# Fishing Less due to Fuel Prices?



## GregL (Sep 16, 2007)

I saw a post on a North Carolina Pier Fishing group at Yahoo and I'd like to throw this out to fishermen here in Virginia as well. This mainly concerns those of us who don't live close to the water like me (Chesterfield County, just outside Richmond).

Is the $4.00/gallon price of fuel keeping you from going fishing this year? If not, are you fishing less?

According to Google Maps, Virginia Beach Fishing Pier is 117 miles from my home. My vehicle gets 17 mpg (average) which, at $4.00 per gallon for gas means I'll be paying $55.00 in fuel to go down, fish and come back home. I don't have a problem with it, but my bookkeeper (wife) is having a time trying to keep out budget straight.

Anyway, just thought I'd throw it out for discussion.

Greg


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## TimKan7719 (Apr 4, 2008)

Well So Far hasnt slowed Me down, I Live in Northern VA and Head to Solmons MD and its about the same for me. But once gas hits 4.50 or 5.00 I might just go ahead and park the poles but for once a month or target Fish Closer to home.
Tight Lines,
Tim


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## ShoreFisherman (Oct 18, 2003)

I don't think i fish any less, but i do know i fish closer to home lately, have only been to lesner once, even tho that is where the flounder seem to be, but have only been fishing rudee since it is cheaper to get there.


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## steve grossman (Feb 1, 2008)

The price of gas has made me think about everything, I used to do more often. I hate this crap. Yes, I fish alot less cause of the distances I have to drive.

What do we do, we all need to de-stress from family life and work life?? Its very tough on me personally. If one has alot of funds to continually fill up their gas tank, then god bless them. I think MOST of us dont.

I miss the number of times I can now get out, and the normal places I have been going to.


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## cuzdave (Jan 8, 2004)

So far, so good for me. I live in Glen Allen, which just west of Richmond. I like to fish at Lynnhaven Pier. I usually go on Friday nights and fish into Saturday morning. I've been lucky so far, but if fuel prices continue upward, I may have to knock it back to every other week. Who ever thought it would come to this?


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## incucrash (May 7, 2008)

Honda Civic Hatchback, surprisingly fits alot of fishing equipment, I manage a full size cooler, tackle, chairs, lantern, and 6-7 foot 1 pieces, 12 foot 2 piece poles... =] 28-36 mpg

Reliable transportation, and for the older styles, like the 88-91 years, you can find them for $1000-2000 -- sometimes cheaper, don't let the mileage scare you, my 89 has 282,000 miles and still running strong!

but yes, Gas has handicapped a lot, and if you think we got it bad on vehicles, think about the boaters!!! =[


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## saltandsand (Nov 29, 2007)

It's slowed me down but *thankfully I have a stimulus check that I can put into the gas tank, thereby strengthening our enemies and terrorists abroad. Yeah buddy, keep shipping those greenback over to the middle east, Mexico and the like.* Way to go Congress and W., just another example of poorly thought policy.


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## cobiacatcher82 (Sep 19, 2006)

where in chesterfield? I live there too also.


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## earl of DC (Jul 7, 2007)

so far its about the same since i parked the towncar & got my escort-sw back running in top shape. its a big difference filling up at 40$ then at 68$. but now im going to fish once every 2 weeks. i luv fishing, luv women, luv computers, but i luv $$$$ in my pocket even more!!!!


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## Billy J (Aug 3, 2006)

i still go all the time it aint stoping me


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## GregL (Sep 16, 2007)

Thanks for all the replies everyone! Keep 'em coming!

Seth, I live off of Newby's Bridge Road so Chippenham Parkway is close. Then it's 895, 295, and 64 on down.

I think ride sharing is the answer if you live far away. I've floated the idea to a friend and he's all for it.

Where do you live in Denny Hamlinville?


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## edgotbait (Sep 29, 2004)

have not fished this year yet 
killing me 
my dodge ram 1500 quad 
cab 4x4 gets 11 mpg 12 if drive with a little less foot in it

sandbridge is my pier to go to 36 miles round trip 3 1/2 GAL. of gas = $14 bucks plus $12 pier cost 
(2 people ) $2 to park = $28

guess im going to have to go to vb pier from now on

$17 to fish $2 park $2 in gas (6 miles round trip)
= $21

screw all that i will just fish the rail at rudee $10 in change $2 in gas total $12 

yes im cheap very cheap


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## incucrash (May 7, 2008)

What's the latest on Rudee parking? Last time I was there it was open like, 6am-10pm or something, other then that you had to find a pay section, there are hotels I've parked at that don't care, but this was years ago, Best Western i believe....

There is the solution, carpool =]


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## Tabbpole (Jun 10, 2008)

cuzdave said:


> So far, so good for me. I live in Glen Allen, which just west of Richmond. I like to fish at Lynnhaven Pier. I usually go on Friday nights and fish into Saturday morning. I've been lucky so far, but if fuel prices continue upward, I may have to knock it back to every other week. Who ever thought it would come to this?


Hey Glen Allen, better buy your Boston tickets soon, they're coming to Innsbrook 8 Aug. Anyway, I live closer to the water then some I guess, but it's still 45 minute to the ocean front. 

BTW, I grew up in Chesterfield off Belmont. Go Lancers!


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## wolfva (Nov 17, 2006)

I was out yaking at Lynnhaven Inlet Saturday; saw very few power boats out there for a change. Dunno if it was because of the heat, gas prices, or Harbor fest.


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## AbuMike (Sep 3, 2007)

GregL said:


> Where do you live in Denny Hamlinville?



Now thats funny....


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## Greg's Baitshack (Nov 5, 2007)

I was raised in Chesterfield myself, graduated from Monacan in '81.

My parents still live off Courthouse Rd.

Small world.


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## GregL (Sep 16, 2007)

Holy Cow. Chesterfield is in the House!

I work for the public school system here. My home school is Matoaca High School. We start our summer schedule soon so I'll be off every Friday throughout the summer. :fishing:


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## AL_N_VB (Apr 3, 2002)

With our re-model, I have been fishing less out of necessity...but I deffinitely have altered and modified a few habits in 2008...


1. If I don't need the V8 Titan...I'll drive the wifey's 4 cylinder Accord.

2. If I do drive the Titan....go in groups...and split the gas

3. Plan trips with friends and car pool.

4. Simplify what I am bringing and plan on what I am targeting....this is important as it will determine what I will driving.

5. Stay local. Been doing more VB fishing this year. Gas prices do hit below the belt.

6. Check weather, tides, water temps and fishing logs. I try not to go on a "whim". But usually when step 3. is involved....we just wanna get stretch our legs...


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## GregL (Sep 16, 2007)

Excellent feedback Drum!


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## Kayakist (Jul 25, 2006)

I do fish closer to home now. What it has done is kept me from visiting the Bass Pro Shop store about an hour away, I now order online.


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## Richmond Medic (May 28, 2002)

man... i need to move closer to the beach! i live in buckingham county about 10 miles north of farmville.(75 miles west of richmond) i takes me a full tank of gas in my toyota truck($60-$65) plus $12 for seagull pier plus food and bait. a trip to the beach costs me over $100. the main reason why I wont be going down as much this year!!!!!


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## Fraykuss (May 25, 2005)

I hear ya'll I live off Hull St by 288. I have made a lot less trips so far this year than last. It's not just the price of gas. Nearly everything else has gone up, groceries, bait, and so on. I have less money left over to put towards fishin trips. And I don't want to talk about what it takes to pull even my small boat down to Wiloughby,JRB,Lynnhaven, or even Yorktown. 
Doin less of a lot of things not just fishin.
But I will keep going whenever I can find enough change in the sofa.


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## basstardo (Jun 5, 2006)

I've cut all my trips south down to nothing. I've been once this year, and that was back in March/April. Can't remember which. I've been going after fish locally a lot more, and when I have had the time to go, I've caught more fish here than I have driving south. Nothing big, but it's something. I will probably make one trip south in the fall if I can swing it and there is any beach open.


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## cuzdave (Jan 8, 2004)

If fuel prices get too high, I'll have to settle for watching _*other*_ people fish on *TV*! :beer:


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## GregL (Sep 16, 2007)

My favorite restaurant is Mi Hacienda on Hull Street. Last week, their sign on the road read "Lunch Specials cheaper than a gallon of Gas!"


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## Capt.Skid (Mar 12, 2006)

I have to admit, it has slowed me down. With feeding a GMC Surburban and a boat which is slipped in L.C. this gas thing is hard!
I`m retired and will go when the wx and temps are reasonable. I didn`t retire to just stay at home. I optimize all trips and go for at least 2 days at a time, doesn`t cost that much more to go for 2 or 3 days than 1 !

Capt.Skid


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## incucrash (May 7, 2008)

Richmond Medic said:


> man... i need to move closer to the beach! i live in buckingham county about 10 miles north of farmville.(75 miles west of richmond)
> 
> I'll trade you!!
> 
> ...


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## Richmond Medic (May 28, 2002)

dont get me wrong... i love living in the country. grew up in south florida. traffic out here is gettin stuck behing the tractors during harvest time! i do love to catfish and have a few good spots out here. but, that doesnt compare to saltwater fishing in my book. there is just something fun about not having any clue on whats on the other end of your line until you get in in. plus the hope that everytime the bait clicker goes off it might be that 50lb cobia or drum!


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## J-E-T-S (Jul 18, 2005)

incucrash, exactly why I live in Pungo, 10-15 minutes frim LIP and no neighbors...


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## GregL (Sep 16, 2007)

*Alternative Fuels/Power Source*

This doesn't address ga$ costs to get you to the water, but I was wondering if any boat propulsion manufacturers like Evenrude, Mercury, etc., have done any research into alternative fuels or powerplants such as electricity, biodesiel, ethanol, etc.

I'm not talking about that space ship looking thing from New Zealand that tried to circumnavigate the earth using biodesiel, I'm talking about a engine for an everyday bass boat or center console that uses something other than ga$oline.

Just curious...


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## atblis (Jul 20, 2003)




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## GregL (Sep 16, 2007)

LOL!!! 

That WILL work atblis, but I don't think they'd make it back for the weigh-in!

G


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## GregL (Sep 16, 2007)

*Carpool/Ride Share*

BTW folks, my summer schedule starts Monday and I'll be of every Friday until about two weeks before school starts.

If anyone is interested in sharing gas expenses from Chesterfield County to the Tidewater area to fish by pier or 1/2 day charters, please let me know.

G

:fishing:


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## saltandsand (Nov 29, 2007)

From a recent article:

"Once this domestic economy changes its spending patterns and it appears to be permanent, then fundamentals for petroleum based fuels don't support oil at $125 a barrel. Will they come back down to $30 a barrel for oil? I doubt it. But is there something magic about $125? No. Could we easily come down below $100? We could."

Not happening below $3.00 a gallon anywhere. We helped China grow and soon their consumption will eclipse ours. Have faith that the dollar will rebound on the exchange, otherwise we've got more problems than gas prices. Damn Chinese communists: here is their leader - http://www.chinatoday.com/who/h/hujintao.htm


http://www.china.org.cn/english/2005/Jul/135685.htm

http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/12/20/business/yuan.php











And we continue to call them valuable trade partners. hisss hisss booo booo. Of course this means you may need to give up things like a cheap HDTV.


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## GregL (Sep 16, 2007)

He looks like a real dork.

I have no use for China. If an earthquake split that country in two, I wouldn't care less. Same goes for Saudi Arabia. Isn't China where Wal-Mart gets all their toys that are painted with lead-based paint? :redface:

The more I pay attention to foreign issues,the more isolationist I become. 

Screw them, I'm going fishing... :fishing:

Or maybe... :beer:


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## hokiehort (Jun 16, 2004)

*Matoaca: Warriors in the house*

you work at Matoaca High Greg? I graduated from there, teach at the middle school and sister teaches at the high school. Funny, I thought mostly people near the beach/ocean talked on this website.


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## GregL (Sep 16, 2007)

Hey hort!

Nope, after submitting this tread, it seems that there are a LOT of us in the Richmond area that fish the piers and surf in Virginia. Maybe not as often as we'd like this summer... 

Yep, I work at Matoaca High School. This is my fist day of the summer schedule so I'll be here 10 hours today thru Thursday, but I'm off all day Firday!!! This schedule is easy to get used to. We work our tails off the four days we are here though. Man these kids know how to destroy computers!

Your school is on my team as well. Robert Elmore should be your MCA. What's your sister's name? PM me if you'd like.


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## EDMboarder (Mar 18, 2005)

Ive fished more than ever this year, since Ive had more spare time, and gas aint bad yet when it reaches 10 dollars a gallon then it will be bad. So enjoy the low price of $4 while it last.


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## cobiacatcher82 (Sep 19, 2006)

midlothian


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## GregL (Sep 16, 2007)

We need to buy an old school bus and make weekly runs from Richmond to the piers and beaches...


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## Big EL (Apr 8, 2002)

*Do I fish less because of the price of gas??????*

Wellllll........

With the camper on the truck I average 10 to 11 mpg. It's 2 tank fulls to get to Sandbridge and back and have any gas left over. Thats $200.00. 25 gallon tank X $4.00 X 2

Food costs are higher and climbing, used to spend $50.00 for 3 days supplies now it's $75.00.

I live at Centralia and Ironbridge Rd. in Chesterfield. Been unemployed since April. My last "trip" was to Buxton and it was at Christmas.

My ability to fish:fishing: is cut back to local ponds and lakes. It sucks, and I don't see it getting any better anytime soon.

Anybody want to play cards
opcorn:

><))))*>


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## GregL (Sep 16, 2007)

*Fuel prices hurt charter fishing*

From the Richmond Times-Dispatch:

Fuel prices hurt charter fishing
Va., N.C. captains and marina operators say business is off by up to 30 percent

Wednesday, Jun 18, 2008 - 12:09 AM Updated: 02:56 AM

By BILL GEROUX
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

WACHAPREAGUE -- It's 50 miles from the docks of this Eastern Shore fishing village to the deep-ocean canyons where the big fish swim, and Capt. Frank Large's charter boat guzzles gas all the way.

Plowing through the ocean, the Nita Dream gets less than 1 mile to a gallon of diesel fuel. The boat's twin diesel engines burn 25 gallons an hour. On an offshore trip, the Nita Dream consumes roughly $1,000 worth of fuel.

Large tries to pass on some of the rising costs of fuel to his customers, but where are they? He has only four bookings for trips the rest of the summer. No one even inquires. "It's unbelievable how the calls have fallen off," he said. "Nobody wants to go fishing."

Charter fishermen, utterly reliant on inexpensive gas, rank with long-haul truckers and big farmers among the businesses hit hardest by gas prices.

The government does not keep up-to-date records of charter-fishing trips in the region. But captains and marina operators on the Eastern Shore, in Virginia Beach and on the Outer Banks of North Carolina agreed business is off by 25 percent to 30 percent.

Offshore charter boats typically carry parties of six fishermen to the Gulf Stream, a warm current in the ocean where tuna and marlin flash through cobalt-blue water, or one of its eddies. Many captains also offer shorter trips for less celebrated fish. Even the short trips take 100 gallons of diesel.

At Rudee Inlet in Virginia Beach, fuel prices have pushed the cost of an offshore trip to $1,900, nearly $500 more than a couple of years ago. One recent afternoon, all of the local charter vessels floated idly at the docks.

"Here it is, a bright and sunny day and not a single boat's out," said John Fleet, captain of the 53-foot Reel Hot. His boat burns up to 230 gallons on its full-throttle, two-hour runs to the fishing grounds at Norfolk Canyon.

The Gulf Stream passes only about 25 miles offshore at Hatteras, N.C. Charter boats from Hatteras need far less fuel to reach prime waters. But first a fisherman would have to buy enough gasoline to drive to Hatteras, at the southern tip of the 60-mile-long Hatteras Island.

"It's harder for people to go anywhere on vacation right now, and they think of charter fishing as a luxury they can do without," said Dan Rooks, captain of the 52-foot Tuna Duck and president of the 25-member Hatteras Charter Boats Association. He said he expects a thinning of the charter fleet.

Most charter captains in the Outer Banks own their boats and rely on regular bookings to make ends meet, Rooks said.

Virginia Beach charter captain Mike Standing said he has stayed busy by developing package deals, including fishing, motel lodging and dinner at a restaurant that cooks whatever the fishermen catch. Standing said he just bought an expensive system to improve his boat's fuel economy.

One of Standing's recent customers, Danny Williams, said the fishing trip was paid for by his corporate employer -- "a Fortune 500 industrial supply company." But he said the company decided to forgo a trip to the Gulf Stream and stay closer to shore. "You can't throw money into the wind."

A drop in charter fishing would relieve at least some pressure on the populations of tuna and other sought-after game fish, said Dan Furlong, director of the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council. He said fishermen who stayed at it probably would catch more fish than before.

In Wachapreague, population 236, the local charter fleet has shrunk from about 25 boats in the 1990s to eight boats today, said Joe Spagnolo, the manager of the Wachapreague Marina. Not one of the boats has been busy this spring.

Spagnolo -- the state superintendent of schools under former Gov. L. Douglas Wilder in the 1990s -- said charter fishing could revive quickly with some help from the fish. Last season's fishing was subpar, he said, and hard-core fishermen might be waiting for signs of a change.

"If we start catching fish, we'll be up and running," he said. "People will come back. It's like an addiction." 
Contact Bill Geroux at (757) 498-2820 or [email protected].

http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/news.apx.-content-articles-RTD-2008-06-18-0139.html


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