This has happened to me a few times over the years, however more often in the past 2 years. I will set a line of jug's in an area that no other jug's are set in and I try to set them out of the way of boat traffic. When I return to check on my string someone has set a line very close to mine, at times with in 10ft i have also found on multiple occasions others jug's tangled in mine. Now I do understand the fish can swim and can drag jugs into other jug's and stuff. So I ask, what is a reasonable distance to set jug's from someone else's line? Also same applies to rod & reel fishing from others jug's?

Let me think about this... So you are setting a line of jugs that are anchored sounds like.

Yeah if someone came and set a line 10 feet from mine that would be kind of annoying. Not a good move. Poor sportsmanship. But also not illegal. Maybe its a good spot? Likely there are plenty of catfish for everyone. Shake it off.

Rod and reel fishing near your jugs, that is fine. It must be a good spot if you set there. I do not think your set line being there claims that space until you run them again... So rod and reel is fine. No foul. Setting jugs next to yours, yeah annoying as heck. Not cool. But not much you can do.

I recall once, when James (one my two prize Catfish Calendar & YellowCat students) & his wife set a jug out each just outside the "Near Corner" (what I call it, as to where the Running Branch fork of Lake Limestone enters the bottom of the lake, near the water station. It seems the two jugs got tangled up. They hoisted in two big Blues, about 40 pounds each. After much entangling, James had caught the largest of the two Blues.

I had one 4 or 5 hook jug with a fair size weight (but set at 10 to 15 feet deep), take the jug out of the Running Branch No Wake Zone & had made it to just outside of the Near Corner.

I had one of my Juglines over on the Far Corner near my two "Planter" trotlines, disappear, but one other catfisherman said that was probably mine over near the dam. That was a long way off. Anyway, I traveled to the west side of the dam, and saw that it was across in the No Wake Zone. I had heard they fine you big time if you cross into No Man's Land. So I circled around & let it go, meaning it was not worth the fine. I was talking the next October with a couple of guys from BRA (Brazos River Authority) at the Running Branch Cafe. They realized it had been my jugline & shared the Game Wardens told them to go pull it & if any wanted it, they could keep it. One of these 3 guys kept it. It was a 40 pound Blue. And they shared that if it happened again, I could touch base with a game warden or the lake ranger to give permission to retrieve it & my line.