Anyone Want To Float The Buffalo This Weekend?

[gotmuddy]

I am taking the riverboat down from rush this weekend, it should be excellent fishing. We are obviously going to be camping at least one night. Lemme know if anyone wants to go. Canoe's/yaks are welcome. I will likely be using the trolling motor 90% of the time.

[KrookedKreekKing]

How's the fishing in February down there? I live right by Pruit, and I've never fished the lower part. Is there a drag at all in the winter?

[TroutRinger]

Wow. Teaser post. I was thinking someone wanted to go THIS weekend.

[gotmuddy]

How's the fishing in February down there? I live right by Pruit, and I've never fished the lower part. Is there a drag at all in the winter?

fishing was poor. weather was nice.

[hoglaw]

Hey Muddy, what is your river boat setup?

I'm looking to get into the ideal boat for running the Buffalo (and fishing below BS dam). I know absolutely nothing about boats other than the kind you paddle. I don't want to spend $10k on a supreme and a motor, but I'm realistic about what I'm willing to spend for a good setup that I can either take up the river or down from rush. The Buffalo is limited to 9.9's, right? No sense looking into jets with that kind of loss of HP from an already small motor. Fiberglass or aluminum? I guess the ideal would be a 20' fiberglass john, right? How easy are they to knock a giant hole in on a submerged log or a rock?

I can't imagine anything cooler than being able to run up and down the river and fish from a front seat with a foot controlled trolling motor, or take a couple of friends up to horseshoe bend for a long weekend of camping in the middle of nowhere. I know this should go in the boats forum, but figured I'd get your input here.

[gotmuddy]

my riverboat is a 18x36 aluminum boat with a front deck, 9.9 mariner, and a manual jackplate. I got it cheap so its ok but preferably I want a fiberglass boat. I may try using gluv-it on the hull to slick it up. That being said I would take a fiberglass boat over an aluminum one any day of the week. They slide over rocks amazingly easy. Depending on where you intend to spend most of your time (buffalo or white) the width of the boat would be different. If you want to fish buffalo mainly then I would get a 48" bottom shawnee or js boat. if you want to fish the white the majority of the time I would get a 42" because a 9.9 pushing a wide boat will be slower, and way slower in high water. I borrowed a boat from www.rileystation.com that was a 48" js boat and I absolutely loved it.

If your in the market for a boat right now look in mtn home just east of cranfield road. There is a boat consignment place that has a older champion 42" bottom riverboat in excellent condition with a brand new looking 9.9 for 2500 or so.

[Guest]

Muddy,

does this boat allow you to run upriver and drag thru a shoal in skinny water?

[hoglaw]

my riverboat is a 18x36 aluminum boat with a front deck, 9.9 mariner, and a manual jackplate. I got it cheap so its ok but preferably I want a fiberglass boat. I may try using gluv-it on the hull to slick it up. That being said I would take a fiberglass boat over an aluminum one any day of the week. They slide over rocks amazingly easy. Depending on where you intend to spend most of your time (buffalo or white) the width of the boat would be different. If you want to fish buffalo mainly then I would get a 48" bottom shawnee or js boat. if you want to fish the white the majority of the time I would get a 42" because a 9.9 pushing a wide boat will be slower, and way slower in high water. I borrowed a boat from www.rileystation.com that was a 48" js boat and I absolutely loved it.

If your in the market for a boat right now look in mtn home just east of cranfield road. There is a boat consignment place that has a older champion 42" bottom riverboat in excellent condition with a brand new looking 9.9 for 2500 or so.

Can an admin move these posts to the boat forum by any chance so others might weigh in?

Muddy, what's the advantage of the wider bottom? I assume it's more stable and rides a little higher in the water? I'm looking at a 99 Shawnee, 21' long, 41" that the owner wants about $2500 for....no motor. I have some friends who are motor hounds, and I'll have them either find me a 9.9 and tune it to a 15, or a 15 and replace the decals so I can hit the buffalo

How stable is the 41" bottom? Can two grown and uncoordinated men stand up in it and fish at the same time? Are these boats pretty tough, or are they easy to knock a hole in?

I'd use it on the white some, but I warm water fish about 20-1 over trout fish. It would be for running up the Buffalo, Illinois, and Elk (in Oklahoma). I'm sure I'd put it in at twin bridges a good deal too and run down to Walker's Bluff and up to Wyman.

[Al Agnew]

I don't know about those boats, but keep in mind that the lower end of the Buffalo can be very difficult to run if it's low and the White isn't generating. There are a bunch of bedrock bottom shoals just a mile or so up from the White that are boat wreckers if you try to run a motor up them (or down them, for that matter).

I also just want to say that the best thing the Park Service ever did on the Buffalo was limit it to less than 10 HP. The thought of jetboats running up and down that river would just sicken me (and I own a jetboat). I wish they'd just say no motors, period, but that's too much to ask.

[gotmuddy]

Muddy,

does this boat allow you to run upriver and drag thru a shoal in skinny water?

my boat can be drug up gravel shoals but nearly as good as a fiberglass boat. IMO its like aluminum canoe's compared to fiberglass/royalex.

Can an admin move these posts to the boat forum by any chance so others might weigh in?

Muddy, what's the advantage of the wider bottom? I assume it's more stable and rides a little higher in the water? I'm looking at a 99 Shawnee, 21' long, 41" that the owner wants about $2500 for....no motor. I have some friends who are motor hounds, and I'll have them either find me a 9.9 and tune it to a 15, or a 15 and replace the decals so I can hit the buffalo

How stable is the 41" bottom? Can two grown and uncoordinated men stand up in it and fish at the same time? Are these boats pretty tough, or are they easy to knock a hole in?

I'd use it on the white some, but I warm water fish about 20-1 over trout fish. It would be for running up the Buffalo, Illinois, and Elk (in Oklahoma). I'm sure I'd put it in at twin bridges a good deal too and run down to Walker's Bluff and up to Wyman.

before I had the boat I have now I had a 15' flatbottom skiff that was 41" wide. two people could stand up and fish just fine in it(two can stand up in my 36" boat too though). The wider the boat the less water it floats in. For durability, think about it like this: what hull material to all the boat rental places use? fiberglass.

I don't know about those boats, but keep in mind that the lower end of the Buffalo can be very difficult to run if it's low and the White isn't generating. There are a bunch of bedrock bottom shoals just a mile or so up from the White that are boat wreckers if you try to run a motor up them (or down them, for that matter).

I also just want to say that the best thing the Park Service ever did on the Buffalo was limit it to less than 10 HP. The thought of jetboats running up and down that river would just sicken me (and I own a jetboat). I wish they'd just say no motors, period, but that's too much to ask.

IMO they dont allow jet boats for the protection of people, not the river. When the river is as low as it is now even a jet can't run it without tearing up a hull.