peshewah Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 My family and I are looking into floating the Buffalo. The lower part around Yellville. I hear its a pretty float. Alittle slow for me but I'll have my 7 year old boy with me and have never floated it so better safe than sorry. We float the Niangua river in Missouri a few times a year but I'm wanting to see some new country. Niangua is getting kinda trashy which shouldn't happen with all the outfitters they have. Anyway, I don't think there is anything more relaxing than a good float and the Buffalo is our next if weather permits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnlw7 Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 The Buffalo is probably one of the last free flowing rivers in the country.i am blessed to be only 25 miles away.Your family will enjoy the float it has some great scenery.I have hiked and hunted this area for years.It is one of my favorites. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peshewah Posted July 29, 2009 Author Share Posted July 29, 2009 Thanks for the reply John. 25 miles from a good clean river is a dream to me. I hear that the Buffalo has white water in the spring. I have a question, is the smallmouth plentiful? And if so, what do you catch them on? Is there a lot of crawdads in the river? My family and I love to fish the rivers and creeks. I have the Finley and James River real close to use and they have trophy area's (smallmouth)but the fish are so wormy and the rivers are nasty. They get Springfields run off and three sewer treatment plant that run in them. Very sad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy Dee Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 The Buffalo is an excellent choice for a family float. It's pretty family friendly. I don't hink I've been in that particular part of the river, but have never been disappointed with a trip to the Buffalo. It wouldn't hurt to check to see that the water levels are good in the area you are looking to float, but I think in the lower Buffalo, it should be good this summer. On crawfish, I think they should be plentiful as anywhere. My favorite place to fish is at the confluence of the White and Buffalo river. We catch gobs of trout on crawfish. If you should be interested in doing any trout fishing on the White River, around Cotter, AR, I've got an excellent guide to recommend. It's a pretty family friendly outing, too. Catching one's lunch is great fun. Everything else is catch and relase, by my preference. Chuck McCarney is the guide on the White. He is a super guy and has offered the finest hospitality to my family and daughters. chucksfishingservice.com Hope you can post some pics of your trip on the Buffalo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnlw7 Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 I use roostertails and crankbaits especially at night.daddy is right about the trout fishing in the White I grew Up in Cotter about two blocks from the river.When we were youngsters the river was much less crowded than today.Another good trout spot is where the Cotter Springs empties into the white.I have caught some nice Browns although the bigger ones were caught at night the fish being noctournal.I have floated from Bull Shoals to Batesville which is an awesome trip.Will post some pics sometime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peshewah Posted July 29, 2009 Author Share Posted July 29, 2009 Thanks for the info John and Dee. I personally like to fish for smallmouth and use plastic mini-craw pumkin colored with a slider hook/sinker if there is alot of crawdads in the river as their natural food. To fish out of state is $11 per adult and that is good. I have a friend over trying to tell me to go to the Eleven Point River but I'm set on the Buffalo. The more I speak of floating the more pumped I (and my son) get. Thanks again. Maybe someday I'll meet you on the river. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy Dee Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 Indeed. Hope we do meet on he river sometime. The Buffalo is known for small mouth. Have great time with your son. Very cool trip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klipsch4life Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 Beautiful float when the water is up.. We usually put in at Ponca. KG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay481985 Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 pardon my ignorance, what does"floating" mean and in what context. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flatgrass Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 A group of us would float Boxley to Pruitt at least once each spring when we were going to school in Fayetteville. This is the upper end, but unless you went just after a rainy period, it was not hairy. Granted, that was over 20 years ago, but there were plenty of places to go ashore and camp. We always thought that was the best. Side note: remember one day good friend and I ditched all classes and decided to take a short frun from Boxley to Ponca. Same day Reagan was shot. Another place we used to go, further south from you, is the Mulberry. A nice float, smaller river, but doesn't have all the camping and resources that the Buffalo commands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coytee Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 pardon my ignorance, what does"floating" mean and in what context. My suspicion is they mean either getting into a raft and going down the river or they mean getting onto individual floats (inner tube type thing?) and go down as individuals rather than a group on a raft. I'm thinking there is a distinction because I went rafting down the Ocoee (sp?) here in TN once and it was wild. I don't think you'd want to be on an inner tube while doing that. Then, we have another river (forget name) but the wife has told me of stories on people taking inner tubes down that and I think that's when she called it floating down. Don't know if I'm right, but that's my interpretation Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy Dee Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 pardon my ignorance, what does"floating" mean and in what context. My suspicion is they mean either getting into a raft and going down the river or they mean getting onto individual floats (inner tube type thing?) and go down as individuals rather than a group on a raft. I'm thinking there is a distinction because I went rafting down the Ocoee (sp?) here in TN once and it was wild. I don't think you'd want to be on an inner tube while doing that. Then, we have another river (forget name) but the wife has told me of stories on people taking inner tubes down that and I think that's when she called it floating down. Don't know if I'm right, but that's my interpretation Jay, When floating the Buffalo River, people are usually referring to a canoe trip. Since it's all down stream not much paddling is required. Coytee is right that there are diverse meanings for the same language. I think the minimal need for paddling is the key meaning. It can also indicate a minimal need of use of a motor. For example, a float trip on the White River in Arkansas would usually refer to a trout fishing trip in a built for shallow river travel version of a flat bottom boat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy Dee Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 pardon my ignorance, what does"floating" mean and in what context. My suspicion is they mean either getting into a raft and going down the river or they mean getting onto individual floats (inner tube type thing?) and go down as individuals rather than a group on a raft. I'm thinking there is a distinction because I went rafting down the Ocoee (sp?) here in TN once and it was wild. I don't think you'd want to be on an inner tube while doing that. Then, we have another river (forget name) but the wife has told me of stories on people taking inner tubes down that and I think that's when she called it floating down. Don't know if I'm right, but that's my interpretation Jay, When floating Buffalo, people are usually referring to a canoe trip. Since it's all down stream not much paddling is required. Coytee is right that there are diverse meanings for the same language. I think the minimal need for paddling is the key meaning. It can also indicate a minimal need of use of a motor. For example, a float trip on the White River in Arkansas would usually refer to a trout fishing trip in a built for shallow river travel version of a flat bottom boat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay481985 Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 Thanks guys I was lost in the terminology. I know of rafting, tubing, canoing around my area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seti Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 Call in advance and make sure it is floatable. The next time your in for a float a little more challenging try floating the Spring River in Mammoth Spring, AR. It is in the NE corner on the MO border. It is beautiful and floatable all year. The trout fishing is incredible. I found it better than the Little Red River which is home to the lunker 42lb brown trout world record holder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarheel Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 Hey pesh......ever see the movie Deliverance? Take the little lady to somewhere safe.....say a theme park[] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy Dee Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 Call in advance and make sure it is floatable. The next time your in for a float a little more challenging try floating the Spring River in Mammoth Spring, AR. It is in the NE corner on the MO border. It is beautiful and floatable all year. The trout fishing is incredible. I found it better than the Little Red River which is home to the lunker 42lb brown trout world record holder. Yeh. I second that. The Spring River is awesome. The source of the Spring River is Mammoth Spring. I'll post a pic below, but it doesn't do it justice. Mammoth Spring puts out something like 1.4 million gallons per hour, just rising up out of the earth. There is an antique hydro electric plant there, out of service for years, but it sits on a lake dammed up for the purpose. I'll post another pic of the volume of water coming over the dam, which is precisely equal to the output of the spring. Our family has gone to the Spring River for years for trout fishing and tubing. We would put the inner tubes in the water just below the dam and float down together and then get out drive back up the river and do it again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy Dee Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 actual volume of Mammoth Spring at the head of the Spring River. Put your tube in here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peshewah Posted July 30, 2009 Author Share Posted July 30, 2009 Tarheel I have seen the movie and I floated the Piney River and it reminded me of it. It wasn't my wife I was concerned in if you get my drift LOL. Seti, I'll call ahead to make sure the water is good. If nothing else we can go for a hike. Eat BBQ. Do something. Arkansas is beautiful. If it was up to me we would go from one river to the next just to say I've been there(and I like to float). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skonopa Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 Well, if you are ever in my area here in Fredericksburg, VA, I'll have to take you down to the Rappahannock River which runs right here through town, just a mile or so from my place. I've floated, swam, and hiked that thing. I've explored nearly every inch of it from Motts Run all the way down to the City Dock - some ten miles of river. Since they got rid of the Embry Dam, it is now one of the longest free-flowing rivers in the country. There is no dams anywhere along its 184 or so mile length from source to mouth. It is a really nice river to go paddling or just float down in tubes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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