We could only buy five gallons at a time most of the time, and woe be to the person who had the gall to pull a boat in for a fill up. He was likely to be strung up! But we still managed to find a way to fish.
Many of us were steady customers of a full service station at the time, and a phone call or two resulted in an "appointment" to fill our gas tanks after the station closed. My Dad found a way to drop off five or six five-gallon tanks or six-tanks in the morning and they would be waiting for him in the afternoon. A nice $20 tip to the station owner didn't hurt that situation any.
We fished back then and found a way. But this current crisis is a bit different. Its not that gasoline is scarce; there is plenty of supply. What's scarce are the fifty and one hundred dollar bills required to fill your boat tanks!
So, how do we go about fishing and keeping the cost to a reasonable level. After all, my wife always figures that the fish we catch and don't have to buy at the market only end up costing us $20 a pound!
How far do you run to reach a wreck, or reef? What boat ramp do you launch from on any particular day? What type of fishing do you do - troll? bottom fish? drift? Do you move a lot?
Take some simple steps that will help reduce the cost of fishing. Look into changing launch ramps. I know I run past two on the way out. Its cheaper to drive the truck a little further than run the boat - fifteen miles per gallon versus two!
Consider changing your fishing method for a while. If you are used to trolling, try changing over to drifting with live bait. Maybe the billfish will have to wait for a while. Try looking for another specie. And try staying a little closer to shore. Those 40 and 50 mile one way runs will put a serious hole in your wallet!
One change that may actually mean more success is to stay put! How often do you pull anchor and move to another spot because the bite is slow? It could be the tide change or current direction that caused the slow bite. Hang in there in one spot. You will save the gas, and probably start catching fish when the current changes direction.
So make some conscious decisions to change the way you fish. Not only can it can save you money, but hey, this gas crisis could teach all of us some new ways to fish!
