The stand on vessel (approaching boat on your port side) is suppose to maintain course and speed so the give way vessel (approaching boat on your starboard side) can make a course change.

The stand on vessel should only alter course if they do not think the give way vessel is making any changes (after they blow the 5 horn blasts WTF are you doing signal). I believe the rule is stated in a way that even if the stand on vessel does not maintain a course the give way is still responsible to try and get out of the way all though I would be blaring a couple of warning horns myself at the stand on boat in that situation.

Can you tell I am still fresh off the classes

It is tough out there trolling though, it always seems the boats without auto pilots get into trouble when they get a fish on and everybody goes to the back to try and net it. Meanwhile the boat is going wherever it wants including turning right into your lane giving you nowhere to go if someone is running the line to the the other side of you. Then you have the auto pilot boats where hardly anybody pays attention to crossing boats.

I have seen a couple close calls already this year and I am sure we will have more. At least so far we have not had an emergency pull all the gear on one side incident, that really sucks when you have 8 setups out per side.