Oil prices down 1.29 to 61 dollars

[motocross269]

Dan I am going to start this thread up again with a disclaimer. 
"NO POLITICS"  "THE DNR DOESN'T SET GAS PRICES"
OIL COMPANY BASHING OK.
I really don't understand this logic, I know that gas is bought and sold as a commodity, but I don't get it. 
Looks like I will be driving my wife's Focus to the Tournaments.  I would think this would really hurt the Large Bass Boat Market.
How many gallons of gas do you guys burn in a tournament Like LSC or the DR?
I am fishing BFL as a co-angler and I was planning on 40 dollars as kind of my standard for payment to the boater for gas.  Will that still be enough if gas goes to 3.50?

[Mark Modrak]

Oil prices aren't really whats driving the price of gas up right now its the fact that most of the U.S. refineries are outdated and are operating under capacity creating the gas shortage keeping supply low and demand high.
The oil companies would rather put billions of dollar of profits in their pockets than pay contractors to update their facilities.
As far as how much gas do I burn in an average BFL tournment I would say 40gal. easially not to mention pre-fishing.
Motocross269 anybody you draw will be happy if you give them $40.
The bad thing is when you draw a guy you know has a boat and he wants to give you $20 and you know darn well he couldn't run his boat on $20.
This could be a weeklong post so I'll stop here

[BigSmallie]

Well Said............Mark!

BS 

[bshaner]

I wouldnt take more than $40.  I'd probably give you change.  But that's the way I am.  I was going out anyway.  If a boater complains about $40 not being enough then there probably isnt much in life that would satisfy him.

Good call Mark, think I better stop here too   This could definately turn into a long post.

As for gas prices, it's becoming widely known that the only thing driving gas prices is demand.  Oil hasnt had anything to do with gas prices in a LONG time. 

Not as long ago as I'd like it to be but years ago I worked at a 7-11/Citgo gas station.  Every morning and every afternoon the manager would drive up and down the main drag to see what the other companies were charging for gas and we'd change our prices accordingly.  I'd wager that the price of gas doesnt even have anything to do with the gas station's cost to purchase their gas.

The day before gas prices went up this week the news said that gas was going up to 3.25/gallon.  The next day at noon every gas station for miles and across the state went to 3.25/gallon.  That has to tell you something right there.

Depressing, to say the least.  I dont have any answers, that's for sure.  I do know they have us by the short hairs.  We've become a society that cannot live without gas.  I dont see any way out of it.  At some point though you have to wonder if the American public will turn on the oil companies if gas continues to climb.  There has to be a breaking point and I'd be willing to bet a year's salary that the major oil companies pay some analysts very good money to predict what that breaking point is so they can teeter right on the edge of it.

More than my 2 cents...

B

[1javelin]

 
  Won't go awol, promise.  Sorry again guys. 
  I do believe there is a correlation to an oil man running our country and the prices being the way they are, but I do not understand how it is the way it is, except for price gouging.  One of these days something may happen to change it, but I don't have the intelligence enough to know what needs to be done to stop it.  If we keep paying 3.25 a gallon, they'll keep charging 3.25 a gallon.  I think something needs to happen soon to change it, because most people are living in big debt now, and gas has a large part of that to blame.  I use to fill my car up for 20 and drive for 2 weeks.  My truck is different a little, but I get a week normally out of a tank.  That's 20 per week.  In reality I spend around 45 a week now with gas the way it is.  Multiply that with my wife's car, the boat, and my drafty house in the winter.  I'm hit guys.  And my boat loves gas.  I bet I get about 3 miles per gallon out of her, and that's sad.

[BASS FISHERMAN]

juss thinks whuts goin to happin wheen gas goto $4.00 a gallon 
lets me try to do the math on this!!my boat has two tanks an eech holds 26 or 27 gallon so you takes 27x2=54gallon rite theen yous take the 54 gallons and times it by $4.00 an yous cume up with total gas costs in me boat of $210.00  butt thats base on the $4.00 pre cost!!!
I heer thay going to peek the price out this summer 
maybe its time to try to sell off me boat with the 225hp EFI Mercurys engin on it
maybee its time to downsize sume 
say a 18 footer big big pram flatt bottom boat with a 60hp tiller 4 strokers thats i coold run fur 5 to 6 dollars per day rather than $150 pluss per days i sure ben thinkin on thoose lines 
i wood puts one of them HIGH POWERS minni kotas trollin moturs on the front of hur thoo

ROUGH NECK BOATS RULE 

[bosshawg]

 its kinda of ironic that we're being told to stay away from a couple of the bigger companies to protest the rasing gas prices, but driving by one of them last nite (cherry hill & lilley), it was 4 cents cheaper (3.15) then the other stations in the area. going by there again this morning to see if changed overnite cause the truck needs gas and then i need to put gas in the boat when i pick it up later today for tomorrow's outing. gots to go w/the cheaper gas.......

[Duke]

As for gas prices, it's becoming widely known that the only thing driving gas prices is demand.

I'll be the ignorant redneck and say this isn't believable. You can't convince that gas is more in demand now than it was in 2000 or 1995. I believe its greed and nothing else. They say demand, they say middle east crisis, they say this and that. But how in the world could it be under $2 just 5 months ago and now be 3.19?? Every story we hear there's no validity to it. It disgusts me. But then again, I pay $15 for a jerkbait...

Good thing the country doesn't relly on my jerkbaits. Not that major companies should carry any moral obligations...

[Revtro]

I agree that we don't want to see this thread get carried away, but I would like to comment respectfully.  You're right Jav, having a president connected with the oil industry is part of the problem.  But IMO it's not for the reason we usually think.  An "oil man" in the White House has nothing to do with the price of our gas except for the average person's perception that he does.  Hence it causes the average person to take a cetain attitude toward many of the proposed policies of the President.  Thus it makes it that much more difficult for Him to influence policy change that would improve our ability to produce domestic fuels. 

Respectfully, the President does'nt have the authority that we seem to be giving him credit for.  Nor does he have all that much influence over the price of oil.  Nor does he own all the oil companies.  It's a popular misonception, and it's an understandable one.  But with the exception of the Presidential administration over the war, the Democrats are in power and have much more influence over markets than the president...except when the markets react to war news as they often do. 

Jav, I totally respect your opinions and I'm really glad that you shared them.  It's great to have this kind of open and respectful dialogue.  Hopefully it'll stay that way. Obviously you're a thoughtful and intelligent person.  But I just needed to chime in because there are so many common misconceptions out there when it comes to the President's percieved ability to influence things like gas prices.  I'm not saying "I'm right" or "you're wrong".  These are just my opinions. So...

If we believe oil prices are the culprit, then we need to blame the oil companies who won't produce more fuel due to poor facilities, or we need to blame OPEC for holding the world hostage and working to influence the American vote (which they do), or we need to blame the liberals who make it hard for domestic fuel to be produced in quantity due to some of the rediculous restraints we put on domestic oil production.

If we believe the companies are responsible, then we as a nation need to stand up and demand that our government do something to limit the domestic price gouging.  But remember, domestic oil isn't the only oil we get and certainly not the only factor that causes fuel prices to fluctuate.

I know where I place the blame and I'll keep it to myself to avoid arguments, but honestly there is no simple answer as bshaner said.  We can vent about it and maybe we'll feel better for a while, but at the end of the day we're all gonna pay what we can afford to pay to go fishing.  We just might have to fish a little less and that's a tragedy.  I don't know about you guys, but fishing is my main hobby and one of the few things in life that brings me some much needed relaxation and peace.  So yeah, it'll hurt to fish less.  I suppose all we can do as individuals is follow our consciences and use our vote to affect the changes we feel need to be made. 

Thanks for allowing me to express my views about this.  Please know that I do so respecfully and appreciate all points of view even those that differ from mine.  Thanks in advance for keeping this conversation civil.  This board sports a great group of guys and I like that we can talk about this stuff without getting our knickers in a twist like you see on so many other online communities. 

[1javelin]

I agree with you Rev, and I was not meaning to imply that Bush had a finger on it, I simply connected the dot and said there has to be something there.  I'll never know I'm sure, as most Americans without a top level clearance will never know.  That's the way of the world.  But, we do have to do something.  A boycott may not help much, but it will at least be a start.  Everything has to have a start.  Maybe they'll see it and start thinking, and not like what they are thinking, and change something.  A little will go a long way in my pocketbook.

[Revtro]

Jav, thanks for understanding that I wasn't trying to be a jerk.    This is what I love about this online community.  We can talk nicely to each other and still discuss heavy issues from time to time.