gotmuddy

I didnt get to go yesterday, but today I am going right now. We are putting in at norfork because right now there are 0 generators going. Hopefully I have it timed right to have plenty of water.

I actually think they look really neat. I am going to try to keep one alive in my aquarium with my equally prehistoric alligator snapping turtle.

I am going to take the riverboat out to wildcat shoals tomorrow to do some fishing

We caught one about a month or so near the mouth of Crooked Creek. Very few people have heard of them and none had seen one.

my wife and I made it unscathed when we went but the river was low. The other canoe with us was not so lucky!

What classification is Clabber shoals? it was the roughest part of the float from rush down to the white river

I agree, it is not needed. However I want a bigger one and I have heard that sculpins are the way to go.

Thats interesting. I almost sank my riverboat sunday when my drag anchor got hung....lost my anchor too maybe when they stop generating I can get it back.

A friend at work said to use a very small hook and nightcrawler. Is there a better way?

Saturday was the first time I put in there. Lately I have been putting in at Norfork or at buffalo city.

welcome to the forum. As long as you are careful and prepared you will have an awesome time.

I have not floated the upper end of the river, only from Rush down but I loved the float we did last year. We put in at rush and got out at shipps ferry on the white. If you fish or just take a very leisurely route you can easily make it a 3 day float(we did it in two). The area is gorgeous, and the fishing is good too. For weather you just need to keep an eye on rain upstream of where you put in. the higher you are on the river the faster it will flood. For food, unless you have a good cooler I would bring things that dont require refrigeration. I would love to take a trip carrying only a water filter, some freeze dried food and a kelly kettle. That would be the ultimate in simplicity. We camped on a gravel bar and it was nice. Always remember to drag your canoe higher than you think the water can get, then drag it a little more. Depending on the weather we may be able to make a 2 day float with you if it is on a weekend.

My wife and I floated it labor day (georges creek to the slab) and didn't see a single person, it was wonderful. As far as a midway point, there are numerous gravel bars that would be perfect for camping.

I like the idea of being able to take a boat down from Bruno all the way to yellville without carrying it over a dam. IMO it will hurt the smallie fishing some near the dam but not too much above it. I read somewhere that most river smallies stay in the same 100yd stretch of river they were born in their whole life. the REAL reason they are taking part of the slab out is because people have died there from being sucked into the culverts.

start a North arkansas smallmouth alliance and I am game. At the moment I have no need to go to MO to catch them. Crooked creek, Buffalo, spring river, southfork river all are loaded with them, as well as every large creek in the area.

thanks for the info.

I learned the hard way yesterday morning that it takes a certain amount of time for the water from the dam to reach rim shoals.

actually its against the law to sell sculpins, so you have to catch them yourself.

I hear BL is hiring again. I work for Eaton, who is hiring temps right now in the hopes of hiring them full time. I am pretty sure they pay more than BL.

I am going to start fishing the lower buffalo heavily in the next few weeks and I work with a bunch of people that fish it and guide. If you wanna go shoot me a email. All the trout docks rent boats for around 75 a day that you can take up the river

how is the smallie fishing on the north fork? we floated it a few times last year(hammond to blair and blair to james) but I didnt do much fishing.

wild rainbows? As in they weren't stocked? We canoe there in the summer.

It says in the handbook that its to keep from hurting aquatic vegetation. Seems like a silly thing to me, but there are lots of rocks in that river....I think I will go out there this week.

Cranfield junction on 62E has them if they ever open up. Harps has them too but they are too expensive

I havent fished up by the dam, but I have consistantly done good with triple olive and brown/orange zigjigs. Saturday I fished crooked creek with my neighbor and his grandson and outfished both of them with the triple olive. they were using powerbait.