How is the Elk?

[kayaker]

An article in the Kansas City Star newspaper last month said the reservoirs and rivers in Southern Missouri were extremely low. They specifically mentioned the Elk River being down 85%. Just wondering if the rains we have been getting in Kansas City are filling up things down south. I have a float trip planned for June 24th. Last summer I did great on the smallmouth and rockbass. Has anyone floated or fished the Elk lately. This river gets very few topics for being such a great river. From the river gage link it looks like the water levels spiked alot recently.

[Phil Lilley]

They've had alot of rain in that area so I'm sure it's much different than when the article was written. Most if not all southern Missouri's rivers and streams are doing very well. The springs I'm sure are better but I'd think they'd need continued rain to get them back up to normal.

[Wayne SW/MO]

It hit a historical low this winter. If the fish survived the predation from low water, it should be a good trip for you. As Phil said, everything looks good, but I imagine the aquifer needs some more water.

Are you doing Noel to 43?

[kayaker]

We stay at Shady Beach resort which is a little above Noel. The owner is very nice, he shuttles our kayaks upstream and we do a float back to his campground.

[Ozarkfisherman]

I live in the Elk River area and all the feeder streams and the Elk are back to normal flow--even had some mud in Indian Creek last week. Conditions should be good in late June if we continue to get rainfall. Otherwise--you should probably check back nearer the time for your float. The watershed has suffered a lot this last year and the springs were all running very low prior to our recent rainfall. Total rainfall for May around 6 inches.

[Freefall]

I'm new to this forum, but saw this thread and wanted to see how Kayaker's trip ended up since I'm considering taking a trip down to the Elk at the beginning of August. I've floated it a few years back, but haven't really fished it.

Not to get too off-topic here, but the reason for the trip is that my wife mentioned some interest in taking a family fishing/float/camping trip for her birthday (Yes, she just may be the perfect woman ) and since we live in KC the Elk seems like the perfect location. We'll probably have our 4 yr old daughter with us so would the Shady Beach resort be a good spot to camp, or does anyone else have any reccomendations for campgrounds and/or other things to see while we're down there like caves, springs, hikes, etc.? Should we try to fish and float or may do a half-day float and concentrate our fishing time wading the areas with less canoe traffic?

Thanks in advance for any help.

-Chris

[Okieflyfisher53]

Chris,

There are a few caves in the area that offer guided tours. The Ozark Wonder Cave, the Bluff Dwellers Cave, and Truitt's Cave all are worth visiting.

Steve

[hawgslayer]

Chris

If I was you I would keep an eye out for arrow heads and other indian artifacts. I have some friends that were able to make a coffie table out of arrow heads they found. There was roughly 150 in the table plus a few indian artifacts which they found on their land of 20 acres. But keep a carefull eye out for them because a lot of them are very small (smaller than a penny)

sincerly Mark

[Ozarkfisherman]

If you are floating on weekdays you should be able to float/fish, but weekends you might do better by wading the tributaries to Elk, like Big Sugar Creek or Indian Creek. Campground on Big Sugar is Sugar Island resort out of Pineville. They also manage the Big Rock campground. Both are nice camping areas with good wade/fishing. 417-223-4410. On Indian Creek, try Indian Summer Camp & RV in Anderson, 417-436-2550. For the Elk, Shady Beach is fine. Also in Noel, River Ranch resort--has a nice new mini-golf and convenience store, located on Shadow Lake. South of Noel on Hwy 59 is Bluff Dwellers Cave 417-475-3666, and across the State Line in Arkansas just north of Gravette is Old Spanish Treasure Cave. A little farther down 59 is Gentry and the Wild Wilderness Safari drive-through--good for kids. For hikes--Big Sugar Creek State Park on the river road near Pineville has some well-developed trails and a restroom facility. Nearby in Northwest Arkansas on hwy 12 near Rogers, the Hobbs State Park has some very nice hiking trails. To fish on weekends, try fishing early and late since most canoe trips won't start until later in the morning and most end fairly early in the day. Hope this helps.

[Freefall]

Thanks for all your help and PMs everyone.