 Last
weekend I traveled to Wagoner, Oklahoma to practice for
an upcoming B.A.S.S. tournament in October at Fort Gibson
Lake. Since I had never been on Fort Gibson Lake, I thought
it would be good to spend the weekend familiarizing myself
with the lake and the area surrounding it. I wanted to
see where our tournament headquarters was, where I would
be staying for the six days I would be at the tournament
and check out the local eating joints. As I crossed over
the Red River into Oklahoma, I couldn't help but notice
that the fuel prices were quite a bit higher than here
in the Lone Star state. Was the gas in Oklahoma better
than in Texas? What caused the 20-30 cent per gallon difference
in price? Since I was traveling with all of my friends
(me, myself and I), I had a lot of time
to think on the five-hour trip. I had the time and saw
an outdoor article in there, somewhere.
Most of us use gasoline. It is an important part of
our daily lives. We all want to get the most for our
money, without having to pay more than we should for
a product or service, right? All gasoline is the same,
right? Wrong! Sure, I realize there are different grades
of gas; regular unleaded, unleaded plus and super unleaded.
I'm talking about all gasoline within the same grade
being the same. They are not all the same.
Today's gasoline contains several additives to help
it perform better, help your engine perform better and
keep your engine and the environment cleaner. With that
said, there are still differences with regard to quality,
reliability and purity of gasoline. Each of these can
help or hinder the performance of your engine, whether
a car engine, boat engine or lawn mower engine. Nonetheless,
there can be big differences in gasolines within the
same grade or octane rating.
As I travel across the southern United States fishing
the Bassmaster tournament trail, I use a great deal
of gasoline getting to and from the tournament site,
as well as the gasoline I burn in my boat during the
six days of official practice and the tournament. Having
access to high quality gasoline is imperative to me.
I can ill-afford to travel hundreds of miles, spend
a great deal of time and money preparing for one of
these tournaments, only to have the gasoline in my boat
cause me have boat trouble during the tournament. I
have become extremely sensitive to the quality of gas
I burn in my vehicle and my boat. Most gasoline works
fine, but I'm not prepared to chance it. I stick with
a quality brand of gasoline from a reputable oil company.
Personally, I use Shell gasoline whenever possible.
I have found it to consistently perform well in both
my tow vehicle and my boat. I have never experienced
any fuel related problems since I began using Shell
gasoline. In fact, I'll even go to the trouble of mapping
Shell gasoline stations along my route, when possible.
Although I prefer the Shell gasoline to the others on
the road, there are times when I can't find a Shell
station. If that is the case, I'll choose another name
brand of gasoline. I make it a point to stay away from
unfamiliar oil companies or service stations. Like I
said, it just isn't worth the risk.
My advices to anglers everywhere; find a reliable fuel
company and stay with it. If you're not sure which one
to use, ask around, there are plenty of opinions out
there. Don't risk your day on the water to just any
gasoline. If your time is like mine, it is too precious
to lose because you wanted to save a few pennies on
some gas and went with an unfamiliar brand of gasoline
that can leave you stranded.
Now, as for the reason gas is so much higher in Oklahoma,
I just don't know. I never could figure it out. I saw
gas prices with a 10-20 cent range for the same brands
in the same towns along the way. Perhaps the fuel taxes
are higher in Oklahoma or maybe they are raising prices
in anticipation of the upcoming Labor Day weekend. All
I know is that it made me proud to get back to Texas
where they are a little lower.
Until next time, enjoy the great outdoors.
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