Of course it would be nice to have a jet boat. Just about anyone who is serious about fishing the Allegheny River between the Kinzua Dam and Kennerdell would like to have a jet boat. A jet boat is the only way to motor upstream on normal summer flows.

I love fishing the river. Been doing it for more than 60 years. But I have never owned a jet boat, although for several years my late brother owned a jet boat, and he let me keep it at my place since I got to use it a lot more than he did.

But I can not be a one-boat fisherman. I need a boat to fish lakes, including the Great Lakes. And there is no way I can afford the best of both kinds of boats. So my problem was having boats that are adequate for both uses.

Since for quite a few years I have owned a 14-foot V-bottom boat, my need was an adequate river boat. Several years ago I found just such a boat, but only after considerable research and searching.

Researching included identifying what I wanted to be able to do with the river boat. That meant drift-fishing, motoring upstream when the flow is adequate, and hunting.

Hunting is the most limiting factor because the boat had to be maneuverable with oars. Boats must be man-powered for legal and ethical hunting. With decades of experience under my belt, this narrowed my choices to 14-foot jon boats.

But which 14-foot jon boat?

Having owned a 14-foot jon boat that was rated for 7-1/2 hp maximum, I decided jon boats of this size are too unstable. Instead I wanted one that was rated for a 10 hp motor.

I found my boat several years ago when Gander Mountain carried Tracker jon boats, the same carried by Bass Pro Shops.

As is so often the case when buying boat and trailer packages, the trailer was not up to my standards. The bunks had to be re-designed so the boat was easier to load under power, or without power. Four bunk brackets and four 2×4 treated lumber boards covered with heavy, indoor-outdoor carpeting allowed a vast improvement.

Since the boat is light enough to be moved by hand, the boat does not have to sit perfectly on the trailer when loading. It is easy to adjust the boat on the trailer after it is pulled out of the water.

When I bought that boat, I had, still do have, a 7-1/2 hp motor. That would put the boat on plane with two passengers, which is the maximum allowable human weight load.

But I wanted a little more power, so I started looking for a lightly used 9.9 hp motor. It took a couple years, but then I located one for a nice price in Harborcreek which was owned by a gentleman I met at fishing seminars I did for a few years at Gander Mountain.

That 9.9 hp motor pushes my jon boat about as fast as I want to go in the small boat.

Sometimes when drift-fishing, I use a 40-pound-thrust electric motor rather than the gas motor. More often, though, I use oars for maneuvering and short movements since having the gas motor allows motoring back upstream when I want to repeat a drift. And it gets me through long pools faster if I wish, or if I am running late.

So I am very happy with my river boat. But some accessories were needed to make it better.

First was a pulley for the anchor rope. I had to construct my own so that it would not obstruct the bow light, since both had to be at the center of the bow. It is about U-shaped with the U upside down and the pulley hanging down and the bow light remounted on top. That makes the bow light more visible than it had originally been, and keeps it clear of the anchor rope.

Next I needed hangers for a stern anchor rope, minnow buckets and stringers. I used two different types. One is for heavier use, the kind a rope is wrapped around opposing hooks. The others are small, U-shaped brackets that are intended to be used for canvas cover cords.

Then a couple of rod holders with an extra base for each were mounted on the sides for back seat and middle seat anglers. These are most handy when fishing small lakes where trolling might be involved. As an example, this is a great boat powered by electric motor for trout trolling at Chapman Dam.