Greetings From The Niangua River

[Mrs. Redbeard]

My husband and I own Redbeard's Ranch, a quiet campground on the Niangua River. We are here this weekend trying to clean up debris from the flooding and find all of our picnic tables, buried in various locations in the river bottoms. We had at least 30 feet of water in the campground last month and the piles of debris are over my head in some places. Fortunately, the water never reached any of our buildings, but it came within 15-20 feet of our tipis.

The river is down now and the fishermen are back. We had a group of 10 men from the Independence area camping and fishing here this weekend. They have been coming to the Niangua every spring for 18 years ... and wouldn't let the cool, damp weather keep them away.

The river is now safe for floating and we are putting canoes on the river this weekend. Hopefully, we won't get anymore rain for a while. The ground is so saturated that any moisture at all just flows into the creeks and down to the river.

We will have about 150 scouts and their leaders here next weekend for a regional fishing camporee. Their "service project" will be to gather driftwood and build a big bonfire in the middle of our largest meadow. Aside from the fishing, that should be a highlight of their weekend.

I don't fish much ... but Redbeard considers himself to be an expert fly-fisherman. So if anyone has any questions about fishing on the Niangua, I will pass them on to him and post the answers. However, I must tell you that you should take anything Redbeard says with a grain of salt. He insists that it is a fisherman's perogative to lie about the size of the fish, both the ones that got away and the ones that he released.

Mrs. Redbeard

www.redbeardsranch.com

[catfish]

Greetings Mrs. Redbeard and welcome to the forum.

Nice to now have a contact along the Niangua. I like to make it up that way from North Arkansas when ever I get a chance.It is a real great float stream.

Catfish

[Trav]

Welcome!

[FishinCricket]

My husband and I own Redbeard's Ranch, a quiet campground on the Niangua River. We are here this weekend trying to clean up debris from the flooding and find all of our picnic tables, buried in various locations in the river bottoms. We had at least 30 feet of water in the campground last month and the piles of debris are over my head in some places. Fortunately, the water never reached any of our buildings, but it came within 15-20 feet of our tipis.

The river is down now and the fishermen are back. We had a group of 10 men from the Independence area camping and fishing here this weekend. They have been coming to the Niangua every spring for 18 years ... and wouldn't let the cool, damp weather keep them away.

The river is now safe for floating and we are putting canoes on the river this weekend. Hopefully, we won't get anymore rain for a while. The ground is so saturated that any moisture at all just flows into the creeks and down to the river.

We will have about 150 scouts and their leaders here next weekend for a regional fishing camporee. Their "service project" will be to gather driftwood and build a big bonfire in the middle of our largest meadow. Aside from the fishing, that should be a highlight of their weekend.

I don't fish much ... but Redbeard considers himself to be an expert fly-fisherman. So if anyone has any questions about fishing on the Niangua, I will pass them on to him and post the answers. However, I must tell you that you should take anything Redbeard says with a grain of salt. He insists that it is a fisherman's perogative to lie about the size of the fish, both the ones that got away and the ones that he released.

Mrs. Redbeard

www.redbeardsranch.com

Hello right back from the Niangua! I am a local here in Lebanon and I have been fishing your stretch of the river (not to mention cleaning it up every year for the past two years). I have heard numerous good things about your ranch and how your business operates. I help run a local business too, maybe we can cross-promote each other?

Either way I will stop in next time I am down towards Prosperine in my Waders (or on a 5 day from Bennett to the Lake)... The names Cricket, I will look forward to meeting you Redbeards soon!