fishing from jetboat

[say_der]

Anyone ever fish from a jetboat? Back in '96 Ranger made a Rebel model that had a very small fishing platform in the back & a deck in the front. I'm wondering how comfortable these are? How do they ride in the water compared to other boats?

Does anyone else make a jetboat that is easy to fish from? Set up for it with the trolling motor & locator like the Ranger Rebel?

Thanks.

[fiskyknut]

Take a look at the River Pro lineup of jetboats, they are prety nice river rigs.

fiskyknut

[Ralph Wiggum]

I've fished from Dennis Steele's Riverpro and it's a fishing machine all the way. It's laid out very well. I'd check them out. I fished out of the high-pro, which is like a deep-V style, but they also make a lo-pro, which is like a bass boat. Very nice indeed! I'd check out their website if you're interested.

[say_der]

Yeah I've looked at those River Pros. They are out of my price range and I'm set on getting something fiberglass.

[Kevin Turner]

Say Der, Do you have a need for a jet? I'd stick with a prop if you're set on a glass boat. Just my .02

[say_der]

I'd like the jet for pulling kids on the tube (far away from anyone who is fishing).

I can do this w/a prop too I know.

The jet will fit in my short garage stall.

[hanson]

You must plan on giving your kids a wild ride.

Anyboat that can turn on a dime would make for one heck of a tube ride.

I for one, will NOT be tubing behind a RiverPro anytime soon, especially if Dennis is at the helm.

[Ralph Wiggum]

I'd tube behind Dennis' boat, just not in the areas that he fishes

[archer33x]

I haven't fished from the Ranger version. However, for a number of years I owned a Sun-N-Sea Rio (14ft SugarSand with a Polaris 1200cc jet). It's a performance jetboat, make no mistake. But I set it up with a trolling motor, GPS, and LCD depthfinder so I could fish from it. It worked well enough, and we had a LOT of fun getting from place to place on the lakes. But the hull design made it REALLY tough to control at low speeds, either with the jet or the trolling motor. SugarSand had a couple that looked like they'd do a little better for fishing - I think it was called the Mirage? Don't quote me though.

The other annoying thing was that the jet had a tendency to suck up great gobs of milfoil, which were a pain to pull out of the intake - particularly if you're still out in the middle of the lake! The intake would get clogged up, and you'd have to stop the engine, crawl under the boat, and yank all the weeds out. Then you could get it fired up and moving again. If you're planning to use the jet on a lake that has lots of weeds, I'd suggest one of two things. 1)get a jet that has some kind of weed-guard system (some are flow-through designs that open the intake grate and you get a cuisinart effect on the milfoil) or 2)get something OTHER than a jet.