Water Is Getting Low And Dangerous

[Brian Jones]

The measure of a jet rig is "how shallow it'll run". And the measure of the operator is "how sketchy of a spot they can navigate clean".

There is always going to be guys out there finding out. And every time they get a different rig they gotta "find out" again.

You described my younger days of jet boating to a "T" wrench. Used to be about how fast I could get to where I was going and how shallow could I run it. Now, after 15 years of being a jet boat owner, it's more about getting there and back in one piece. Rarely do I run our boat at WOT. Dents cost more to get fixed nowadays, bumps and bruises take longer to get over, and pushing the boat off a gravel bar or digging it off a shallow shoal isn't as much fun.

[fishinwrench]

Yeah me too. It's a natural progression, and there are growing numbers of guys out there on every river that haven't gotten to where you are yet.

Knowing of a certain stretch that serves as a good SAFE "testing ground" and using that stretch to learn you & your new boats limits is the smart way to do it IMO, but very few think like that.

[Hog Wally]

I agree with both of you on the safety issues. That's why after 21 years of jet boating on ozark rivers- I bought a river pro

[Mitch f]

If took me about one year or so to be comfortable in a jet boat. Quite a few dents, running up on sand bars, sucking up too much gravel, etc. If you don't have a river pro, you simply can't cut corners as sharp, and that is the hardest to get used to. I've come to a conclusion in my boat that it's best to maintain just enough speed to keep you on plane and no more when you are going thru a tricky spot. The two worst scenarios are a 90 degree turn going downstream against a log jam where the water is only deep enough right up against the logs, and downstream in a rocky riffle situation. Couple that with the late in the day sunlight glare reflecting off the water and you really have to be on your toes.

[Seth]

You described my younger days of jet boating to a "T" wrench. Used to be about how fast I could get to where I was going and how shallow could I run it. Now, after 15 years of being a jet boat owner, it's more about getting there and back in one piece. Rarely do I run our boat at WOT. Dents cost more to get fixed nowadays, bumps and bruises take longer to get over, and pushing the boat off a gravel bar or digging it off a shallow shoal isn't as much fun.

Throw in 3 hours of hard rain, lightning and thunder along with horrible bass fishing and you got a last Saturday. I need to pull of my shoe and drop the impeller and give them some TLC after last Saturday's tournament. Going to the Osage and actually catching some fish probably would be beneficial to my fishing ego after my poor showing as well.

I feel very comfortable at running most stretches these days. It took me two or three years to get to that point though. The two things that I make it hardest on me is when the sun is in your eyes early or late and wind chop. Wind chop makes it hard for me to read the riffles. Having a GPS fish finder helps at times though because I can zoom all the way in and know ahead of time which way I need to run. If it's really treacherous, I will put a waypoint in with a note on where to run. That's mainly for stretches that I don't run much and tend to forget the bad spots.

[Brian Jones]

I agree with both of you on the safety issues. That's why after 21 years of jet boating on ozark rivers- I bought a river pro

River pros are without a doubt the best river jet boat on the market. However they are definitely not in the Jones family's budget and probably won't be unless their prices stabilize or we win the lottery that we don't play. Not saying they're over-priced; just not in our price range.

[Hog Wally]

Amen on that Brian jones. I saved for 5 years for mine

[Blazerman]

If took me about one year or so to be comfortable in a jet boat. Quite a few dents, running up on sand bars, sucking up too much gravel, etc. If you don't have a river pro, you simply can't cut corners as sharp, and that is the hardest to get used to. I've come to a conclusion in my boat that it's best to maintain just enough speed to keep you on plane and no more when you are going thru a tricky spot. The two worst scenarios are a 90 degree turn going downstream against a log jam where the water is only deep enough right up against the logs, and downstream in a rocky riffle situation. Couple that with the late in the day sunlight glare reflecting off the water and you really have to be on your toes.

Mitch you may as well be talking about the upper end of the jungle run on the Meramec with this comment.

Heading downstream you have a 90 degree turn to the left then about 10-12 foot straight section before another 90 to the right. All in a channel about 3’ across and 2-2.5 foot deep with logs and boulders. Fun stuff.

And I have seen guys run this without even slowing down while coming downstream and if there had been someone coming up, it would have been ugly.

I usually stop upstream before getting there to listen for any boats and then take it just like you describe. With enough throttle to stay on plane but no more.

[Hog Wally]

I go through that run at least ten times a week. It's a killer spot to fish but only at first light cause of traffic. It's actually 9 ft deep through that run of boulders but 3 inches on the turn.

[Hog Wally]

Enter at your own risk!