They do. Look at the "Grand Challange".

I'm actually not complaining or whining about anything and have given Tommy Biffle props for getting a jet drive boat and getting it done. I am a tournament angler and have been in tournaments where I have been beaten by someone who had a jet boat and won two bass boats on back to back days fishing against 220 hardcore competitors. I am not trying to take anything away from them....they got to the fish and caught them. BUT as a tournament angler, my opinion is that at that level, jet boats should be made illegal. This does not make me a whiner, a cry baby, jealous that someone got a boat and beat me or any of the other thoughts that some of you might have.

My opinion is simply based on 10 years of tournament fishing, 3 years of BASS Opens tournaments and good understanding of tournament fishing and the competitiveness of bass fishing and what I personally would like to see them do to prevent situations like this from happening.

There does have to be rules in every sport and rules are generally developed so that all contestants are competing on the same playing field. I believe you will see the no jet drive rule established in BASS and FLW in the coming years.

Iam sure everyone would have the same complaint if everybody but one person was in an aluminum boat at Erie and that one person had a 21ft boat and endedup in the lead after day one. I do not believe it's cheating, just thinking ahead. If everyone that was in an aluminum boat were in the middle of the pack nobody would seem to care would they?

The stark truth is that if any of the "ban the jet drive" clan happened to own one, then it would be just peachy keen. Call it what you like but all I see is whining and crying.

This is no different than playing a sport and one of the teams has the most up to date equipment. While the other team has old and outdated equipment. They are still playing by the same rules.

A good example of this. Read the book called Twelve Mighty Orphans. This is about an Orphanage football team who had nothing but was kicking the Upper Class rich teams arse. And yes, they complained because they did not like the fact that the Orphanage was not at the attendance level required to play at that level.

Another way to look at it is. Aluminium boat sales with jet drive will hopefully drive the prices of the fiberglass boats down. I have been looking at buying an Aluminium boat with a jet for a couple of years now. Also, bottom line as mentioned earlier. You still have to put the fish in the boat.

If its not against the rules I think its ok I agree no one likes being out smarted or thinking out side the box it happens in all sports .

I agree. If you want a jet drive for rivers and backwaters, go get you one. I've not heard one word of complaing from any of the Elites on tour when guys employ jets and aluminums in their events. Some of them are Rick Clunn, Mark Menendez and Steve Kennedy.

All this whining and crying is ridiculous. But given the fact that it is an Open, I'm not surprised. I imagine at least half the field in Opens crys when an Elite Pro comes down to fish "their" tour.

Get over yourselves, shut up and FISH!

I would have to say that it is ok. I look at it as another tool from an angler that has done his homework before the tournament. Its no different IMO than new electronics coming out, or new rods or new reel or the next new hot bait. You know to me everytime someone gets the upper hand and is doing good it always starts the what I call finger pointing on he did this or this aint right. A boat is a boat to me. Heck look at the difference in the boats on the Elite's you have one guy running a much smaller and much slower boat and he still does just fine.

Looks very fun!! and Super Dangerous...

+1 I have had people actually talk bad about me in 2 tournaments that I fished because I fished out of an aluminum boat. I has able to get through a culvert on one tournament and I was able to float over a pond dam that was about 4" deep in another one. They said that they were at a disadvantage because their $40,000 boat wouldn't fit, or float that shallow. I'm sorry, but they had the same opportunity that I had to buy an aluminum boat. The difference was, I was able to catch fish out of my $9,000 boat in placed they couldn't reach. Don't get me wrong though, the shoe fit on the other foot too. I am at a disadvatage in a bigger tourney, with no trailering options, and I need to make a 5 or 6 mile run. Also, when there are 2-3 ft waves pounding on a point that I want to fish. Not comfortable in a 17'0" aluminum boat. I just stick to club tournies now, in which I won AOY last year in my little tin boat.

For some strange reason this thread continues to remind me of the "to eat or not to eat" bass.

I'm pretty sure they had outboards on theirs.

Yes, they did fish out of a aluminum boats.

Seems there is a post a week that goes like this. It's all fun and games for me. This week there has been two!

You don't have to convert the lower unit it is a lower unit swap. From what I understand you can go from prop to jet drive in just over an hour! May be something to look into especially if the lake levels keep droping around here.

BBC has a section for "River Jets" for sale
http://www.bassboatcentral.com/boats4salejets.htm

Bass rules alow jet drive. To put one one on is just like changing a lower unit.
Bass pro's have sponser with deep pockets one win means more lure and tackel sales.