I see guys fishing on the lake and a lot of times I see 2 guys fishing in a nice 21ft boat and the 2 fishermen are side by side on the front deck. What are the advantages gained fishing this way? I have tried it on my boat and with others on theirs and I am very uncomfortable fishing this way. I need all the room I can get when casting/pitching/flipping and setting the hook. What are the pros and cons of fishing this way? Am I missing something?

For me I prefer the other to be up front. Boat control and we won't have to turnaround and go backwards when he gets hung up. Also less opportunity to get whack in the head with a XD10 or a 6/O owner.

In certain situations, like if we are casting to a particular spot I'll invite the person in the back up front or I'll invite myself up front. There is no doubt the person in the front has a significant advantage. If I'm fishing with a buddy and they know what they are doing I'll generally offer them the front of the boat for at least a portion of the trip, especially if it's becoming apparent I'm whipping them. At a minimum, I think it's good etiquette to at least try and save some spots for the guy in the back. We've all been with guys who pound every good spot from the front of the boat. It's not much fun getting sloppy seconds all day. I tend to be pretty easy going on the water, I want myself and my buddy to have a good time.

We do both, normally if we are flipping stumps/docks/etc we will both be on the front deck. If we are fishing deep depending on what we are fishing we will split up. Certain times it is easier to position the boat where the person in the back would not get a good look at the sweet spot, such as fighting wind/waves. Also when tournament fishing it makes it easier to net a fish so one of us isnt running through the boat to the back or the front

One in back one in front. I try to position so that we both have targets to cast at. No need for an extra pair of feet smashing my rods.

No. Been snagged in the head too many times.

This

This!!!

One in the front, one in the back. The older you get the harder it is to maintain your balance all day if you don't have a seat or something to lean on. I can't possibly fish the day from the front and work the trolling motor without a front seat...even if all I ever do is occasionally lean on it...especially in waves. I would end up in the water before long.

Besides, I have removed hooks from three of my friends (I only hit one of them) and I don't want to be next. I am less likely to get a rattletrap in my skull from a guy 15 feet away than one standing right beside me.

One in the front and the other in the back....

As a lifetime back seater, (I have had my own boat so I know about fishing from the front) I prefer the back deck. Yes, the wind is a problem sometimes, and yes I hassle the boater to go back occasionally when I get hung up, but it provides a different casting angle and it gives me the room I like where I am not worried about hitting the guy up front. I will fish up front if that is the only way to attack a spot, but I like to be on the back.

I have caught a tremendous amount of fish in my lifetime. I fish with buddies who have not or have had to give up their boat for one reason or another. I get just as much pleasure watching someone catch a fish and see their reactions. I will run the boat backwards in productive water to give them a first shot. Less experienced people seem to find the back deck easier to operate from. All in all it comes down to the relationship you have with the other person.

Side by side on the front. It's the rule in my boat. I can't stand to have anyone on the back deck.

Also if the boater has poles/talons in back, it get's in the way.

With a guide I'm on the front deck from the get go, if I fish with anyone else I wait for an invite.