Lower Park Questions

[chub minnow]

Just about anything but drift fish. Well you can get away with it, just don't let the ranger see you. I don't understand why you can swim, tube etc. but you can't kayak this. The Missouri guidebook, put out by the tourism division even shows this on their map of float streams. The last time I did a Rambo float on this section I actually saw some landowners down by the cemetery pulling a tree across the river to block passage so that you had to get out and portage on their land (below high water mark, so not really trespassing). Since these men were also armed, I decided to try to float through the tree. When I found a hole to pass through one of them commented "I didn't see that one, we'll have to fix that!"

I do understand the frustration of the landowners with people trespassing and tearing stuff up but is there really that much of a problem with people floating this section? Are the rangers office and the landowners in cahoots to try and keep people from floating this? Is it actually illegal or against the park rules in any way? These are my questions.

[Steve Smith]

Chub; the area you described is the Muncey [sP] Cemetary and a favorite place beer feast and four wheel drive "off roading". I hate to see landowners close off a section of the river, but it is a sign of the times. There are just too many folks that leave their trash and ruts behind with their kind of "fun", and it's not just kids that do the damage. There are several areas along Roaring River where landowners have gotten tired of having their property abused and trashed up. Their only recourse is to post, fence, and or block off access. Now, I don't think blocking the river is legal, but I also understand thier reasoning. Just another example of a few ruining our sport for the many.

[chub minnow]

Yes, we actually have family buried there. I am also aware of the off roading and trash problems, but I think there might be some confusion on who is causing the problem down there. Float fisherman, in my experience, are a generally considerate bunch of folks. Why not focus on blocking off road access rather than blocking passage on the river? It sure would be a shame if someone were hurt or killed in an intentional manmade strainer.

[timsfly]

It is a county road, I don't think the county will close it off to the public.

There really isn't much of a problem with the 4-wheelers anymore, most of them stay over on the mark twain side.

I fish down there a bunch, never see a lot of trash, maybe around the bridge some, but it hasn't been bad this year.