With hatchery brat season upon us its time for another Drift Boat vs. Jet Boat thread.

Being in a DB, I've formed certain opinions about jet boats, which I'm sure would be entirely different if I owned one. I will say that I can co-exist fine with most jet boaters, however there are always a couple that drive you nuts.

Here are the top things that drive me nuts about jet boaters.

1) Pick somewhere to fish, and fish it!! Some guys spend more time screaming up and down the river than they do fishing. I've had the same boat go by full tilt three times in less than 15 min. How are you going to catch anything if all you do is drive around?

2) Don't be an a$$ just because you can. I was floating down a while ago, wasn't that busy of a day on the river. Got to the next hole I wanted fish and there was a jet boat parked there. No problem I'll just float down to the next hole. He waits for me to commit to going to the next hole and then comes ripping downstream and parks in front of me. If that's not bad enough, he fishes that hole just long enough for me to commit to going over the next riffle and then busts back up to where he started. Next time I see that guy I'm anchoring on his lines.

3) Don't drive over where I'm fishing, unless you have to. I understand there are circumstances where there is only one way up or down. But you guys are always bragging how your boats can run in 6" of water. If there is room to go around please use it.

4) Don't boon-dog over where I'm fishing. If I'm anchored and casting or fishing from the shore, how hard is it to pick up your lines for the 20' you're in front of me, or better yet to go behind me. I don't cast on top of where your fishing, you shouldn't fish on top of where I'm casting. This applies to other drift boats going by too.

5) Just because you're boon-dogging a hole doesn't mean you own it. I say this because last year I was fishing and came down to a good plugging spot with a jet boat doing laps boon-dogging. I waited for a jet boat to start his pass and then started plugging down behind. On his next lap instead of starting behind me or giving me reasonable amount of space in front, he came back up even with me and dropped his bait right on top of my plugs. And then proceeded to do this for every pass after, until he ran out of room at the bottom of the hole. Then went back by at max wake speed.

It seems that common river etiquette says its OK to fish behind someone, or if that person is anchored or moving much slower than you, to fish in front of them if you give them plenty of room. Its not OK to repeatedly low hole someone who is moving down through a hole.

What most of this comes down to is this. I give other fisherman I encounter reasonable space to fish, be it bankies, other DB's, or jet boats and I expect to be given reasonable space to fish in return.

Jerks come in all flavors, it just seems to be a little easier to be one in jet boat.