paddle it.

I'm close enough to the lake, that I don't have to travel far to get to a ramp, and my old 9.9 Johnson was always good on gas. I can fish all week on a tank of gas.

[Les Young]

I'll still fish every weekend. My buddy & me fish out of my boat so he buys the boat gas & i get the truck  gas.

[Lamar]

I'll still fish every weekend. My buddy & me fish out of my boat so he buys the boat gas & i get the truck  gas.

  You got a good buddy there. Most non boaters don't have a clue to how much it cost to own a boat. And it's just not the gas. Last year I switched my batteries over to lithium that cost me $2500 and the year before I added Mega Live that cost me $2000 and I didn't see anyone help pay for that. So some years the gas is the cheapest thing that goes in the boat.

[brennan.chapman]

  You got a good buddy there. Most non boaters don't have a clue to how much it cost to own a boat. And it's just not the gas. Last year I switched my batteries over to lithium that cost me $2500 and the year before I added Mega Live that cost me $2000 and I didn't see anyone help pay for that. So some years the gas is the cheapest thing that goes in the boat.

Amen to that

[Les Young]

  You got a good buddy there. Most non boaters don't have a clue to how much it cost to own a boat. And it's just not the gas. Last year I switched my batteries over to lithium that cost me $2500 and the year before I added Mega Live that cost me $2000 and I didn't see anyone help pay for that. So some years the gas is the cheapest thing that goes in the boat.

O h yeah i've got a great partner.  He's had a bunch of boats over the years  too & has a small triton aluminium right now that he takes his wife fishing in.  He knows how high everything is.  If we decide to take his boat for whatever reason the gas is on me.  He gives me money sometimes to help out with the cost of  plastic  that i make our baits with.  I also installed livescope, new spotlock trolling motor, had carbs rebuilt etc., but it is my boat after all.   lol   Seriously my buddy & i  have fished together for way over 20  years except for about a year when he was working away from home during the week & we have no problem helping each other out & if he wanted he could take my boat anytime & i've tried to get him to because i know he'll baby it & take top notch care of it. We've been good friends for years .  You sure can't beat a partner like that

[Fatman]

I'll just go!!  I'll cut costs somewhere else.  I didn't get much fishing in last year as I was at my Dads helping to take care of him before he passed away. 

[Lines]

Sorry to hear about your Dad's passing Fatman. You're a good son. Good luck fishing this year!

[MT204]

Go half as many times and stay twice as long?

[efishnc]

Go half as many times and stay twice as long?

I like your thinking... staying twice as long is a win regardless of how many times a fella is making the trip.