steve l

Floated the 24th to the 29th with the wife, the two brothers (from Charlotte and Jax) & a couple of their kids. Went from Greer to 142. Pretty dang hot! Got on the river about noon. One neat aspect Sunday was a mist over stretches of the blue ribbon water. It ran three to four or so feet over the river. When sitting it was tough to see through - when standing you could get above it. Can't remember seeing that before. Fishing was good in the blue & white ribbon water. Got my personal best rainbow at 3.7 lbs, just a bit under 21 inches. Then we always find the smallie water productive. There were jet boats, but not too bad. But what's the deal with the the no trespassing at Hall's Bay? I mean come on, purple paint splashed everywhere? New landowner? Old landowner waiting over 30 years for the side channel to fill in? Or just a dork? Had the pleasure of meeting Two Sheds at 142 while taking out. Oh, and kudos for Mike & Wendy running Hufstedler's. They always treat us good! Sure wish I could get down more than once a year. Couple of pictures

Putting on Sunday for 5 nights. Looks like from Brian's previous post the timing might be good. Although since no fly rod our Bloody Marys will be of a slightly different variety. Couple of questions. I would think at 99 degrees or whatever it will be the jet boaters all over the river. But at least one of use says maybe it will be too hot. I really doubt that, but thoughts? Any thing about the river we need to know since the floods this year? We're good going either way around the various islands? Any tress in tough spots? I see the gauge says the river is runing at a bit under 4 feet. And maybe a silly question, but is the river really up a foot to a foot and half over what it has been this time a year? In any event it is flowing pretty good? How does the Stinking Pond gravel look? The floods do anything to it? Usually our first night spot. Ummm - any other thoughts from anyone? Thanks all.

Anyone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I'd bet the jetboats will be out in force.

Oh, one other quick comment. The area someone has previously referred to as the buzzsaw (or something like that) was totally blasted out by the floods. Its pretty much a straighforward run. Fast, but all those trees are gone. was interesting to watch that new channel cut over the last several years. From a bank where the river began a broad s-turn, to a little water going through, to last years buzzsaw to this year. Really wouldn't recognize the s-turn was even there if you didn't know.

Float was good, although more than a little wet at times. Fishing pretty good. Like an earlier post a lot of smaller w/some bigger mixed in. Plastic craws the bait of the trip.

Tomorrow being Wednesday. Put in at Buck Hollow & out at Alley on Saturday morning. 50% chance of rain Friday night means 50% not. But we figure if it starts early or otherwise doesn't seem good we'll take off late Friday. But overall hoping for a three day window between the cold & the rain.

That number is the highest for that day. To get a better historical record gotta drill down a bit further. Click on the "Summary of all Available Data..." link and then click on the "Peak Streamflow" link. The big flood of 3(?) years ago stands out...

OK our lawyer friends - wouldn't sovereign immunity apply here?

OK, but how do you close a river? It's not like you lock the doors to a bldg.

I feel like I'm putting out fan mail, but maybe the best thread I have seen on the forums since joining up.

I think I would not like to step on that guy...

yup, wow on the rattler. running into those guys would worry me more than a mtn lion that maybe might be in the area. would like to see the pics...

Canoeing on the Jacks Fork with my brother Matt, who is a pretty big guy, quite a few years ago. We stopped at a bend to fish, and may have caught one or two, I don't remember exactly. So Matt is getting in the canoe, and it begins to swing around in the riffle. About half way it hits a rock & comes to a dead stop. The canoe that is. Matt just keeps going, launched out of the canoe totally airborne. Made quite the splash when he came down. Oh man, did I have a good time with that one - just sitting here typing this I am laughing. That spot is now known as Matt Falls.

The Halls Bay chute closed off & dry? Can you expand on that just a bit? did the river close off the top of that chute? is there a tree there? etc. thanks.

Thanks much Eric. Pretty cool having the connection to your granddad.

How did you like backpacking around the park? My wife & I have recently taken it up & are always looking for new spots. Any comparison to where we have visited so far (Taum Sauk, Bell Mtn and the Indian Kitchen area in the Lusk Creek area of Southern Illinois)?

No, come on, give some detail. Great report - makes me want to head down, but no July trip with the brothers this year. This will have to do...

Thanks for the great report - brought back some memories of my own - few better camping experiences than the gravel bar after dinner - food sounded pretty darn good!

1.75 will be fine, I prefer the river closer to 1.5. Did go one time with it at about 1.3 - that involved a bit of dragging. Watch the rain & camp with escape possible as the river can come up fast. Wife & I did our JF trip a few weeks ago - always jealous when others can get on the river. Be sure to report back!

That spot Coldspring mentions I would love to be able to really spend time & fish at dusk and in the morning. My brothers & I call it the S-turn, as it bends left and then back to the right. One of the real good fishing possibilities on that stretch. Have caught numerous fish out of there, even the occasional trout, but have never gotten anything of size (maybe usually hitting it about noon in July has something to do with that). Trees in the water, good movement, nice depth, it sure seems to have everything to hold nice fish.

I find that stretch of river to be very uninteresting outside of the springs mentioned. While there are a few spots, there is much less scenary than further up river. Seems Boze mill is about the dividing line for scenery. That said it is also a stretch where you will see far fewer people. Have found the smallie fishing to be pretty good, although there are stretches where the fishing opportunities are not as high. There is not too much gravel down there, although there is a nice large gravel bar roughly 1/2 way between 160 & 142. On our trips in late July I just don't remember seeing many signs of use on it. Used to be a huge gravel bar just above 142 that we had used since the 80s, but it is in the process of being totally grown over by willows & other trees. Overall not too bad of a stretch to get away from people & get some smallie fishing in. Oh, and we have never had an issue with landowners down there (not sure we have ever even seen any), but then where we usually camp we wouldn't. Seems there are a couple of spots where there could be an issue, but they also seem rather obvious. Hope that helps some.

Thanks for the report. Only a week to go for the wife's & mine trip Buck Hollow to Alley. List made, dinners planned, gear beginning to spread out in the living room, come on calendar...

Glory, I know the feeling. Head down in two weeks for the traditional week before the weekend before Memorial Day float (if that makes sense). Buck Hollow down to Alley over three nights. What a great stretch of river. Give a post on how the trip went.

Just a caution that camp sites can be few & far between. give yourself some leeway on time just in case one of the spots quoted above are taken.

Lilley, please post how the trip was if you end up going. My wife & I took up backpacking last year (the Gila Natl wilderness & the elusive Gila trout). This year is the Uintas range east of Salt Lake City (brooks, cuts and perhaps grayling). But we have seen the Buffalo trail and are curious as to how it is as far as scenery & general appeal. It's close enough that it might be worthwhile over a 4-day weekend. Well, maybe 4 and a half...