Tournament boat question

[Fishnngolfn]

Do boats have to keep a certain predetermined distance from each other during fishing tournamentswhile fishing? I mean, can a boat pull right up next to another boat and fish the same spot? Common courtesy and etiquette says no but there are some jacklegs out there? Does it boil down to whoever has the fastest motor gets to the "best" spot first?

[JB]

it depends on the rules of the club or org. that is running the tournie. more specially the tournament directer call before the contest.

For example in the last bass club I was in you couldnt come within 50 ft of a competitors boat.

Most of the time if you are working over the same area, one boat may go within that 50 ft to pass, but not fish

[Bender]

Fastest motor thing yes, how close depends on how big of a jerk you want to be. Most of the ones I have fished say in the rules only say that if the trolling motor is up and there is an anchor down, then you have to stay 50 yards away. If the trolling motor is down then technically there is no limit.

[carolina-rig-01]

i think that the fastest boat thing is more about being able to make long runs and not lose a lot of fishing time. not very often is there a drag race to the same spot. and what bender said about the anchor vs. a trolling motor is correct but how stupid of a rule is this. i mean if i drop my trolling motor and start fishing down a bank then there is no limit but if i am anchored there is. doesn't make much sense to me, i guess it's just a loophole but "usually" your bigger tournaments will have less of these classless guys that we all have seen.

[3dkicker]

The guys who respect other competitor's water are usually rewarded in the long run. Spent a day on the water with Peter T. He explained that over the years the guys realized that they have to help each other out if they plan on making a career out of fishing the tournaments. You screw a guy over and everyone learns your name and you'll never get help from anyone and that's a death sentence on the tours!
Respect your competitor's water. But understand that there are areas that many people fish i.e. community hole. If you expect people to back off and let you fish all by yourself then you're in for a big disappointment too. I've found that you need to talk with fellow competitors and find out if they're working an entire area or just one small section. Makes things much easier for everyone.

[BassAddict]

The FOM rules are 50 yards from an anchored boat with trolling motor up, and 25 yards with trolling motor down.

[Tryinhard]

3D you called right on the nose nice post !!

[Jigger]

Our clubs rule is 50 ft which to me is way too close. No one ever gets that close to another boat. One of the worst breeches of etiquette is to see another fisherman fishing down a bank and pull in front of him and start fishing the same direction whereas fishing behind someone going down a bank is OK. I think a good rule is when you think you might be encroaching on someone's water, just ask them if you're too close or if you can fish this water. Let them decide.

[Fishnngolfn]

Originally Posted by Jigger

One of the worst breeches of etiquette is to see another fisherman fishing down a bank and pull in front of him and start fishing the same direction ...

I have a fishing "buddy" that does that when bank fishing. If he sees that you are doing well and he is not, he will pick up his stuff and quickly walk ahead of you and go the same direction you are. I ignored it the first few times because he is 15. About 99% of the time I just say something to him and I just wait a little longer at my spot until he gets far enough ahead. I also make sure I am using a different bait than he is. But every now and then I revert to the inner child in me and I throw a rock near where he cast his line.

[bamabassman]

i like that fishin, hahahaha. throwing a rock, hahahahahahaha