FISHING
BOAT TECH
HOW TO SAVE FUEL WHILE TOWING
p
THE FLW TOUR’S ROAD WARRIORS HELP YOU MANAGE YOUR BASS BUDGET
rofessional bass fishermen are
road warriors. while fly guides
log more miles on foot, and
salty captains rack up the hours on
their outboards, no angler puts in
more time behind the wheel than a
touring bass pro.
through decades of travel, many
have learned how to squeeze a few
more miles out of each tank, often
saving thousands of dollars a year at
the pumps. let’s uncover their
secrets.
Billy mcdonald:
King of the odometer
44
often recording in excess of
50,000 miles annually – the bulk of
them with a bass boat trailing
behind – flw pro billy Mcdonald
knows a thing or two about the finer
details of towing. his truck of choice
is a half-ton toyota tundra with a
short bed and the largest cab avail-
able. Mcdonald’s latest toyota fea-
tures a 5.7-liter V-8 engine, produc-
ing 381 hp and 401 foot-pounds of
torque.
regarding fuel efficiency, the 5.7-
liter tundra advertises 13 mpg in the
city, and 17 highway. with boat and
gear in tow, Mcdonald reports an
average of 10 mpg. he cites two neg-
ative impacts to his setup.
“gas mileage is a factor of how
you put your foot in it,” he jokes, “and
mine’s not real good at staying out.”
I can personally confirm that most
vehicles feature a fuel economy
“sweet spot” when towing. My chevy
suburban, for example, gets far bet-
ter mileage at 68 mph than it does at
By Joe Balog
IllustratIoN by joe Mahler
72. It’s worth experimenting on your
next road trip to try and find your
rig’s sweet spot.
Mcdonald also partially blames
some aftermarket modifications. a
lift kit coupled with larger, aggressive
tire treads adds to the cool factor of
his rig, but robs him of a mile or two
in fuel efficiency.
a stickler for details, Mcdonald
makes up for the shortcomings the
best he can by monitoring every part
of his system.
“tire pressure is a major deal,” he
insists. “tires are made to be full.”
In fact, Mcdonald confirms that
proper tire inflation not only allows
for maximum mpg, but it’s a strong
factor in preventing tire failure.
“In 30 years, I’ve blown only one
tire that I can remember.”
FlWFIshInG.com I Fall 2019