Eleven Point Late June

[GloryDaze]

Ozark-

What a great trip you are in for! That section up by Cane Bluff is beautiful and holds quite a few smallies before you hit Greer. There are no rapids to worry about on this trip= heck, last time we went right past Mary Decker shoals and didn't even realize we did.. absolutely no worries about that rapid. As a matter of fact, I think I posted a trip report on my excursion from Cane to Riverton on this forum.

I have attached a link to some pictures of my trip if you are interested, not many but few- http://www.flickr.com/photos/glorydaze/page7/

By the way here is my trip report:

Saturday August 2nd:

Left this morning at 6am from the house to meet Nolan in Salem. We left my car at Wal-Mart and loaded his up for the trip to the river. We put in at Cane Bluff around 2pm right in the heat of the day. This was my first overnight trip with my Tsunami 125 so I was pretty loaded down and curios to see how she handled. This upper section of the river was surprisingly narrow (I’m talking some spots 3-4’ wide) But it was also very pretty and the woods were filled with green. The smallmouth were biting for me, but I hooked nothing bigger than about a 10-11” every now and then. Nolan figured out this new jig called an “eakin’s jig” that put him on some pretty big fish. The problem was, I was so impatient and have trouble fishing those slower lures I didn’t even get to see his fish until he showed me the pictures. Once I saw the pics I must admit I was a little jealous. It did seem like this upper section went from really narrow chutes to long slow pools for most of the day. This section was a pretty easy float with no real challenges or obstacles to avoid. We decided to camp about a mile upstream from Greer Spring for the evening around 8:30. We settled in with a small fire, a chicken and rice foil pack and had a few Rum and Coke’s, Vodka and Redbull’s and we were sawing logs in no time. We traveled about 6 miles today in about 6 hours.

Sunday, August 3rd:

Even thought the day was hot, it was real comfortable sleeping last night. Got up around 8 and had some scrambled eggs and lil’ smoky foil packs for breakfast. We had to wait for the fog to lift before we could go anywhere. Soon we came across the entrance of the Greer Spring branch on river right. It is unbelievable how much water is pumped in everyday and how cold it is. We decided to do some wading and fish for some trout here. I caught about 8 in an hour and I know Nolan caught about the same. All mine were a decent size and mostly Rainbow. What a difference the spring branch makes in this river! I could not believe how fast and full it was the rest of the trip. The water remained cold, which hurts smallie fishing but the trout were still biting. We had been anticipating the rapids at Mary Decker Shoals, however when we arrived…. Umm well, there just wasn’t much of a rapid?? After this we ran into a lot of Jetboats!! It seemed like they were running a shuttle service there were so many zipping up and down the river. This section of the river had a lot more bluffs and scenery in my opinion and was just beautiful to float. As we started to look for camp, the fog started to settle in on the river and it was unbelievable looking. It was only about 5 foot off the water, but it just made things seem so pretty. We settled in right after Greenbriar float camp on River left. Tonight it was traditional foil packs with a little Bud Light, PBR and the last of our Rum and Coke. The biggest memory of the night was these little black bugs that just attacked us for about 2 hours. They were real small and rolled up into a ball when you scraped them off of you. Today we traveled about 16 miles in about 10 hours of floating.

Monday, August 4th:

Last night actually got chilly so it was real comfortable!! We had to wait for the fog to clear again before we took off. Our goal form day one was to be off the water by 10am so we could both get home at a decent time. We had some pancakes and took off for Riverton. Nothing real exciting today on the river- However we did find some fishing line hung up in a tree and it was dangling in the water. On the end of the line a bat had gotten hung up and was dead from drowning. Well, the uneventful day changed when we came around the corner and hit a major ledge and drop off. We didn’t even scout it, but we stayed river right and it was actually quite a ride!! If we would have gone river left, it would have definitely been some big waves and a fun ride as well. This is the biggest rapid I have seen on an Ozark stream. I can’t remember the name of it though?? Believe it or not we arrived at the bridge in Riverton at 10 on the dot- The funny thing is our car wasn’t there for us- Oh well, we can wait a few minutes.. well at 30 minutes we asked the Parks Department lady if she would call Richard’s canoe and let them know we were there. An hour and 20 minutes later were both pissed and cussing the rental place. Nolan decides to walk up the parking lot an “I’ll be darn” there’s the car. It has been here the whole time and we managed to not think about looking in the parking lot. Needless to say the trip ended with a little humor and laughs at ourselves. We traveled about 6 miles today in about 3 hours.

[ozark trout fisher]

Ozark-

What a great trip you are in for! That section up by Cane Bluff is beautiful and holds quite a few smallies before you hit Greer. There are no rapids to worry about on this trip= heck, last time we went right past Mary Decker shoals and didn't even realize we did.. absolutely no worries about that rapid. As a matter of fact, I think I posted a trip report on my excursion from Cane to Riverton on this forum.

I have attached a link to some pictures of my trip if you are interested, not many but few- http://www.flickr.com/photos/glorydaze/page7/

By the way here is my trip report:

Saturday August 2nd:

Left this morning at 6am from the house to meet Nolan in Salem. We left my car at Wal-Mart and loaded his up for the trip to the river. We put in at Cane Bluff around 2pm right in the heat of the day. This was my first overnight trip with my Tsunami 125 so I was pretty loaded down and curios to see how she handled. This upper section of the river was surprisingly narrow (I’m talking some spots 3-4’ wide) But it was also very pretty and the woods were filled with green. The smallmouth were biting for me, but I hooked nothing bigger than about a 10-11” every now and then. Nolan figured out this new jig called an “eakin’s jig” that put him on some pretty big fish. The problem was, I was so impatient and have trouble fishing those slower lures I didn’t even get to see his fish until he showed me the pictures. Once I saw the pics I must admit I was a little jealous. It did seem like this upper section went from really narrow chutes to long slow pools for most of the day. This section was a pretty easy float with no real challenges or obstacles to avoid. We decided to camp about a mile upstream from Greer Spring for the evening around 8:30. We settled in with a small fire, a chicken and rice foil pack and had a few Rum and Coke’s, Vodka and Redbull’s and we were sawing logs in no time. We traveled about 6 miles today in about 6 hours.

Sunday, August 3rd:

Even thought the day was hot, it was real comfortable sleeping last night. Got up around 8 and had some scrambled eggs and lil’ smoky foil packs for breakfast. We had to wait for the fog to lift before we could go anywhere. Soon we came across the entrance of the Greer Spring branch on river right. It is unbelievable how much water is pumped in everyday and how cold it is. We decided to do some wading and fish for some trout here. I caught about 8 in an hour and I know Nolan caught about the same. All mine were a decent size and mostly Rainbow. What a difference the spring branch makes in this river! I could not believe how fast and full it was the rest of the trip. The water remained cold, which hurts smallie fishing but the trout were still biting. We had been anticipating the rapids at Mary Decker Shoals, however when we arrived…. Umm well, there just wasn’t much of a rapid?? After this we ran into a lot of Jetboats!! It seemed like they were running a shuttle service there were so many zipping up and down the river. This section of the river had a lot more bluffs and scenery in my opinion and was just beautiful to float. As we started to look for camp, the fog started to settle in on the river and it was unbelievable looking. It was only about 5 foot off the water, but it just made things seem so pretty. We settled in right after Greenbriar float camp on River left. Tonight it was traditional foil packs with a little Bud Light, PBR and the last of our Rum and Coke. The biggest memory of the night was these little black bugs that just attacked us for about 2 hours. They were real small and rolled up into a ball when you scraped them off of you. Today we traveled about 16 miles in about 10 hours of floating.

Monday, August 4th:

Last night actually got chilly so it was real comfortable!! We had to wait for the fog to clear again before we took off. Our goal form day one was to be off the water by 10am so we could both get home at a decent time. We had some pancakes and took off for Riverton. Nothing real exciting today on the river- However we did find some fishing line hung up in a tree and it was dangling in the water. On the end of the line a bat had gotten hung up and was dead from drowning. Well, the uneventful day changed when we came around the corner and hit a major ledge and drop off. We didn’t even scout it, but we stayed river right and it was actually quite a ride!! If we would have gone river left, it would have definitely been some big waves and a fun ride as well. This is the biggest rapid I have seen on an Ozark stream. I can’t remember the name of it though?? Believe it or not we arrived at the bridge in Riverton at 10 on the dot- The funny thing is our car wasn’t there for us- Oh well, we can wait a few minutes.. well at 30 minutes we asked the Parks Department lady if she would call Richard’s canoe and let them know we were there. An hour and 20 minutes later were both pissed and cussing the rental place. Nolan decides to walk up the parking lot an “I’ll be darn” there’s the car. It has been here the whole time and we managed to not think about looking in the parking lot. Needless to say the trip ended with a little humor and laughs at ourselves. We traveled about 6 miles today in about 3 hours.

Wow, thanks. That really helps me realize what to expect. Sounds like the rapid above Riverton is actually worse than Mary Deckar. Oh well, it might be kinda fun.

[ozark trout fisher]

Ozark-

What a great trip you are in for! That section up by Cane Bluff is beautiful and holds quite a few smallies before you hit Greer. There are no rapids to worry about on this trip= heck, last time we went right past Mary Decker shoals and didn't even realize we did.. absolutely no worries about that rapid. As a matter of fact, I think I posted a trip report on my excursion from Cane to Riverton on this forum.

I have attached a link to some pictures of my trip if you are interested, not many but few- http://www.flickr.com/photos/glorydaze/page7/

By the way here is my trip report:

Saturday August 2nd:

Left this morning at 6am from the house to meet Nolan in Salem. We left my car at Wal-Mart and loaded his up for the trip to the river. We put in at Cane Bluff around 2pm right in the heat of the day. This was my first overnight trip with my Tsunami 125 so I was pretty loaded down and curios to see how she handled. This upper section of the river was surprisingly narrow (I’m talking some spots 3-4’ wide) But it was also very pretty and the woods were filled with green. The smallmouth were biting for me, but I hooked nothing bigger than about a 10-11” every now and then. Nolan figured out this new jig called an “eakin’s jig” that put him on some pretty big fish. The problem was, I was so impatient and have trouble fishing those slower lures I didn’t even get to see his fish until he showed me the pictures. Once I saw the pics I must admit I was a little jealous. It did seem like this upper section went from really narrow chutes to long slow pools for most of the day. This section was a pretty easy float with no real challenges or obstacles to avoid. We decided to camp about a mile upstream from Greer Spring for the evening around 8:30. We settled in with a small fire, a chicken and rice foil pack and had a few Rum and Coke’s, Vodka and Redbull’s and we were sawing logs in no time. We traveled about 6 miles today in about 6 hours.

Sunday, August 3rd:

Even thought the day was hot, it was real comfortable sleeping last night. Got up around 8 and had some scrambled eggs and lil’ smoky foil packs for breakfast. We had to wait for the fog to lift before we could go anywhere. Soon we came across the entrance of the Greer Spring branch on river right. It is unbelievable how much water is pumped in everyday and how cold it is. We decided to do some wading and fish for some trout here. I caught about 8 in an hour and I know Nolan caught about the same. All mine were a decent size and mostly Rainbow. What a difference the spring branch makes in this river! I could not believe how fast and full it was the rest of the trip. The water remained cold, which hurts smallie fishing but the trout were still biting. We had been anticipating the rapids at Mary Decker Shoals, however when we arrived…. Umm well, there just wasn’t much of a rapid?? After this we ran into a lot of Jetboats!! It seemed like they were running a shuttle service there were so many zipping up and down the river. This section of the river had a lot more bluffs and scenery in my opinion and was just beautiful to float. As we started to look for camp, the fog started to settle in on the river and it was unbelievable looking. It was only about 5 foot off the water, but it just made things seem so pretty. We settled in right after Greenbriar float camp on River left. Tonight it was traditional foil packs with a little Bud Light, PBR and the last of our Rum and Coke. The biggest memory of the night was these little black bugs that just attacked us for about 2 hours. They were real small and rolled up into a ball when you scraped them off of you. Today we traveled about 16 miles in about 10 hours of floating.

Monday, August 4th:

Last night actually got chilly so it was real comfortable!! We had to wait for the fog to clear again before we took off. Our goal form day one was to be off the water by 10am so we could both get home at a decent time. We had some pancakes and took off for Riverton. Nothing real exciting today on the river- However we did find some fishing line hung up in a tree and it was dangling in the water. On the end of the line a bat had gotten hung up and was dead from drowning. Well, the uneventful day changed when we came around the corner and hit a major ledge and drop off. We didn’t even scout it, but we stayed river right and it was actually quite a ride!! If we would have gone river left, it would have definitely been some big waves and a fun ride as well. This is the biggest rapid I have seen on an Ozark stream. I can’t remember the name of it though?? Believe it or not we arrived at the bridge in Riverton at 10 on the dot- The funny thing is our car wasn’t there for us- Oh well, we can wait a few minutes.. well at 30 minutes we asked the Parks Department lady if she would call Richard’s canoe and let them know we were there. An hour and 20 minutes later were both pissed and cussing the rental place. Nolan decides to walk up the parking lot an “I’ll be darn” there’s the car. It has been here the whole time and we managed to not think about looking in the parking lot. Needless to say the trip ended with a little humor and laughs at ourselves. We traveled about 6 miles today in about 3 hours.

Wow, thanks. That really helps me realize what to expect. Sounds like the rapid above Riverton is actually worse than Mary Deckar. Oh well, it might be kinda fun.

Its been so long since I've been able to go on a multi day float trip on an Ozark Stream, its gonna be fun.

[2sheds]

I'll echo all previously said, and in spades !

I would say that 80% of Eleven Point is more lively than the most active 20% of the Current or Jacks Fork. But I'd rate it as Class 2 & 1 overall with a few spots that can be Class 3 when the water is at the right level. But by no means is it dangerous - if you are sensible and respectful. I require our 14-18yr old Boy Scouts to be proven swimmers, use their PFDs, and kneel on the keel in spots where the river gets too boisterous. By late June when the water level drops a bit, you can probably walk through most tough spots if needed.

Mary Decker is a single row of large bolders across the river that results from a log dam build in the old lumbering days. Just be aware (and you'll hear it when you get close), reel in your line, stow your beverage, and take it slow through a passage on the right side. I carry a rope in case I need to line-through any tight spots, but have never had a problem at MDS.

Fishing should be great at that time of year. Brian and Ryan at Eleven Point Canoe Rental will be a good source of last-minute tackle recommendations, and they can also handle shuttles and rent you that extra canoe. Or even save you the hassle of dragging yours over to Alton.

Camping on the river is one of my favorite activities. The nicest Forest Service Campsites are Greer, Greenbriar, Boze Mill Springs, and Morgan Springs (jsut before the Narrows at 142). There are cool gravel bars for campsites scattered throughout the length; just not as many as you find on the Current or Jacks Fork. So grab a good one when you see it. Almost all are adjacent to nice fishing spots.

Concerning your 4-day itinerary:

Day 1. Cane Bluff to Greer (7.3 mi) - great idea if you have enough water

Day 2. Greer to Turner (4.9 mi) - great trout fishing

Day 3. Turner to Whitten (6.5 mi) - very good trout fishing

Day 4 Whitten to Riverton (7.7 mi) - lots of good fishing remains in this 4th section, but save time to check out White's Creek Cave and Boze Mill Springs

My favorite 4-day for later in the summer:

1- Greer to the gravel bar at Horseshoe Bend

2- HSB to the gravel bar at Connor Spring (upstream from Boze Mill)

3- Boze to Morgan Spring Float Camp

4- Takeout at The Narrows (SH-142) or Myrtle

FYI - Here are some notes from a Eleven Point prior float trip that got caught up in a fun discussion thread - http://ozarkanglers.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=2955