Last week, Hunter and I made a bluegill fishing trip to Lake Cataouatche.
What turned out to be a great fishing trip ended in a boater’s nightmare.
We launched the Kenner VX with 125 horsepower saltwater series Mercury at Pier 90 around 1 p.m. After purchasing some earthworms and paying the harbor master for the launch, Hunter and I ran across the lake to the Tank Ponds and Netherlands.
When we arrived at the Tank Ponds, five boats had established their fishing spots and everyone was reeling in bluegills. We moved slightly westward along the south shoreline and immediately started catching hand-sized bluegills on earthworms.
Hunter had rigged a #4 bream hook under a cork about 14 inches. Baiting the hook with an earthworm, he would cast his line as close as he could to the bank. Within seconds and a couple of twitches, the cork would disappear.
We had agreed to catch twelve fish.
I had rigged a fly rod with a #4 bream hook at the end of my leader without a cork. The baited hook with earthworm would sink slowly and is irresistible for bream at this time of year. The fly line would suddenly dart forward and the fight was on.
Within an hour we had kept 25 big bull bluegills. We were very selective on the fish we kept and threw back four times the fish we caught.
Before leaving home I had checked the Davis Pond Diversion flow and it was running around 7,200 cubic-feet-per-second, so we decided to catch a few catfish.
Hunter cranked-up the Mercury and began to head for the north side of Lake Cataouatche.
We were heading for the second cut as you come out of Sellers Canal, but while making our way there, the 125 horsepower Mercury started slowing in RPM’s and losing speed and power.
Eventually, it killed.
I pumped the bulb on the gas line and the motor started up again, but then stalled again. We reached the cut and dropped the anchor. Rigging our line with a ¾ ounce weight, Carolina style, and baiting with earthworm, we caught 12 catfish and decided to call it a day.
On our way to Pier 90, the 125 Mercury began losing RPM’s, power, and speed again. It’s a sick feeling as a fisherman to know your motor is not running right.
Everyone knows that sooner or later marine engines have trouble. The next day, I contacted Will Sigmon, at Outcast Marine in Des Allmands. I described to him what the outboard motor was doing.
He immediately asked if I had used ethanol gas in my motor. I told him I had used an enzyme fuel treatment.
“Most gas treatments have alcohol additive and will double the risk for trouble,” Sigmon said. “Ethanol gas will dissolve rubber gas lines and fiberglass in a boat and it ends up in your carburetor.
“The only way not to have trouble is to use ethanol free gas.”
We set-up a time to bring the Kenner VX in to be worked on. Most fishermen have boats as a luxury, but I own a boat out of necessity.
I went home and found a great article by Hank Johnston, the Boat Doctor on the Louisiana Sportsman website at LouisianaSportsman.com.
“If your local station includes ethanol in its fuel, tow your boat to another gas station,” he wrote. “Ethanol should be avoided at all costs. Ethanol is a water magnet. It will pull water out of the air through your gas tank vent hose and collect at the bottom of your tanks.
“Ethanol dissolves fuel lines, fiberglass fuel tanks, and encourage bacteria to grow in your tank. This sludge is sucked up into carburetor jets and clogs them.”
I began a search to find ethanol-free gas in St Charles Parish. I found a site ethanolfreegass.com on the Louisiana Sportsman website that listed 100 ethanol-free gas stations in Louisiana.
The Conoco Country Corner on River Road in Luling was the only ethanol-free gas station on the West Bank of the parish. Owner Robert Corey told me that his station has been visited by many fishermen with boats recently.
It seems more and more fishermen are finding out his station is the only ethanol-free gas station in the Luling area.
Ethanol gas can also effect lawn mowers, chain saws, weed eaters, and any small engine with rubber components.
Many fishermen think that as long as their outboard motor runs fine, they should leave it alone.
However, it’s only a matter of time until a boater will have difficulty because of ethanol gas.
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