[BobP]

I've fished out of a Triton 19 footer since 2002. Put $40 of gas in it this morning, about enough for a day's fishing if I keep the Merc EFI under 4000 rpm. A friend belongs to an electric jon boat fishing club. What does it cost him for a day's fishing? $1.50 for electricity to recharge the batteries? Yeah, I can run and gun over a big lake at 60+ mph. And I confess that I enjoy running at WOT with my hair on fire. The jon boat guys creep around smaller lakes and local municipal reservoirs which have areas set aside for electric boats only. The several times I fished with them, they give a good account of themselves; coming to weigh in with sacks that would easily rival what you would expect to see in a BASS club tournament. So, is there a moral to this story? Draw your own conclusions. But I can see a possible future of bass fishing - slower, smaller, but still catching plenty of fish. Not necessarily worse, but different. I'm not sure I'll even miss "the good ole days". A few things I suspect though - it's not a great time to open a bassboat dealership, or to work for one of the major bassboat manufacturers, or to be an executive in BASS, or to start a career as a professional tournament fisherman.