Article by Capt. Mark Sampson
In one-way or the other the increase in fuel prices we've experienced over the last six months is making an impact on us all. Whether on the road or on the water, paying for the go-go juice that keeps us all moving to and from where we need to be is becoming an increasingly painful experience. I really don't know what the answer is for this newfound problem (well actually I do but I don't want to get political on you), however, for the short term (let's hope it's a "short term") I have a few ideas I came up with back on April 1st that might help anglers keep on fishing for the next 3 1/2 years while the price of gallon of fuel rivals that of a good box of wine.
Use the current to your advantage
As the tide rises and falls we all know that in most places it creates a current that travels in one direction for about six hours and then the other direction for another six hours. By paying close attention to exactly when the current ebbs (goes out) and floods (comes in) and angler should be able to shove their boat away from the dock and allow the current to take them right on out to the fishing grounds and then drift right on back home without ever starting their engines! Of course timing is everything and this tactic requires that fishermen schedule their trips precisely around the change of the current. For instance, if the slack current is supposed to occur in four hours, then anglers will have to allow eight hours for their trip.If they want a shorter trip they’ll just have to leave the dock later. While this fuel saving method only works in inshore waters where currents are strong and predictable, offshore anglers can use a spin-off version of it by allowing the wind to push them off in a particular direction, although I wouldn’t suggest it unless there’s a very reliable forecast calling for the breeze to turn around and blow from the opposite direction in ample time before the beer and sandwiches run out.
Get a tow
A nice thing about folks with boats is that they’re always willing to help a fellow boater in trouble. Anglers can use this good nature to their advantage by allowing strangers to tow them to-and-from the fishing grounds. To start their trip anglers need only to push their boat away from the dock and wait. It helps to take the cowling off the outboard because nothing says HELP like exposed cylinders! In areas where there might be some uncertainty as to the generosity of others it can’t hurt to also have a couple young kids aboard, everybody stops for kids! When a good-Samaritan pulls up and asks if they can lend a hand, the shrewd angler should respond by pointing off to the direction they want to fish and say “yea if you could just tow me over there I’ve got some friends who will come along and take me the rest of the way.” Once the towboat departs the fishermen can pull their rods out and get to business. When it’s time to go home a simple lift of the cowling should attract another free ride in no time.
Row out
People have been rowing across the oceans and waterways for thousands of years. There’s no reason why fishermen can’t pull their way out and back from the Thorofare or even the Baltimore Canyon if they wish. All it takes is enough oars for everyone aboard, except of course the captain who will have to steer the boat, watch the depth finder, and crack a “motivational” bullwhip once in a while. In the old days they used to beat a drum to keep the rowers in sync and pulling at the right speed, now a good CD player and a wide selection of music (rock, country, classical) works just like a throttle, faster music - faster boat. Captains should never leave the dock without at least one CD with high-energy-head-banging music just in case they’re inclined to rush off to a hot bite, race a storm home, or do a little water skiing. Of course, since the rowing method makes it very difficult to forge lasting relationships with fishing partners, it should only be considered as a short-term solution to saving fuel.
Use longer rods
When you think about it, anglers burn a lot of fuel in efforts to get close to their quarry. But it really doesn’t matter if the “fisherman” is close to the fish as long as their “bait or lure” is close to the fish. These days when so many manufacturers of high-tech rods, reels, and lines are bragging about how their products allow anglers to cast farther and more accurately than ever before, I say, “let’s take advantage of the technology and just cast our way out to the fishing grounds!” With a 24-foot Magnaflip rod, a Z-50,000 Penncutta reel, loaded with 60-thousand yards of Minibraid line there’s no reason why someone shouldn’t be able to heave a ballyhoo out to the Hotdog, hook themselves a tuna, and not burn a drop of fuel in the process!
Let the fish come to you
After all these years of anglers running offshore to reach the fish, I think it’s time the fish returned the compliment and started coming to the fishermen. We all know how effective chumming can be for bringing fish close to a boat, the way I see it maybe we should forget the boat and do our chumming right from the dock. Sure, it’ll take more chum, not to mention a lot more time for the chum to drift 40-50 miles out to the fish and for the fish to work their way inshore to the harbors and our backyard canals, but it sure would be nice to be able to hook billfish from the back deck, tuna down at the public boat ramp, and mako sharks under the Rt.90 Bridge!
Armed with a good tide chart, a couple kids, a few sets of oars, a long fishing rod and a truckload of chum, anglers should have no problem enjoying another fun and productive fishing season – no matter how high fuel prices go. §
