The Fayetteville Observer, N.C., Monica Holland Column
By Monica Holland, The Fayetteville Observer, N.C.
Jul. 20–With gas prices rising like a hurricane tide, recreational anglers are cutting down on fishing trips and boat sales are slumping across the country.
The hurt has even reached inland, where Fayetteville’s A.K. McCallum Co., is fortunate to offer aluminum boats, which are lighter and cheaper to trailer than fiberglass vessels.
"It seems like people are fixing up what they have already and using it rather than buying new stuff like boats, motors and trailers," A.K. McCallum sales manager Michael Baggett said. "They’re just coming in and buying marine accessories to fix up what they’ve got."
The economic slump isn’t keeping people from angling altogether. It’s just putting a hold on upgrades and costly excursions to faraway fishing holes.
"Most people’s bass boats are in the 18- to 20-foot range. You pretty much have to have a big vehicle with a V8 to pull them and you have to have something that has enough weight to it that if you have to stop in a hurry, you can stop the boat without being pushed," Eastover fisherman Edgar McLaurin said.
As of Friday, the average cost per gallon of regular unleaded fuel was $4.10, according to AAA.
McLaurin says hauling his boat causes gas mileage in his 2002 full-size Chevy Silverado to drop from its standard 18 mpg to 12 mpg.
He spent $97 in gas during Fayetteville Bassmasters tournament held on the Roanoke River in Plymouth on July 12. And that was just for his truck.
McLaurin, who keeps detailed notes about the cost of each fishing trip he takes, says he burned $90 worth of gas in his boat; about 24 gallons.
His 200-horsepowered, 20-foot boat gets about three miles per gallon.
One of the ways McLaurin tries to manage costs is to fish in team tournaments. That way he can split gas and lodging costs with a fishing buddy.
High gas prices have also led him to think of other ways to save. McLaurin ices up his cooler at home to avoid paying for ice from a store.
He also waits to fill up the tank on his boat until he gets close to the fishing destination. "Water weighs eight pounds per gallon and my boat holds 50 gallons. That’s 400 pounds," McLaurin said.
Charters suffering
The impact of high gas prices is more obvious at the coast.
Carl Snow, who captains Fish Witch Charters out of Carolina Beach, has been in the charter boat business for 48 years.
He says his business is off at least 50 percent this summer. "People are still fishing, they’re just going on shorter, cheaper trips. And overall, there’s still not as many trips," Snow said.
He has added a 24-foot Carolina Skiff center console boat to his fleet, which also includes 31- and 48-footers. He’s also raised prices, but still can’t make a profit.
"We’ve had to go up on prices, but compared to what we’re burning, we didn’t go up enough. We’re not making any money," Snow said.
"I try to keep it under 20 gallons. We just run straight to the fish to try to hold fuel down."
John Bentley, captain of Fired Up Charters, also based at Carolina Beach, says Snow is not alone.
"It’s probably been one of the worst seasons we’ve ever had. It’s been ridiculous.
"It’s one of those years that if you can just break even and pay your insurance and dock rent you’ve done well," Bentley said. "Nobody’s going to make any money this year."
He works in real estate besides chartering, while Snow and his sons are in the marina construction business. Most charter captains have to work another job to make ends meet.
"Nobody can get by just doing this anymore," Bentley said.
He spends $110 to put 25 gallons of diesel fuel in his 42-foot vessel for half-day trips.
"I don’t do the Gulf Stream, but some of my buddies do and that’s 250 gallons. That costs over a thousand dollars. Needless to say, there have been fewer of those run this year than I’ve ever seen," Bentley said.
Baggett has heard anglers mention seeing more ocean vessels at places such as Harris Lake. And while this is usually a time for trips to Chesapeake Bay for croaker fishing, many of McCallum’s customers aren’t making the trip this year.
"It’s just made business slow in general," McCallum co-owner Jim Edwards said.
Staff writer Monica Holland can be reached at hollandm@fayobserver.com.
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