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Posts: 7
| This year instead of reading this site, I decided to post a few times. I have learned a bit in the past here and so I figure I should give back and start writing.
Since I am not going to be on the water much in 2008 due to budget restrains, because gas is going to sore up to $4.00 a gallon I figured many others are in the boat. Maybe muskie fishing is going to become a richmans sport in the future. Right now if you want to win a club contest or have a lot of photos of big fish, you have to spend lots of money to get to good water.
I am going to change plans, making fewer trips, but better ones because of the gas prices. Lets face it, Wisconsin fishing is fun, but it often takes years of fishing to catch a fish in the fifty inch class. Last year I fished the populated twin cities area and caught 8 fifty inch leechers the first year I fished the area in 15 days on the water, without a guide. Thats 7 more then I caught in the last 20 years in Wisconsin. It doesnt take a brain surgeon to figure out where I should spend my limited cashflow. One thought I had is that I am cheating myself. Those fish grow so fast and get so big at a young age, that maybe I am only cheating my muskie skills. Oh well they sure look good in pictures, even if they are easier to catch.
Well thats my plan with the limited funds caused by $4.00 fuel, maybe someday my Merc will run on Bio Diesel. What are you plans to deal with the gas prices in 2008? |
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Posts: 143
| actually i plan on fishing more, and going farther more next year.
but i have a company vehicle, so i don't worry about my own fuel except for 1 week out of the month & weekends. plus 60 HP boat motor sips fuel, and i can see 18 mpg towing, so it's not that big of a deal for me. |
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| Absolutely not. Gas prices are forcing me to eat less garbage and more venison, drink cheap beer at home rather than at a club, go camping instead of the Resort and spend less time running back and forth accross the lake and more time with the trolling motor in the water while casting...maybe it's a good thing? Sure thing, gas prices are rising, but if it gets too bad, buy a row troller and move to Vilas Co.! |
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Posts: 1185
Location: Wishin I Was Fishin' | Gas prices have forced me to change my fishing. I take less day trips and more 4+ day trips. I also make it a point to share the boat with a friend and split the costs. More planning is necessary but it works.
My next step is a diesel...I figure if I can reduce the truck fuel cost about 40%. Will be a couple of years for this big step though. |
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Posts: 1767
Location: Lake Country, Wisconsin | absolutely not, As far as I know I am only on this earth one time so my time to fish is limited, I will not be scared off by gas prices.... |
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| I think it will be inevitable for me. I have seen the last gains on the cost of living where I work and I don't see musky fishing getting any cheaper. My company isn't hiring experienceu nless they can get it at the entry level wage) or promoting in in favor of cheaper salary. Sad to see one of the biggest corporations in the world operating like that but I guess our COE's are not at the 485 times the lowest salary yet. Eventually I believe musky fishing will be but a memory for me. |
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Posts: 706
Location: Richland Center, WI. | I would like to think that I will fish more this year than ever before. The trick is to keep reminding myself about all the money I threw away when I was younger! Seems to work for me plus I know I am going to catch the "BIG ONE" any time now LOL!!! |
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Posts: 34
| I'm planning on fishing more this year. My 200 Suzuki burns a lot less gas than my older 150 Mariner did, so boat gas isn't a problem. If I quit smoking that would be a big help in covering truck gas.
I've been chasing muskies for a long time as a 2nd priority behind raising 3 daughters, so I fished when I could squeeze in some time and could afford it. They are grown up and moved out, so it is my time and I'm not going to back off. I bought my Tuffy 1890 last August and I'm not going to leave it in the garage. I'll be on the water somewhere every weekend during the season and a week at LOTW. I'm 51 now and I hope to get another 20 years of fishing in. With the fisheries improving the way they are, the next 20 years should be way better than the last 20. I don't want to miss any of it. |
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Posts: 567
| Yes it affects me some , less day trips to cave run. It costs about 80-100 bucks for me to drive over there for days fishing , and the majority of the time I get skunked. So I stay closer to home and fish the creeks. No other fisherman around , no big gas bill. see more fish , smaller but definetly see more. MD |
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Posts: 880
Location: New Berlin,Wisconsin,53151 | Last year I had talked about the same topic. It looks like the Big Gas Companies are getting us set-up for the $4.00 mark this summer. Gas just took a big increase and with profits to be made the BIG OIL Co. will force shortages to strengthen there position. With a OIL man in office your going to pay big bucks for gas.
I'll be keeping my boat hopefully on the lake this season and will only have to trailer it with the truck if I decide to fish one of the others lakes. This should keep the gas useage down. No big trips planned theres to many fish that need to be caught right here at home.
Bruce |
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Posts: 134
| Just a thought; we talk about fighting terrorism on a daily basis in this country but every time I see a post like this I believe the terroist have won. The gas prices are rising because the world is afraid of the terrorist, when we react to the terrorist like this they are winning.
GO FISHING, if you have to walk to a lake, GO FISHING. Never let them win.
Joe W
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Posts: 108
Location: Toronto, ON | ToddM....that sounds familiar! The cost reductions at my company--the world's largest IT company--have cut to the bone as well. I'm tired of the E-Mail's that start off, "After careful market analysis..." and I'm really tired of having to deliver these messages to my Team. Sad. |
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Posts: 910
Location: Hastings, mn, 55033 | "My next step is a diesel...I figure if I can reduce the truck fuel cost about 40%. Will be a couple of years for this big step though." Unfortunately diesel is even higher priced than gas now and I highly doubt you'll see an improvement of anywhere near 40% in mileage.
I wonder at what point those in leadership positions are going to start looking out for the LONG TERM growth and SUSTAINABILITY of this nation instead of the immediate bottom line.
Does anyone believe if there would be another war along the lines of WWII that we still have the manufacturing capability to revert to war production as happened back then? Or will we be contracting with the Chinese to produce war materials that may be used to fight the Chinese?
As far as fishing and gas, I'm looking into buying one of those belly boat type deals, and will propell it by "natural" gas. Bush's baked beans have to be cheaper than 92 octane! |
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Posts: 2089
| Joe W and Justin Gaiche said it perfectly. We may have to adjust our budgets and habits, but we MUST fish. Steve |
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Posts: 4080
Location: Elko - Lake Vermilion | Hello, Hello,!!
How many of you guys have stock in any of the oil companys or energy companys ??
Anyone?? If you can't beat them, you might as well join them .....
They are paying for my fuel costs, extra luxuries, food, clothes, lures,rods,reels, ect. ect.
Instead of cutting back, or complaining and living from pay check to pay check why not live smarter and invest in the future.....there are plenty of opertunites to make EXTRA money out there.
Just Do It !
Jerome
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Posts: 670
Location: Minnetonka , MN. | When gas is 5.50 you will wish you fished more when it was only 4.00.  |
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Posts: 1504
Location: Oregon | For short trips at local waters I will fish just as much as ever but longer trips will definitely have to be carefully chosen.
RM |
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| I'm not going to ever let the gas prices stop me. I'll cut corners just about anywhere (if I have to) to keep fishing. Thankfully, I'm not to that point yet. I find the older I get, the more things are getting simplified. No longer married. Kids are almost grown up. Doesn't take much to keep me happy  Heck, I went on some marathons last year, stayed on the lake for a couple of days, and even slept in my boat. Thought I was in heaven.
Partner up, share expenses, but no matter what, keep on fishin! |
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Posts: 1764
Location: Ogden, Ut | I live 8 miles from the water that I fish on most of the time; boat ramp costs have always been way more than gas, but now it's getting close. I doubt I'll fish less due to gas prices. I can certainly understand how it will affect other people though. I'll be the first to admit that I'm in a fortunate situation. Pointerpride will still fish for free...there might be some others that will get the hat passed in front of them though! LOL
S.
Edited by sorenson 1/5/2008 2:21 PM
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| over the course of a year you'd be surprised how much gas (and therefore money) you'll save by driving 65mph instead of 75mph on the interstate, especially towing your boat.
slow your boat down to 30mph instead of 50mph and you'll be shocked how efficiently your outboard can actually run.
figure out the gas mileage differences and do the math over the course of the year sometime...the savings will pay for a couple of extra fishing weekends.
i ride in a 10-person vanpool to work that saves me at least $450 per month over driving the 45 mile commute in my own truck. that's not chump change!
ride your bike, ride the bus/train, or get in a carpool to your work.
instead of bemoaning the end of fishing, just adapt, find ways to save gas money and be more conservation-oriented. i'd drive a Yugo and fish out of a canoe before i ever let the price of gas lead me to say something like "eventually i believe musky fishing will be but a memory for me..." !!!
things change, we need to change with them.
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Posts: 906
Location: Warroad, Mn | It takes a lot of gas to run around on the LOTWs. What I (We) have started to do
when I'm not guiding is to fish three out of the boat instead of two. Then we split gas three ways instead of two. Still expensive at resort prices, but we still go almost every day.
It sounds like it will probably get worse, and never get better, at least in my time.
Doug Johnson |
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Posts: 910
Location: Hastings, mn, 55033 | Its not just gas thats affecting my ability to hit the water. Its the increase in health care costs, increases in grocery costs(Heck I'm spending almost $30 a week just on milk!) etc etc etc.
Couple that with the fact I have taken about 15% cut in pay since 2001 and as much as its sucks I am fishing less, especially musky fishing. I can hit the river here in town and get some walleye angling in but for the most part I'm looking at at least a $100 bill to get out for the day musky fishing. As my daughter gets older(just spent over $5000 on braces) I just dont have a whole lot of $100 days in my wallet these days.
Man you gotta love "trickle down" economics!!
Edited by castmaster 1/5/2008 5:00 PM
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Posts: 1185
Location: Wishin I Was Fishin' | I figure 40% fuel cost saving with a diesel is accurate. I only get 9 mpg pulling my big heavy boat with my 94' GMC gaser....my buddy gets 19 mpg pulling it with his diesel. Changing boats is not an option, changing trucks is, and my truck is just about spent. |
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Posts: 4053
Location: Land of the Musky | I can only hope high gas prices keep people from getting on the lakes. Ask yourself who uses more gas? Fishermen or those boats/other water craft that zoom around you again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and ....you know the kind you throw a 10 inch Weagle in front of about he 100th time they zoom by you and about 20 feet away  Hgih gas prices could be a good thing for fishing. |
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Posts: 561
Location: Monee, Illinois | Fish the same if not more, bought a place on a musky lake so taking the boat with is done its all ready there....If I dont fish more and use the place my wife will want to sell it....... |
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Posts: 1430
Location: Eastern Ontario | Actually this year I eased off on the 225 Opti and probably will do the same for next year.
But for those planning on investing in oil companies be careful as the prices have almost toped out and will start to fall. So by next summer prices will be cheaper.
And we Canadians have been paying $4 a gallon for a while now. |
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Posts: 1106
Location: Muskegon Michigan | I saw this coming for several years now and took precautions . I have three boats and all of them are paid for. My 18 foot Starcraft will get limited use as the 115 merc 4 stroke can be costly when used for long days of trolling. I have 1448 Sea Ark Jon with an old 9.9 2stroke that goes all day on 2 gallons and puts me on most local Musky lakes and I can pull it with my little Chevy Aveo. The little car gets 30 mpg at 55 mph pulling the Jon boat. My wife and I decked it out with casting decks and bow mount Minkota. Also have lowrance global 4800 and X-71 locator on board.
If that fails I have the KWAC ( Kingfishers Wilderness Assault Craft) It is a modified 16 foot Meyers sport pal Canoe. I have clamp on platforms and twin outriggers to stabilize it. Two can cast from the elevated platforms all day for zero in gas. 36 pound tiller Minkots for power or paddles. I have a handheld Lowrance h20 and a bottom line AA battery powered locater. I dont worry about gas prices any more I am fishing. Kingfisher |
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Posts: 76
| Trophymuskie - 1/6/2008 10:37 AM
But for those planning on investing in oil companies be careful as the prices have almost toped out and will start to fall. So by next summer prices will be cheaper.
PRAISE JESUS!! |
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Posts: 20218
Location: oswego, il | I will do everything in my power to keep fishing but I know the economy will be catching me now and me nut pulling away. I have a small boat and motor but for me the closest lake I even care to fish is 3 hours away. In april we lose our company cars and the company plan on average will only pay for 60-75% of the vehicle we have to furnish. I figure I will be losing on average 250 a month. This will have to be a second vehicle. Some of our locations don't have comany phones and I figure that is an eventuality too. Some of our competitors do the spineless independant contractor thing. That may be on my horizon eventaually as well. |
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Posts: 1316
Location: Lebanon,Mo | Considering i work for a large oil company,how do you guys predict fuel to be 4-5 dollars/gal?? We certainly cannot,and if someone can answer this question,we could figure everything out.
In June of '07,barrels averaged 64.00, and street price average of nl was 3.1995/gal.In Dec. '07 barrels averaged 97.00 with a average street price of 2.9995.??????? i can tell you that barrel price and street price do not reflect one another. once again,just my thoughts......Fred. |
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