9:57 a.m. - GARRISON, N.D. (AP) — Owners of resorts and other businesses along Lake Sakakawea worry that rising fuel prices will keep boats in the driveway and customers at home.

Talk along the lake has changed from low water levels to high gasoline prices.

"This is just the beginning," said Jeff Geiser of the Six Mile Corner Bait Shop east of Garrison. "It'll affect the fall fishing, pheasant hunting, deer hunting, snowmobiling … everything. Nobody's happy about it. It's gonna hurt a lot."

One Minot fisherman said he has skipped a couple of fishing trips and has been driving slower when he does head to the lake.

Kelly Sorge, who owns the Indian Hills Resort, said she has seen no real slowdown yet but expects it will come.

"I'm worried about Labor Day," she said. "If gas keeps going up, fishermen are really going to feel the crunch, pulling boats up and down the road.

"I'm glad this didn't happen before the Fourth of July," she said. "We wouldn't have had any summer."

Sorge said she expected some cancellations because of high gasoline prices but has not seen them yet.

"There's only a few weeks left before kids go back to school and fishermen seem to be biting the bullet for now," she said.

Boaters are faced with a double-whammy when it comes to high gasoline prices. Tow vehicles needed to pull boats to the lake are known for poor gas mileage, and the boats themselves need fuel.

A typical small fishing boat, a 16-foot powered with a 50-horsepower outboard, can easily burn six gallons of gasoline in a moderate day of fishing. Fishing buffs who like to travel the lake in search of hot spots can use 40 gallons or more of gasoline during a single day on the water.

Many anglers use smaller kicker motors for trolling or positioning their boats. The kickers, 15 horsepower or less, require less fuel than the big outboards.

Electric motors also cut down on gasoline consumption. But for many, the days of running and gunning from fishing spot to fishing spot are over.

Professional fishing guides have also felt the crunch of higher fuel prices. Pro Greg Schoneck says he was forced to add a $30 gasoline tax to his prices. "I think we hit the saturation point," he said.