Does higher gas prices = more fish taken out of our lakes?

[bassfighter]

I am wondering if the higher price of gas force many to take more fish home for food consumption? Though it is also our rights to harvest our limits.

 

I hope it will help many of us aim to be better anglers so we can be more efficient and enjoy the sport more by catching and releasing larger quality fish.

 

Has the higher gas prices change your thinking and angling strategy for 2008?

Edited June 21, 2008 by bassfighter

[Beats]

This is an interesting thread. It's unlikely that people will be keeping more fish to feed their families because their food money has become gas money. What I can see though, is that someone who might make 4 trips a month to a lake to fish may now only make 1 or 2 trips a month. If that person usually keeps 2 fish each trip (2 fish x 4 trips a month= 8 fish a month) and now only gets to that lake 1 time a month due to the gas prices.. they may keep their limit each time they go (6 pike a visit instead of their usual 2). But when you take into consideration that they are hitting the water much less often now, the only real difference is that all their fish are taken on 1 or 2 days instead of a couple of fish multiple times a month. I don't think the lakes would be affected any different. That is unless everyone showed up and caught a limit on the same day Pretty unlikely.

 

So I guess what I'm saying is that while people will/could be making less trips out they could be making up for their lack of fishing time by keeping more fish in less trips but because they aren't going out as much I don't think the waters would be too affected. More fish at one time instead of a few over multiple weekends.

[JohnF]

I am wondering if the higher price of gas force many to take more fish home for food consumption? Though it is also our rights to harvest our limits.

 

I hope it will help many of us aim to be better anglers so we can be more efficient and enjoy the sport more by catching and releasing larger quality fish.

 

Has the higher gas prices change your thinking and angling strategy for 2008?

 

Although this is based on nothing at all save my own inclination, I'd say there'll be little increase in meat fishing by Ontario residents. The cost of gas will stop as many from travelling to fishing spots and/or running a boat as it will press others to keep more fish for the table. In fact the probable decline of American fishermen travelling to Ontario may well even lead to less overall pressure on our fish stocks.

 

JF

[ecmilley]

I live on a Kawartha lake and it doesn't appear that there is any less fishing pressure, lots of boats out fishing, I don't do creel census for anyone but i have a nice bag of fresh wally fillets out for dinner tonight.

[limeyangler]

i dont know what will happen in terms of taking more fish for consumption, but there are certainly less American fishermen up here this year so far, and for myself....yup...gas prices have definitely meant i will not be hauling the boat around as much as i'd like.

[bassfighter]

Interesting observation by JohnF, I never thought of that!

 

You might be right, for those who are mediocre angler, and those traveling from a distance like many of our American neighbors south, they will think twice and have to plan their trip more efficiently.

 

I just heard from the radio where they did some survey, they found out that some might just stay and not go on vacation this summer rather than going to the cottage country every weekend or they might have to cut down on the number of trips.

 

In my case, I have decided to add another angler to my boat and share gas expense, I always tell my guest to release those fish that are too small or those that are too big. It is harder to coordinate 3 guys to go fish, but this is the sacrifice I have to make, to not to pay extra more for gas. Gas has gone up by 30% where the third fellow end up paying for it.

 

I would also cancel some trips if I knew ahead that it would get too windy, where fishing will not be efficient anymore.

 

Overall, my fishing has gotten way more efficient in the past two years. More quality fishing than quantity fishing.

[charlied]

Not me. I take NO fish home and will continue to do so.

[oxcowboy]

we are still making our north trip come hell or highwater ! that is at least this year. lol on our trip we usually put in close to 2500 miles. ive been going to elk lake for over 15 years on our annual trip, to me it just means i need to save up a little bit more before we go. as far as the fishing it will be the same as always for me. we split everything 4 ways and that helps out alot on the gas and cabin.

 

i have heard that their is consideration to ease the taxation on accomadations to lure people into camps, not sure if it went through or not. i figure alot of the camps and resorts in the north are going to be hurting from the high gas prices, and understandably so. our fuel bill will be almost as much as our cabin for the week.

 

i do plan on taking a limit of deer this year. we are allowed to kill up to 6( 1 antlered) white tail per year. with the rising cost of food, it only makes sense to fill the freezer with vinison, plus my boys and i love it.

 

jason

[cranks bait]

I live on the water and can get out fishing within five minutes. The weather has had more of an impact on my time on the water than the gas. I still go out whenever. One thing I did was put on a new engine that is more fuel efficient. I saved $60.00 in just one week of boating with the new motor, and it is only supposed to get better.

 

As for taking fish home. I do take some, but I always put more back than I keep. We are going to the cottage for the long weekend with family so I am stocking the freezer for a fish fry. Nothing outragous, just enough for one meal. As for off setting the cost of food. No, I will not take home more fish to suppliment other food costs.

[jwl]

A short time ago with all the hype surrounding higher gas prices I saw on the news a little blurb relating to the "weekend warriors" heading out to the Muskoka area for an example. The blurb suggested that perhaps instead of frequent trips some may opt to make less trips,but longer ones at a time.

 

For me, higher gas isn't going to change my "summer lifestyle" to me it's no different than a couple years ago when gas was the price it is now anyways. This really doesn't amount to all that much more to fill the car if you think about it. maybe it costs me an extra $20 round trip to travel the about 350 klicks to my trailer from home. I got worse troubles than not goping to my trailer that much in the summer if I can't afford an extra $20 for the trip.

 

As for using my boats, it costs maybe $25 to fill my tank on the Viper as opposed to maybe $20 the last couple years, of which depending on where I am fishing and actual time put on the gas motor or if I am goofing off with the kids tubing for example. But that being said, I already expect some times that I am going to burn a tank of gas a day in the bigger boat according to my activities. Like I said if I don't have $20 bucks for the day to screw around in the boat..fishing a couple hours with just the grownups, then taking the kids out for a bit, then going for a family boot up the lake goofing off or taking the kids tubing all for the $20-$25 bucks in a day then I got bigger problems than worrying about going out in the boat for the day. Besides, not too much else you can do for the day of good family fun with the wife and 3 kids and often a freind or so that tags along all for only $20 bucks or so.

 

As for the little boat, heck I been to my camp 4 times so far this season,mind you the weather hasn't let me spend alot of hours on the water, but of those 4 trips, I spent probably about 12-14 days up at camp al together, and so far only threw about $40 worth of gas and oil in the boat all together, of which I still have a full tank of gas sitting in the shed, so it's maybe actually cost me $20 for gas for all that time, and that includes a few hours of fishing, some goofing off with my kids, touring around with the wife cuz she likes to check out what people have done to improve thier properties ect( so she can get some bright ideas for our lot).

 

So really, I have come to the conclusion that although gas seems to be really high,it really doesn't cost us all that much money "extra" to keep up the summe rlifestyle we enjoy so much, we work hard, we save in the winter, sometimes we work extra in the winter, and that's what a big part of our "fun money" is for...it's for going to our trailer and having a good time, fishing, boating ect..that the summer may bring.

 

As for keeping more fish, for me ,definately no, I only keep maybe 6-8 fish or so a year anyways, and that's somehting I have done for years and years, I pretty much go fishing for fun not food, so this is not going to change for my family although my wife wishes I kept fish more often. I can see however that with the US dollar being pretty much the same as the Canadian dollar and in some places actually the US dollar is worth less than our in the tourism sector, I can see that many people from the US may opt not to travel to Canada this summer for vacation time.

[bassfighter]

Good job in spending time with Family and Friends, JWL, those times are very precious and once we have lost it, it will never be retreive. Your kids will always remember them someday especially when they grow up having their own kids.

 

We are all so helpless in this gas increase, those who controls the Oil economy are laughing their way to the bank.

 

Fishing, like any other hobby, we will have to continue to pay for it. It is our form of relaxation and challenges in life. Habits are hard to break.

 

I have notice that more anglers are trying to open up their boats to share the cost, and this is a good thing. Probably, by cutting some of our trips and staying home will give us more chance to spend more quailty time with our love ones as well.

 

I still will have to go to the US for few shopping trip to please my city wife and daughter, while my son and I have to patiently wait outside the shop for them to finish their shopping. I would also just visit the local marinas and waters, ask around on what is happening at their local lakes. No fishing(I will not bring my rods or I might end up going at it for hours), just some wishful thinking.

[bbog]

I'm probably more cautious with my gas consumption but it will not change how often I fish nor how many fish I take. If I want fish and I want to save money I'll buy it at the grocery store!