darbwa

Anyone been fishing lately?

Thanks for the info Zack. It sounds like the fishing gets better the farther downstream you go. How far downstream from Ponca do you think I have to go to improve my luck? I am sure we will have a great time even if I don't catch any smallies. I will try to post a few pics next week.

I will be heading to the upper portion of the river this weekend to do some camping with the family. We will not be floating as I have a 2-yr old with me. I will be bringing the fishing poles though. I have only been to the Buffalo (middle section) one time so any info that might help me catch a few smallies up river would be appreciated.

Bobber, if we were to do the wilderness section, would you recommend a late May or early July trip?

Last year my buddy and I did a 2-day float from Margaret White to Grinder's Ferry during the week before Labor Day weekend. We fished heavily and caught (and released) a slew of small smallies. Water was clear and low but we had a great time. This year we are planning a 3-day trip but we are looking to get out earlier in the summer (as early as the last week in May). We are hoping to maximize the chance at catching some larger smallies and we hope to float a stretch of the river a little farther upstream. From what I have gathered on this forum, it sounds as though the fishing is generally better in the middle and/or lower sections of the river. Is this true? And if so, is it true even in the late spring (late May)? I would like to see more of the river but catching fish is a priority. How far upstream should we consider for late May? What about early July (we are not fond of being cold)? Thanks in advance for the help.

Thanks to everyone for all the tips. My friend came all the way in from San Francisco to do some Ozark fishing and the Buffalo did not disappoint. We used Silver Hill Floats because they gave us some good info on the phone and gave recommendations on where to float if fishing was our main concern. We floated started at Margaret White on Thursday late morning. We floated slow and fished a lot and caught several small smallies (14 total between us - none over 14") before we stopped to set up camp. I got up just after sun up and started catching fish on every other cast. The fishing slowed a bit in the mid morning but when we saw holes that looked promising we would fish them and usually come away with something. On one hole we caught at least a dozen smallies in about 45 minutes. The Buffalo was a beautiful River and we were fortunate to have it (what seemed like) to ourselves. We didn't see another human until a mile or so before Tyler Bend on day 2. Our trip ended just downstream from Hwy 65 and we had caught 46 bass in total for the trip (probably near 100 total fish). We are already planning a 3-day trip for next year. Thanks again for all the suggestions and btw, we caught the greatest number of fish on a soft plastic craw papi followed by a craw crank bait and the largest fish were caught on a top water.

In my planning for my first trip to the Buffalo National River next week, I came across this forum and was immediately impressed with the information that the forum provided. I joined up right away. I look forward to chatting with everyone and I look forward to learning more about fishing in the Ozarks. I have spent most of my life (casually) fishing Grand Lake O the Cherokees - mostly for Largemouth and White Bass. I have no doubt that I will be able to improve my fishing skills in my "home lake" through knowledge gained here but my primary interest is learning to catch the smallies. I posted yesterday under the Buffalo River forum hoping to learn about fishing that river. So if you have experience fishing the Buffalo, please give my post a read. Any information is appreciated. Happy fishing everyone! Ryan Darby Tulsa, OK

A friend and I are heading to the Buffalo for our first time for a 2-day trip. We are fired up for the trip and we are consuming all the info we can to increase our chances for a successful fishing trip. This forum has already provided a wealth of knowledge that will certainly help us to enjoy our time on the river. However, I believe I am at a disadvantage compared to most people on this forum in that I am a casual (at best) largemouth - and sometimes white - bass fisherman. I have little experience fishing rivers and have caught only a few smallies. While I have read a lot about lure selection on this forum, I can't help but wonder if what I have read is applicable to the conditions that we will see next Thursday and Friday on the Buffalo. I am particularly interested in people's take on what type of line to use (not only weight rating but also brand and type). I feel like line selection is more important in rivers than in lakes. No? We are planning to float from Grinder's Ferry (Hwy 65) to Dillard's Ferry (Hwy 14). Any other info at all that you think would be helpful is greatly appreciated. Like I said, this is our first trip to the area and we are making our decisions based on what we read on the net and what I read over the weekend in my newly purchased "Buffalo River Handbook". I am very happy to be a part of this forum. Thanks to everyone in advance. Ryan Darby Tulsa, OK