The ridiculous price of fuel has driven many of us to reconsider our boats, motors and fishing distance that we all travel. I personally find myself concerned daily with what I am doing that consumes fuel. So I thought I would give you all some of the tips that I have learned over this past year to deal with the high price of fuel. The first thing I have done is really work on getting some of the weight out of my boat. I use to have it crammed with tackle, gear, and the like. Now I have learned to just have the tackle needed to make the day a successful one. I have also always been one to keep the 54-gallon gas tank full, no more; now I just keep about half a tank of gas to reduce the fuel weight. Also, as a suggestion for weight control, unless you are in a tournament and need to keep fish alive, keep your live-wells empty. In fact in a tournament you can also keep them empty until you put your first fish in the boat. Weight is just a killer for fuel economy. Water weighs 8.33 pounds per gallon; with 2 live wells full of water you add an additional 250 pounds of weight to your boat.
Today's big 2 stroke engines are most fuel efficient at 4 to 5 thousand RPM's, I try to keep my boat around 4000 RPM's most of the time. This basically means most folks have to slow down, but it will improve fuel efficiency. Because today's props are as well tuned as the motors, any ding or bend in the prop costs you fuel economy. Keep your prop tuned the motor turns easier and saves on fuel. Lastly buy a fuel flow meter it will give you your most efficient motor cruising speed and hence save you money by paying attention to it!