$4 a Gallon Gas Changes the Game

No doubt about it, gas at four dollars a gallon will change how we fish. I know that I plan to fish a lot more closer to home this spring and early summer due to high gas prices. I figure there are tons of productive spots in Narragansett Bay that offer real good spring fishing for stripers, and these locations are less than 15 miles from my house. About a gallon of gas should get me there and back. The upper Bay can be loaded with stripers from shore, and there are far less fishermen to compete with than the south shore. I also plan to fish more from my kayak in the bay. Hey, no gas needed and healthy exercise to boot. My brother and I will also fish from the boat, but we plan to go to boat landings close to where we are fishing and driving around the Bay will be at a minimum. I still do plan to hit my favorite spots along the oceanfront, but I suspect the trips down there will be far fewer than in other years.

My plan is also to do more freshwater fishing. You can't imagine how good freshwater fishing can be as many locations these days are not fished due to access problems. If you can find those "holes in the fence" or a place to drop in a kayak, fishing for largemouths can be terrific. I am also sitting on some of the best fishing for mirror carp in the US. I can walk or ride a bike from my house to many locations along the Blackstone River. With an abundance of fish in the 10-20 lb. range I often ask myself why I'm traveling to find good fishing.

However, I do hope the gas prices drop later in the year since I love fishing the south shore in the fall.