Too Hot To Float? Not Really.

[jdmidwest]

The Halls Bay chute closed off & dry? Can you expand on that just a bit? did the river close off the top of that chute? is there a tree there? etc.

thanks.

The chute around the rock ledge on the east side of the river is filled in with gravel and trees and almost dry (just a trickle). You have to run the rocks if you want to go thru there. All of the river flows over the rocks now. Good news is that you can run it with a canoe or kayak easier now.

[jdmidwest]

Too bad about the cattle. Most of the river between Thomasville and Cane Bluff runs through the 14,000 acre Eleven Point Ranch, which is owned by the descendents of a Chicago businessman. They do cattle, logging, and hunting leases on the ranch. You might had better be glad they don't have to divide the ranch up, or there would be a bunch of cabins jutting up against the Scenic Easement. I'm not sure what kind of agreement they have with the government for their cattle operations, but I would bet it is a long standing one.

Between Riverton and the Narrows is the old 13,000 acre Pigman Ranch. It was on the market for a long time and there were no buyers...it would have been a bargain for a wealthy person from a city, but no buyers were found. It is now being divided up more and more. Sure wish I could hit that powerball and keep some of the Eleven Point ranches together. In fact there was a lottery winner bought an 1,800 acre parcel just south of the Narrows, years ago, so that's more land held together.

I assumed it was probably one big ranch. I will contact the MDC in the area, maybe they can send out a landowner liasion that could work with them to stop alot of the stream bank damage and help the water quality. Locally, most cattle farmers that have to use our rivers for water just fence in a gap for access. They also fence in fields away from river banks and leave trees along the river to prevent erosion and keep the stream in its banks. I did notice alot of erosion of banks and cutting away of fields. Trees along the river were few and far between, fields came all the way to the river.

[Mark]

I came across the cattle in the Thomasville to Cane Bluff stretcha couple of years ago and started a thread on this forum. SOL, folks!!

Private property owners have the right to have their cattle cross the Eleven Point, and deposit all their crap, in that area. Really is disgusting but nothing can be done to the owners. I find it hard to believe that a cattle pond couldn't be built on the property.

I WILL NEVER FLOAT FROM THOMASVILLE TO CANE BLUFF AGAIN BECAUSE OF THE CATTLE FECES IN THE WATER!!!!

[MississippiAngler]

I think the trip from Thomasville to Cane can be beautiful or disgusting. Depends on your persuasion. Yes, there are cows on private land along the water's edge. I've gone through several times and had the canoe scare off the critters while they waded (and pooped) in the river. So, cows are an issue.

Now the good. The banks are not littered with homes as some private banks are. The waters aren't brimming with sunbathers. In fact, I've done the stretch a dozen times and have only encountered another canoe twice. Once it was a couple who put in the day prior and did an overnight on a sandbar and another time, we waved a pair of canoes who came up on us past. The fishing is great. The scenery is nice, but hardly majestic like it is downriver. And no trout.

And if the water's running low... well, that's a literal drag in a few spots.

So it comes down to 1) whether you're chasing smallies or trout, 2) whether the cows ruin the experience (and on this stretch the cows are allowed because it's private land) and 3) whether you prefer fewer boats or whether this doesn't matter.

[Mottled Sculpin]

It is ashame that it isn't against the law. I'm not one to generally want more laws but when it comes to blatant abuse of a stream it doesn't seem right! What about the clean water act? What if you owned land downstream adjacent to this propert?

[jdmidwest]

FYI, attempts made to correct this situation with the cows and the stream damage have hit the same dead end as it did a few years back on the Big River below HWY 8, DNR is the one to call. It would have to result in a documented fish kill to get any response out of them.

MDC is well aware of the Eleven Point Ranch and its practices. It is not their jurisdiction.

It is a shame the landowner does not take pride in the piece of land he owns and try to protect it. But instead, he does as his Pawpaw's Pa did and rape the stream and the stream bank, destroying the riparian corridor and polluting the river with his cow waste.

[Midwest Rebel Craw]

The Halls Bay chute closed off & dry? Can you expand on that just a bit? did the river close off the top of that chute? is there a tree there? etc.

thanks.

High waters sometime back closed of the shoot, not to mention changed up the gravel bar between the chute and the main channel. Jets have been runnin and makin it thru the falls...seems the trick is to chute between the Romex hangin from the tree and the shoreline.

[jdmidwest]

High waters sometime back closed of the shoot, not to mention changed up the gravel bar between the chute and the main channel. Jets have been runnin and makin it thru the falls...seems the trick is to chute between the Romex hangin from the tree and the shoreline.

I was wondering what that was hanging there for. Seen several run up to the chute and turn back down stream.