Mark

Looks like a nice weekend next weekend. Planning on a trip to the river. Has anyone been catching anything lately? Looks like river levels are much improved.

As a recreational fisherman, I make 5-6 fishing trips a year. I never keep more than the legal limit but want fresh fish for supper. I seldom fish the trophy areas because I want to eat my catch. If we are on several day trip, I will only eat fish one night, and rarely take fish home. My catch is not hurting the population of fish in any stream. I can't control what others do. I hope the day never comes when the recreational float fisherman has no place left to go to catch and keep. My trips to my favorite streams would definitely decline to areas that need the money we spend.

A MUST FOR EVERY KIT.... Are you prepared to stop bleeding?.... I carry a roll of gauze and a roll of athletic tape...my first aid/survival kit is small but just something I thought about. You will survive hopefully for a while with most injuries, but you or someone has a massive open wound or cuts an main artery, it instanty become life or death. But this thread is a great reminder and I will be upgrading my kit.

This tragedy has made some of us realize how ill prepared we are for emegencies on some of our trips. Hell, me and a buddy were float fishing last October, got into a rootwad, had to bail out to save the canoe. Both got soaking wet. Even though the temp was in the 50s, I was shivering uncontrollably by the time we got off the river. If we had lost our canoe and no one around, we could have been in for a long night. A lot of us have been in situations where things could have gone terribly wrong. This incident was certainly a wake up call.

Sorry I have no problem with anyone keeping legal fish to eat.

Stinking Pond is about 1/4 mile downstream from Turner Mill Access. Gravel bar on right, bluff and float camp on left.

Hindsight is 20/20, but hard to imagine taking an 8 and 10 year old on a 16 mile hike in the winter without better preparation. Lots of tragic mistakes.

Article I read said that approximately 2pm, someone passing by offered them a ride and the father refused and said they would be all right. By 2pm, the temp had started to drop. Man, what a sad situation! I agree, nothing related to foul play, just a lot of mistakes made by the father, who was experienced and maybe overconfident in his ability to handle whatever came his way in the outdoors, and his eagerness to show his son's some of his outdoor knowledge. Hard to imagine this happening. It looked like on map that they were also only about a mile or two from a paved road.

RV is not an option and would think that would get expensive. I will check with Cedar Stone Lodge.

Great news. We didn't get near that much in the St. Louis area.

Our group of 4-6 fishermen always take a 4-5 night fishing trip the first week of June. None of us have done the Current River much in past years and thinking of doing it this year. All in our mid 50s, we prefer a cabin for this trip. I'm thinking Eminence area for base camp. 2 jet boats and canoe/motor. Hope to all float the Jack's Fork one day, and spend rest of the week smallmouth fishing and checking out the scenery since none of us have been on the river in jet boats. I've research the net on Eminence cabins - some are a little pricey for us - would also like some solitude to hang around campfire, have some cold ones, BBQ, listen to ballgame, etc. and not be disturbing anyone - would prefer something a couple miles outta town. We don't want to stay in the middle of town. A couple of us don't mind sleeping on air mattresses. AC also a must. Just not having much luck. Wondering if anyone knows a small lodger that doesn't have an ad on the net. Or if you know of anywhere else along the Current that would have a house to fit our needs. PM if you have a place and don't care to advertise it.

I am looking for a cheap basic essentials cabin located on or very near the Buffalo River. Stove, frig, couple beds, and shower. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

I would suggest getting a canoe and floating as many Ozark streams as you can. You will be amazed at the scenery, sometime solitude, and you will have to get into smallmouth fishing. Lots of lakes and bigger streams for your boat, but don't overlook the small streams.

Snowmobiling in the Rocky Mountains has always been on my bucket list. So I talked a fellow teacher who I've taken a few summer vacations with into going to Colorado this Christmas break for a snowmobiling vacation. After researching for a few months, we decided on the Grand Mesa on the western slope about 40 miles south of Grand Junction, CO, (although Yellowstone would have been our first choice but was too far to drive with only a week to spend). The Grand Mesa area is somewhere we have never been to and was one place where there would be plenty of snow over Christmas. Ads claim that the Grand Mesa is the longest flat top mountain in the world although I read someplace that is debatable. Regardless, nearing Grand Junction on I-70, the Grand Mesa is obvious in the distance and certainly appears to be a long stretch of forest land that shoots up out of the Grand Juction Valley and appears to be flat from the distance. After stopping in Palisades for groceries, we headed up the Grand Mesa Scenic Byway. The Byway leads through four climate zones, from the high plains desert of the valley, thru sections of buttes and sheer red rock cliffs, thru a zone with orchards and numerous wineries, and finally into the subalpine full of aspen trees and eventually huge 100 foot plus pine trees. We didn't encounter any snow until we reached the top of the Mesa where suddenly 3 to 4 feet of snow on the ground was evident. The Grand Mesa Scenic Byway certainly lived up to it's reputation. We missed our turn to the lodge and were practically down the opposite side of the mountain before we pulled off at a shop and got directions. But we were early to check in anyway, so we didn't mind the scenery. We made it to the lodge and our rustic, very small cabin, nestled in the Grand Mesa National Forest. Thunder Mountain Lodge had a restaurant and bar, and was situated on Deep Ward Lake. The Grand Mesa is a summer vacation locale as well, with over 300 lakes on top of the Mesa. There are three lodges with cabin rentals within 2 or 3 miles of each other. A few of the largest lakes have private cabins around them, but for the most part, the top of the Mesa is all National Forest public ground. No sooner than the sun set, it began to snow. We made our way to the bar to unwind and visited with the owners and get the rundown on area. After Happy Hour, we walked back to our cabin and we had already gotten 6" of new snow. We woke up Christmas Eve morning excited and a bit apprehensive with it still snowing hard. Our snowmobile rental guy, Mike, met us and discussed our options. He was reluctant to let two first timers head out in a snowstorm, as the forecast was for snow the rest of the day. We agreed to wait until Christmas Day with a forecast for clear skies and hired Mike for a halfday guide to show us the ropes. He said the snow groomer would go out overnight and begin grooming the trails. Glad we did hire him to guide! After a day hunkered down in the cabin, watching Netfliks, (no TV), we woke up to clear skies, a balmy 4 degrees, and 20" of fresh powder. We met Mike at his Grand Mesa Lodge up the road and he had a buddy to ride along as tail runner. Mike took the lead and plowed through a 4 ft. bank of snow heading out of the parking lot and took off like a bat outta hell. We figured he wanted us to keep up so we took off much faster than we anticipated on an ungroomed trail, snow flying, but I was surprised how easy it was riding the snowmobile. Just like a four wheeler - gas and brake. Despite it's name and appearance from a distance, the Grand Mesa is not flat on top. Up and down hills and valleys, twisting thru the snow covered elegant pines, it reminded me of riding on gravel roads in Ozarks, except for the much taller pines and 500 foot snow covered peaks surrounding the trail. Mike would stop at scenic overlooks to regroup and allow us to take pictures. Like I said, the snowmobiles were surprisingly easy to ride. They also had hand and feet warmers, and the rentals included ski suits and helmets. We were prepared and never once got cold all day. On a hairpin turnaround, both Terry and I buried our machines in deep snow. Glad we had our guides. They showed us how to dig them out and get going again, although it was alot of work. Terry almost passed out, we were both feeling the effects of the 10,000 foot altitude. But after about 10 minutes of packing the snow down around the machines and lifting them up on the packed snow, we got them out and were off again. Looking down at the speedometer, I was going over 40 mph on long straightaways. Mike then took us on the groomed trails. The Sunlight to Powderhorn Snowmobile Trail is the main highway across the Mesa. Short spurs and loops disect off of the SP Trail. After a couple hours with Mike and his buddy, we felt comfortable that we would be OK if we stayed on the groomed trails. So we were off on our own the rest of the day. The trails are endless, something like over 300 miles of trails on the Mesa and plenty of off trail boondoggling (new word) for the experienced. We covered about 70 miles on Christmas Day, with each trail and each turn offering awe inspiring sights. At one point, mountains in Utah were visible. While we would goose the machines occasionally on straightaways, Terry and I were perfectly content to putt along at 15-20 mph most of the afternoon. Interestingly, one of the largest lakes, Alexander Lake, which had a small community of maybe 50 private cabins and homes, had a local bar and grill that was along the snowmobile trail. It was obvious that it was a regular stop for snowmobilers on the trail and was the center of activity on the Mesa, even an ad outside for Live Music. But we were having too much fun riding and didn't stop. We were suppose to ride again the next day. But when we woke up, it was snowing hard again and that night was our last night in the cabin. Our rental SUV was suppose to be all wheel drive, but when we got stuck in our parking lot, we figured out it was only front wheel drive. After talking to the people in our lodge, the forecast was for 2 feet of snow lasting for 24-36 hours. We worried about not being able to get off the Mesa for another couple of days and decided to skip our second day of riding and get off the mountain while we could. So I can check another one off my bucket list, although I would definitely do it again. One of the funnest experiences I have ever had. And we found out that the Grand Mesa Lodge will pick customers up at the Grand Junction airport an hour away and take you back. Next time, the heck with that 20 hour drive, I'm flying in. Or maybe Yellowstone now that I have some experience. Definitely worth the effort and expense to spend Christmas Day at 10,000 feet on a snowmobile. An amazing experience!

I doubt if there are many rainbow below Riverton. Water warms very quickly.

I would say it's a bad idea if you bust your axle and tires pulling your boat out!!

Glad you enjoyed it. What's your thoughts on the scenery and isolation??

There is not electric hook ups anywhere on the river - which is a shame. Several cabins in town, and the Alton Motel is cheap, but not much. For other info, check out preivious post from "First timer seeking info".

Annual fall trip is just a week away. Looks like Eleven Point area is getting a good soaking today. How is the work progressing at Whitten? Is boat launch still closed? Any idea on when it will reopen?

Larry - one final tip on one of the best, most awesome places to camp and fish (and my buddies will give me crap for this one), - about 3 miles downstream from Turner Mill (or 8 miles from Greer) you will come to Tumbling Shoals, the largest rapids on the upper section. You will know it when you get there. It's an easy run, but a good drop off with some whitewater waves even in this low water. At the bottom of the run, the river makes a slight right turn and a gravel bar is on the right. A slight hill from the gravel bar to a great campsite. The tailwaters of this shoal is one of the best fishing spots on the river - we absolutely slayed them here a month ago - and it is a definite spot to hit every trip. Since you are going this time of year and heading out on a weekday, you are almost 100% be guaranteed that no one will be camping there. The sound of running water splashing all night makes for great campsite. You know you are getting close when you get to a big wide right turn with deep water and you see a cave up on the hill on your left. You will have about a quarter mile of very deep water after the turn before getting to Tumbling Shoals. It's my favorite place to camp on the entire river and we always catch fish there.

Look for us at the first gravel bar down from Turner Mill access. We are not floating this fall trip. One friend has a jet prop and will shuttle us to one of our favorite gravel bars to hang out for the day on Friday. We'll prolly pick another spot for Saturday.

Just a suggestion Larry - IMO you are going to find the best fishing from Greer to Riverton, especially trout. Take your time thru this section - the first 21 miles. We like to only cover about 5-7 miles per day to hit all the fishing spots. You will find if you are covering 10 or more miles per day that you will be passing up lots of good fishing. I am not familiar with the Eleven Point into Arkansas and have only did the sections below Riverton to Arkansas a few times. While we did catch enough smallmouth below Riverton to keep our interest, IMO the best fishing (and the prettiest section) is the Greer to Riverton stretch. The Greer to Turner Mill section is about 5 miles and this is the trophy area with artificial only. The Turner Mill to Whitten access (currently closed for renovations) is about 7 miles. And the Whitten to Riverton section is about 9+ miles. Most people make this a 3 day trip. You will find plenty of good place to camp that will provide both evening fishing and early morning fishing. IF you go downstream past Riverton, you may want to consider using Mike Jones from Hufstedlers Canoe Rental at Riverton for convenience sake since he is located down river farther. He is a great guy, along with Brian Sloss from Eleven Point Rental in Alton. Both will provide you with lots of info. Just my 2 cents from experience - don't get in a big hurry to make mileage in the Greer to Riverton section if fishing is your primary interest.

Oh and by the way, we'll see you there. My group makes our annual Fall Float that weekend. (Although we will not be floating this trip but instead will be shuttling in a camo riverboat with jet prop. Give us a hollar if you see us! We concentrate on the sections around Turner Mill access.

You will absolutely love the Eleven Point River. Fishing is good right now and fish seem to be holed up in deep water. I am an admitted bait chucker - pink, white, yellow powereggs can't miss. Locals use minnows which are plentiful to seine. Black and yellow rooster tails, and dark Gitzits work well for smallies. 5 days sounds great to explore the area. Take a mile by mile map from Missouri Conservation Department and check out the various sites along the way. Take the time to walk back to the springs that feed the river. Greer Springs, Turner Mill, Boze Mill, and the Narrows are all great sightseeing musts. I don't know if you have your trip details planned out, but the water levels are low, and expect some minimal work. Be prepared to get out of the canoe at tricky spots - the low water will cause you to bottom out in rapids and turn you directions you don't want to go, namely into downed trees. Lots of downed trees the closer you get to Riverton. I would suggest putting in at Greer - 5 miles of special management trout water, then no regs the rest of the way. The closer you get to Riverton, the trout fishing slows down but smallmouth fishing increases. Below Riverton, mostly smallmouth fishing. Drift fish as you float will snag many fish. IF you float downstream past Riverton and Hwy 142, the river flattens out and start to see houses and cabins along the river. But from the headwaters down to HWY 142, you pretty much have the river to yourself and any gravel bar you choose to camp on. And there are lots of fantastic places on the river to camp. You will be in awe of the solitude and beauty of the Eleven Point. I promise your first time will not be your last.

Good Brian. I really hate to hear about the thievery. That is something we have never had to worry about on the Eleven Point before so I hope someone catches them.