gotmuddy Posted March 11, 2010 Posted March 11, 2010 What classification is Clabber shoals? it was the roughest part of the float from rush down to the white river everything in this post is purely opinion and is said to annoy you.
bobber Posted March 11, 2010 Posted March 11, 2010 that one would be a class III ...i belive there is a" sneek down" along the river left side. <*)))))))>< * AMERICAN CANOE ASSOCIATION CERTIFIED CANOE, and SWIFT WATER RESCUE INSTRUCTOR.*
gotmuddy Posted March 12, 2010 Posted March 12, 2010 that one would be a class III ...i belive there is a" sneek down" along the river left side. my wife and I made it unscathed when we went but the river was low. The other canoe with us was not so lucky! everything in this post is purely opinion and is said to annoy you.
Al Agnew Posted March 12, 2010 Posted March 12, 2010 Bobber, got to disagree with you...I've never seen Clabber Creek Shoal listed as class 3, and from the times I've floated it, I wouldn't consider it anything higher than class 2. Maybe in water two feet or more above normal it might be higher, but at that point you probably don't have a sneak route, either. I'd call it low class 2 at normal summer water levels. If you compare Ozark streams to "whitewater" streams in many areas of the country, what is considered class 2 is fairly rare in the Ozarks, and class 3 is even rarer. The Mulberry and Big Piney Creek have some legitimate class 3 rapids. And a lot of small creeks can be class 3 and maybe 4 when they are high enough to float. The Hailstone stretch of the Buffalo has a number of class 3 and maybe class 4 when it's really honking. In Missouri, the St. Francis is the only good sized stream that has legitimate class 3 rapids, and it can go up to class 5 in very high water. When it's flowing 25 feet above normal through Tieman Shut-ins, I'd say it's class 6...I've seen it at that level. But I've floated streams out West in rafts that were considered class 3, and they were an order of magnitude hairier than any rapid on the Buffalo from Ponca to the White River. I floated the John Day, a river of similar size to the Buffalo, through a section that had one listed class 3 rapid, in a one person inflatable kayak. That rapid was easily doable in the inflatable kayak, but it was considerably scarier than Clabber Creek. Of course, water levels have a great deal to do with it. And it's in some ways a subjective rating system. A lot of riffles on Ozark streams smooth out and are easy to run when the water is up 8 feet...but your margin for error is so much slimmer that they could still be rated pretty high. They might be easy to run, but if you make a mistake you are not real likely to survive it.
Ham Posted March 12, 2010 Posted March 12, 2010 One caveat Al, lots of stuff changed after the 08 spring floods. That Clabber Creek deal may be more difficult than it was last time you ran it. Of course, you may very well have run it ten times since all that high water. I like to float. but I love to fish. I don't mind a little fast water, but I don't have any desire to do more than our sissyfied class II stuff. Every Saint has a past, every Sinner has a future. On Instagram @hamneedstofish
bobber Posted March 12, 2010 Posted March 12, 2010 lots of that river has changed . but, when clabber is pumping out run off into the buffalo that is a class III rapid . below bakers ford there is a new drop making it almost a III at the right level. the old gray rock is a thing of the past now ,and it's the big lime stone slid just before it. two section below kyle's landing the whole river shifted from left bank to the right . and a eddy pool that takes a few times around it to break free from the current. below boxley the river is starting to move into a willow patch with no way through it. ....things are changing!! soon the new gauges with CFM's will be out... AL, when was the last time you paddled the ole' buffaloriver?... the 60's ?..... it's 2010 <*)))))))>< * AMERICAN CANOE ASSOCIATION CERTIFIED CANOE, and SWIFT WATER RESCUE INSTRUCTOR.*
Justin Spencer Posted March 12, 2010 Posted March 12, 2010 Definately have some back up plans, that time of year floods are common. With good float streams streaching all the way across Missouri and Northern Ark. oftentimes some might be flooded and some not. Do your homework on streams across the state so if the forecast or waterlevels for the buffalo are not good you can move to a different river and still have a good trip. Most outfitters have a pretty good idea a week in advance as to what the water is going to do depending on the forecast. Keep this in mind and you have a better chance of a succesful vacation. Happy to hear you are passing along a wonderful pastime to a new generation. "The problem with a politician’s quote on Facebook is you don’t know whether or not they really said it." –Abraham Lincoln Tales of an Ozark Campground Proprietor Dead Drift Fly Shop
Al Agnew Posted March 13, 2010 Posted March 13, 2010 lots of that river has changed . but, when clabber is pumping out run off into the buffalo that is a class III rapid . below bakers ford there is a new drop making it almost a III at the right level. the old gray rock is a thing of the past now ,and it's the big lime stone slid just before it. two section below kyle's landing the whole river shifted from left bank to the right . and a eddy pool that takes a few times around it to break free from the current. below boxley the river is starting to move into a willow patch with no way through it. ....things are changing!! soon the new gauges with CFM's will be out... AL, when was the last time you paddled the ole' buffaloriver?... the 60's ?..... it's 2010 Yeah, you may be right. I haven't floated the upper section in several years. Floated Clabber Creek section two years ago, but it was in fairly low water. It didn't look any different then than the times before that I'd floated it in higher water, but with the high water the last year or so, I'm sure it could have changed considerably. The first couple times I floated it (back in the 70s ) it was rougher than the last time or two. Mainly, though, I'm just going on what Ozark streams like the Buffalo tend to be like. With the gradient of these streams and the character of the land through which they flow, it isn't easy for them to form a "semi-permanent" class 3. Lots of transient obstructions like log jams can make rapids into possible class 3s for a time, though. The reason the St. Francis has legitimate class 3s and 4s is because it has sections that drop more than 20 feet per mile along with granite boulder gardens and very sharp drops. The thing is, though, that it doesn't take a class 3 to be a dangerous rapid for the casual canoeist. I haven't done a lot of class 3 in a canoe, and don't really wish to do so. I did some of it back when I was young and dumb, floating tiny creeks in high water...enough that I think I figured out what I was doing, but not enough to be real confident about it.
Members Goggle eyed Posted March 27, 2010 Members Posted March 27, 2010 Put in at Steel Creek early on a Tuesday morning, paddle to the ledge across from Big Bluff and camp. Next day paddle to the island across from Camp Orr and camp. Third day paddle to Camp Ozark and take out. If you go beyond that, Hasty would be the last place to take out after a long 9 miles of some dead water. Call Mike Mills at Buffalo Outdoor Center and he can arrange the shuttle for you. Plan on stopping below several of the "rock gardens" and walking back up to fish those stretches. Scout out any of the hard right hand turns before you enter if you feel insecure with kids and you won't have a problem. That is all class II, the most difficult section is the run at "Hell's 1/2 Acre" just above Indian Creek due to the standing waves at times. The most useful guide out right now is Buffalo River Handbook by Ken Smith. Fishing is generally good, and should be better this year because of the constant water flow over the last two years. River traffic on that section during the week is much lighter during the mid-week in April, but some pretty obnoxious drunkards show up on the weekends. You'll return year after year.
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