MPG = 0

Posted by Marcus S on 2012-03-05 13:38:11 in reply to Gas Powered Fishing posted by Marcus S on 2012-03-02 11:46:23

Yesterday I launched out of McAvoy's and made a 45 minute one way run deep into the bowels of grizzly island. Before anyone gets too excited about spring striper fishing note that I was targeting sturgeon in small creeks, armed with a pound of the kind columbia river chinook roe and a pound of grass shrimp. Given that I often burn less than 1/2 gallon of gas on a fishing trip, and I have a 28 gallon fuel tank.... I can quit paying attention to the fuel gauge for weeks at a time. "Empty" could mean 5 gallons left right? I put 10 gallons in and the fuel gauge seems to stay put for trip after trip after trip. The whole time I was running wide open I was noticing how the gas gauge typically floats around a little on E, not typically pinned on E. Better back it off to 3/4 throttle! About 200 yards shy of my spot I realized that Gas Powered Fishing requires gas!! Blat blat blat as she ran dry and died ...dead in the water. This was about 11am. Pull out the iPhone and notice I'm down to 15% battery with no charger. I have a marine radio but that is only for life and death or the $500 tow. I call my wife and tell her to meet me at the old Pierce harbor with 6 gallons of gas. I had a full trolling motor bank and figured with the outgoing tide I could *possibly* make it all the way there. 4 hours later the trolling bank was dead, the cranking bank I'd wired in was dead, my iPhone was long since dead, the sun was down, and I was kicking and scratching the final stretch throwing the anchor, pulling myself forward, then throwing it again, foot by foot. I made it though, gassed up, then ran wide open back to McAvoy's across a glassy smooth and very shallow grizzly bay, rototilling mud here and there, but never enough to knock me off plane. Joe Koffler had warned me when he built the boat that the gas tank is long and shallow, and that I should heed the fuel gauge! I figured he was referring to the more common gas sucking jet boat customer - my Honda 50 prop doesn't even burn gas, does it??? My Koffler is the 17' BayBee model, 10 degree vee with delta vee (similar to a bass boat pad), with a 50HP Honda prop. Open tiller design, which I LOVE for a boat this size, sandblasted raised diamond plate deck, big livewell, 10' locking rod box, front and rear casting deck (more sandblasted diamond plate). Swim step, folding stainless ladder. 32" sides so I can fish it comfortably in the ocean on the right days. The boat is amazingly tank-like, built with a nose heavy stance that really keeps contact with the chop and smooths out the ride. It is also very tough to get airborne. The boat rides rock solid even in very big water. Sturgeon fishing back in January I was running back to the spot around 9pm dressed in the snow suit and got surprised by a 60' tree just barely floating. I have learned night fishing frequently that you WILL hit things eventually, doesn't matter how fast or slow you go. I jumped it.... the impact was so severe I opened up the bilge to see if I was taking on water. No water so I proceeded to the spot an anchored up. The whole time in the back of my mind was the damage I must have caused, when I pulled the boat around 1am and got under with the headlamp I couldn't find any mark except for a faint mud stripe that I rubbed off with my finger. The boat is a tank!! I will post some more photos of the boat when I get to a different computer, it is the best boat I have owned. It will bass or striper fish in shallow water, go crabbing offshore, anchor up and focus unblinkingly for sturgeon. I have run 50 miles offshore in far less surefooted craft. I get about 28-30 MPH WOT with the Honda 50, and an incredible gas sipping 25 MPH cruise . Running so slow is nice because you never lose your hat, and you can even talk to the passenger!!!! Running out of gas sure is embarassing... the wife will torment and torture me until the end of my days for this. Marcus [click here to display pictures]

Follow ups:

• Re: MPG = 0 - David McKenzie - 2012-03-06 21:17:45 (0)