Collecting and high fuel prices

My method for hawling fish in water as fuel prices increase will be the use of a pig. Gets about 65 mpg and would do better if I was not so "dainty". I have two compartments, each with 5 gallons capacity, on back within milk crates. Includes aeration. Baffling system needs to be up graded to control sloshing. Made a 600 mile round trip from central Missouri to extreme southern Illinois. No mortalities despite Hurricane Ike trying to get me Sunday morning. Enabled speed of 80 mph with tail wind!

It'll get the job done!! But my diesel Jetta wagon gets close to 50mpg on the highway, looks a like it might be a bit drier than that...

You've got more brass than me going 80 on wet roads with your scooter that's for sure!!

It'll get the job done!! But my diesel Jetta wagon gets close to 50mpg on the highway, looks a like it might be a bit drier than that...

You've got more brass than me going 80 on wet roads with your scooter that's for sure!!

If you are less dainty than I, then you would get close to 85 mpg and have enough weight capacity left over to dress for weather.

Now this I like LOL Is that a scooter. Looks like a regular motorcycle to me. Going 600 miles or what ever it is you said is a fer piece for a scooter. So what kind of Sycle is dat ting. I love motorcycles but I must agree with the Jetta guy I much rather be inside something when out collecting and returning home. Seems that system would make your cycle a little typsy in traveling conditions. I have traveled by Motorcycle in the rain before and with a fairing you do not even get hit by the rain. It just kind of hits the fairing and goes over your head.

I do have to admit though it looks very unique and fun.

nativecajun

Eddited to say: Now that I reread you post you did say pig. Pig is a nickname for a Harley. Is that a Harley??

Edited by nativecajun, 18 September 2008 - 10:09 AM.

My sweetheart (The Crushinator) gets 15 mpg on the highway! We have put 45K miles on this beauty since November 2006.

The dog skull is from the TN 56 crossing of Scott Creek outside McMinnville.

Uh oh, Scott Creek sounds like another one of those ritual dog execution sites.

But my personal vehicle averages 47 mpg on the highway!

I'm sad to say that one of our work vehicles beats yours Tom. By beat, I mean bigger and less mileage. That's what happens when you have no input to the procurement officers who work in another department and you request to purchase a vehicle. Brand new and we use it as little as possible. Smart move by someone. Thankfully, I carpool most of the year. Looking into a scooter tooand I'd love to take it collecting. Honda has a nice sturdy off road scooter that would probably work great for taking a cooler and seine down a rutted dirt road.

My Toyota truck gets about 20 mpg, but not so good in 4WD on 19th century roads like the one into the Walls of Jericho in NE Alabama, the end of that road shown below with seiners including AndrewAcropora sitting on the tailgate:
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One of your seiners appears to be meditating...are you teaching them Zen netting techniques?

Tom, I too have an f-250, diesel, though I used to get near 300 miles per gallon of diesel fuel. The beast used to run on straight veggy oil, put near 25,000 miles on veggie, but I no longer have the time to collect and filter, so now the mileage ain't that much better. When I also made biodiesel I used no diesel fuel at all, just biodiesel and veggy oil. With a full 38g tank of fuel and a full 60g tank of veggie oil I had a 1700 mile range.

One of your seiners appears to be meditating...are you teaching them Zen netting techniques?

Yeah, we were working on the koan "If a telescope shiner jumps out of the water and makes a splashing return, does the water return the favor?" One hour of seining should always be followed by one hour of sitting za-zen.

Now this I like LOL Is that a scooter. Looks like a regular motorcycle to me. Going 600 miles or what ever it is you said is a fer piece for a scooter. So what kind of Sycle is dat ting. I love motorcycles but I must agree with the Jetta guy I much rather be inside something when out collecting and returning home. Seems that system would make your cycle a little typsy in traveling conditions. I have traveled by Motorcycle in the rain before and with a fairing you do not even get hit by the rain. It just kind of hits the fairing and goes over your head.

I do have to admit though it looks very unique and fun.

nativecajun

Eddited to say: Now that I reread you post you did say pig. Pig is a nickname for a Harley. Is that a Harley??

250 cc Big Ruckus, Honda, legally a motorcycle. Center of gravity lower than motorcycle and hand controls only. Can be driven comfortably in chest waders, even when poorly fitted. I can hit multiple collection sites quicker than anyone. The fairing denies attachment sites for gear. This thing has numerous attachment sites.


Long distance can be very fun.

I do not have to change clothing between sample sight or worry about getting the interior dirty. You can not beat the parking flexibility.

My vehicle is greener that the Prius owing to less materials / energy used during manufacturing. My pig cost $5,200.

Edited by centrarchid, 18 September 2008 - 03:46 PM.

Hey.. Look at that charming fellow sitting on the tailgate.
We always meditate after a seining trip; especially when the water is 9 degrees that day.

Jesus, Tom... You win massive awesome points for those two vehicles.

Edited by AndrewAcropora, 18 September 2008 - 10:01 PM.

Andrew-Thank you. We really love the truck, she is now an endeared member of our lab group! She is, however, not diesel, but gasoline. I still waiver on that choice, but Eli (http://en.wikipedia....wiki/Elihu_Yale) is paying the gas tab.

My wife and I also love the Prius. It is a very nice vehicle, and quite roomy for our long drives. Plus you cannot beat the gas mileage. With the plate, or car becomes one of the only darters in CT! (The following, by the way, was a joke.)

I was in the market for a smaller truck with better mpg, but considering that Knoxville is 800 miles from New Haven, and we do take trips that extend for weeks, I wanted something that was large enough for all of our gear, and would be comfortable. If I was still at UT, I would have opted for a smaller truck.

The vehicle has done her work, when I arrived there was 15,000 lots in the YPM fish collection, now after two full years we are getting ready to surpass 21,000 lots.

250 cc Big Ruckus, Honda, legally a motorcycle. Center of gravity lower than motorcycle and hand controls only. Can be driven comfortably in chest waders, even when poorly fitted. I can hit multiple collection sites quicker than anyone. The fairing denies attachment sites for gear. This thing has numerous attachment sites.
Long distance can be very fun.

I do not have to change clothing between sample sight or worry about getting the interior dirty. You can not beat the parking flexibility.

My vehicle is greener that the Prius owing to less materials / energy used during manufacturing. My pig cost $5,200.

Cool I did not think of all those angles. But my collection vehicle is a 20 year old Toyota PU truck. I do not worry about it getting dirty or wet. And I have only once in my life wore waders and that is why I will never wear them again. Some people love them and that is great. For me I am a die hard Cajun and just wollow in with running shoes and shorts or if I know I will cross paths with thorns on the way long pants. 250cc Ruckus. I will look it up now.

Thanks.
Cajun

So......my 1/2 ton '78 straight 6 Chevy gets no respect in here?

As for the 2 wheelers, no way. With all the cell phone users and text messagers out there behind the wheel, they can hardly avoid a full size vehicle much less a 2 wheeler.
Few people hurt themsleves on motor bikes, mostly it is the "other fellow" that doesn;t see the bike that gets them!

As for Big Bad gas guzzlers, if you run the highways and back roads, with a crew of folks, that big ol' truck is mighty comfortable compared to a teeny weeny truck.

My son will walk with a crippled leg and special boot for the rest of his life after a young high schooler ran a red light while talking on a cell phone . The little gas efficient S-10 was knocked 155 feet and his tool box loaded with 300 lbs of welding and iron work equipment crushed through the back of the cab and cracked his head open.
Fuel savings or the environmnet don't mean a thing when you're looking at your kid in ICU.
Had he been in my full sized vehicle he would still have been hurt but the lightweight Ford Mustang that hit him would have had much less impact and the sheer surface area of the bed would have held the tool box bolted in place.

My other comment in the big vs little truck discussion is when I see these monster , power wagon types in parking lots of downtown busineses . You know this guy just drives it around to look the look.
If the vehicle is used for off road business on a regular basis then it has a purpose. If it is just for an ego trip then it should be parked.


thats my 2 cents.


sa va,

nm

I do not worry about it getting dirty or wet. And I have only once in my life wore waders and that is why I will never wear them again.

Summer time I agree with you. Get into spring, winter and late fall collecting in the northern lats....your "boys" will be crying for some chest waders, I guarantee!!

Edited by scottefontay, 19 September 2008 - 09:04 AM.

Summer time I agree with you. Get into spring, winter and late fall collecting in the northern lats....your "boys" will be crying for some chest waders, I guarantee!!

I have at my disposal a tax-payer owned Chevrolet four wheel drive crew cab pickup truck with fifth wheel for goose neck hookup used to pull a fish hauler. Flex-fuel (E85) capable gets between 11 and 12 on E85 and about 14 on gasoline. Fuel prices when four dollars a gallon force me to reprioritize resources. When fuel prices exceede $6 / gallon, which they will, travel with such a large capable vehicle will have to be restricted / or more effeciently planned out.

My last effort using scooter was one of personal interest which is typical for most NANFA members that are not on missions funded by tax payer's "infinantly deep" pockets (sarcasm intented). How many dollars per gallon will you pay if just going out to collect a few for personal interest?