holleybob

Sounds like that boat ought to be hanging in some sort of Ozarks history of river fishing museum.

My new penobscot solo 15 pulled into the driveway about 4 o'clock Saturday. I think I'm going to be pretty happy with it.

AL, you are officially a bona-fide map geek.

Lots of great ideas here. Thanks everyone for your help.

Thanks Phil. Definitely helpful. I'll print them for reference. I'd still like to find topo maps. The topo lines give me a good idea on what to expect and help me identify where I am with or without names. I found what appeared to be a complete set of topo maps here http://www.buffaloriverchamber.com/river_maps_top.html#axzz459Xw7MS9 Unfortunately at least one is mislabeled and the Dillard's ferry area is missing.

Thanks so much. I saw those online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. I went to B&N last night but they did not have it in the store. Online I believe they call it a trail map and that left me a bit skeptical. I still like to hold things in my hand before I buy them. If you like them I'll go ahead and buy online. It'll be my first attempt at floating the entire river. I may be a bit over my head but I've spent months planning so on paper it looks great. If the weather cooperates I should be fine. Maybe we should get a group of OAF members to plan a trip next year or maybe in the fall. Mine will mostly be solo but company is always welcome.

Does anyone know a good source for quality topo maps of the entire Buffalo river? Only thing I've found online is maps of the trail system which I don't believe will cover the last 30 miles or more. Any help is appreciated, Jeff

So a long time family friend had some property that we used to hunt and fish on. He had retired from his job and figured he'd run some cattle to keep him busy and make a little money on. He did his own taxes each year and the year after he kept cattle he got a visit from an IRS auditor. The auditor asked the gentleman " how many cattle do you have?" "Thirty Two" the gentleman replied. "how much feed did you buy last year?" the auditor asked. "$650.00 worth" replied the gentleman. The auditor then asked "do you breed you cows ". "Oh..no sir" said the gentleman, " that's what the bull is for."

Yep, pretty nasty little spot. I beached the canoe to have a look and that's when I spotted the tackle box. I actually found it on the upstream side of that spot and figured it had washed down from some point above. Did you lose a tackle box there ?

Floated Joe Crighton access down to lake Springfield yesterday. Found a tacklebox lodged against a stump about a mile down river from Crighton access. If you think it's yours tell me what's in it and I'll get it back to you. Jeff

You can do it. Not plastic but fiberglass. Make a form from cardboard or something similar. Get a piece of cloth that you want to use cut and shape it to your form and then apply your resin then paint it whatever color you want. Check out some You Tube vids on how to make fiberglass pillar pods. I've not done it yet but am planning on making a gauge pod for my truck. It does not look that difficult.

You could put one worthy of a picture in the live well, let him catch his breath, get your boat back into position, snap a shot and send him home.

I found it on paddleswap.com . Pretty cool site. You put in your parameters and it locates all that are for sale on the internet with a hyperlink to each one. Then as mentioned before I used uship and found a transporter that was bringing a boat from Florida to Osage beach. Now he's bringing two. I'll meet him in Osage Beach. $200 to ship it. I'd spend that much in fuel if I did it myself. I'm pretty happy with it so far but still a bit reserved until it's sitting in my truck. Jeff

Guys I appreciate all of the advice here. I have always been amazed at the level of experience on these forums and the unselfishness of those willing to help others. Al a special thanks to you for your assistance especially with the distractions in your life at this time. Hopefully I'll have the chance to repay or pay forward some knowledge I have acquired along the way. Having said that I have struck a deal with a guy in Florida to purchase his royalex old town penobscot solo 15. The boat has been used very little, has a sliding cane seat and has been stored inside in a zippered cover. I truly wanted a tandem but the only ones I could find were too high for my budget or the sellers were not willing to deal with an out of state buyer. The owner of the solo wanted someone to use this boat he had and the deal was made only with some accommodations on his part. I should have it in my possession on April 8th or 9th. Oh, I also got the fast version...it's red! For anyone needing to transport a canoe cross country I would recommend uship. Not done yet but looking good. By far the best shipping option out there for boats of any size or shape. Thanks again and happy easter !!

Ok. Thanks again. I hope I'm not being too bothersome with all of these questions but I just don't have the years of paddling experience that I'm wishing I had right now. So my 1st choice will be a royalex penobscot 16 tandem. It appears I am not going to find one within a days drive of Springfield. There are used ones in Boulder, Washington state, and maybe one in Florida. There are 10 or so new in a warehouse in Rochester for $1700.00 each. 2nd choice will be the same boat in 3 layer poly. I can get one new for about $1000.00 shipped to my door. One more question for you Al. Would you take your Vagabond down the Buffalo from start to finish ? There is one for sale in royalex for just under $1000.00. Really wanting a tandem but some times opportunities have to be taken when they present themselves. Jeff

Al, how do you feel about the new penobscot boats with the 3 layer poly? I know they are heavier but would the handling characteristics be the same as a royalex boat? Also, does anyone know anything about wenonah sothforks? I can't find a single review of them. There is one for sale near me. It is n to a royalex either. Jeff

Correct on the compromise. I started off wanting to use 2 canoes. One for the more technical upper end and a more efficient canoe for hauling the load through the deeper pools of the lower end. I pitched the idea to my wife. When she stopped laughing I fell back to earth and realized that I (we) won't be buying 2 canoes this year. The question is what to sacrifice. That answer is the technical, maneuverable abilities. The efficiency is more important to me although some agility will be required to make the upper end work. I should mention I will be making this trip with a torn rotator cuff so each stroke needs to be fairly efficient for me to put on the miles I need. Also, I figure if the upper end is rocking with high water I'm comfortable waiting it out. Plus, as you mentioned my usual trips will be on the Jack's Fork, Eleven point, James and Finley. I almost pulled the trigger on a Discovery 158 but I can't get over the weight of the thing! Any suggestions ?

Thanks Terrierman, I don't want to rush into anything. I don't know if you could make it work from Springfield but St Louis craigslist always has a bunch of canoes listed. https://stlouis.craigslist.org/search/boo?query=canoe Good advice Snagged. I bought my last boat in St Louis. There is a nice Vagabond for sale now. The price is a bit too high for me though.

So I am planning a trip down the Buffalo. Family (kids, wife, brother) may join me for sections of the trip but the majority will be solo. Especially the last 50 miles or so. The plan is to do the full 135 miles but we'll see how much water is there in the 3rd week of May. I have 3 weeks and should not need half that even if I hike the first leg. I have a couple of fishing kayaks and 2 Pelican 15.5 canoes. They are not what I want to float the Buffalo in although I have floated sections of it in them. I love the kayaks for agility and handling in class ii, class iii but lack cargo space for such a trip. Also I really prefer to fish from a canoe. The pelicans are fine for short day trips but for a 10-11 day trip I need something sturdy, efficient and reliable. Bottom line is I need a new canoe. I missed an opportunity at a Mad River Explorer. It was on Craigslist for less than a day at $550. I'm thinking it would have been perfect. I now have the opportunity to purchase a Wenonah Adirondak in Tuffweave for $450. I have never paddled one and the lack of rocker on the Adirondak is concerning with the potential for class ii but it's tracking ability and efficiency seems attractive for the last 50 miles. Does anyone have any experience with an Adirondak? Also would you take this boat on a 10-12 day trip down the Buffalo in late May ? Is $450 a fair price ? I should mention the boat has not been paddled in 6-7 years, has been kept inside during that time and has 2 spider cracks on the bottom that will need to be dealt with. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Jeff

Good luck to you. If you were going Sunday I would try and hook up with you. I've got farm work to do on Saturday. Jeff

The Springfield WOLF program takes kids down there each year to bowfish those carp. I've thought about it myself but have yet to make it happen. Jeff

Sounds like you were doing everything right. I've had good luck on road runners in the past. Please post a report if you go to Swan. I think lower Taney is just a different animal sometimes. I know some have it figured out but they don't post.

Probably very solid advice. I've never done particularly well on lower Taney but I do enjoy the water there, the scenery and mostly the solitude that comes with much fewer boats. Maybe I'm getting too old to fight the crowds although I suppose there are crowds for a reason.

Yes, This has been my experience as well although the several that I have stumbled on were pigs! Never caught a small one there, Maybe because I was using bass baits, Dunno.

I know hardly anyone post on the Lower Taney site but I'm going to ask anyway. Is there a significant white bass run on lower Taney ? I caught a couple down there last summer around Rockaway but was not sure if they were a fluke or if there are many whites in the lower end. Thought maybe they run up Bull creek. Jeff