going back

[bobber]

looks like the weekend in the high 60s, and some canoe club folks are going to make a run to the buffalo for what is looking like a day trip slash camping (some are going on sat some are camping and floating sunday) so any one up for a trip? post and i'll fill you in!

[Ham]

Bobber my man, you're killing me. If I live long enough, I'll know every decent smallie that lives in that river by name. For now, I have to read your trip reports and grit my teeth. For some reason, my life doesn't seem to be my own anymore.

Come Hell or high water, I'll live in Arkansas within 5 years. I might be divorced, broke, and living on pork and beans, but'll have good fishing gear and more chances to use it.

I'm 5 hours away and I have to work at the hospital this weekend so I'm O-U-T.

[bobber]

ham , you just keep pumpin' that 401 K .... 'CUZ WHEN YOU MOVE UP HERE WE'LL NEED GAS MONEY TO GO FISHIN'!!! BUDDY... YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT THIS LIKE I'M SCOUTING OUT THE REALLY GOOD RUNS FOR US LATER ON!!

[bobber]

well my outting turned out being 3 of us. on friday night i was the only camper that showed-up ,it was kinda spooky being the ONLY ONE AT TYLER BEND CAAMP GROUND!!! outher than 8 deer and 3 skunks, but the water was still on, and the showers had lots of hot water .. so saturday morning we headed out to gilbert take out , witch was covered with sand, so much that we didn't use it looked like a good place to get stuck from the track of the others that had gotten stuck..so we made (grinders ferry ) hwy 65 bridge our takeout i loaded up the boats in my van and we headed off to bakers ford. the morning was darkclouds and windy (gusts to 30 mph) it would blow you across the water sideways!!we had a new paddler with us so we took extra care and took our time . we had all day. well with the wind at our back for most of this trip pushing down stream, and a really good current flow, making our float about... oh about 3 hours long !!i helped the ladies load there boats and they took off for home. and gave me plenty of time to figure out what campgroung i wanted to stay at.ended up at south maumee i walked down to the river made three cast and hooked a nice fat smallie about 14 inces long two more cast bang, another fatty not as long, so i parked my van and set up camp for the night ,again being the only one at this campground.around 5 it started to get dark so i fired-up the old coleman lantern and made a big fire to cook my hotdogs on. about a hour later the lights start to dim (my coleman was out of fuel!!) and buddy when your lights go off out in the woods ! it's dark..... then all the things that go bump in the night! came out!! i had lions, tigers,and bears oh my!! all around me !! you could hear an owl, way off hooting, so i started hooting back! he'd call.. i'd call (that was a big mistake ) i got to listen to him all night. he hung out in a tree really close .anyway the big rain they had a week or so ago , washed all and ,i mean all, of the gravel bars clean ,and wads of leaves in the trees and logs up 15 feet in the tops of trees dangling. the river bank striped clean down to bedrock, some places all the bank was gone and the newbedrock showing. banks of mud falling off, and sand piled up in the river bends 5 and 6 feet deep, made me sad, the river that looked so good a few weekends ago,and now is all new looking. sunday i paddled up stream to maumee north and fished hard, only catching 5 or 6 fish the wind in my face and fighting it all day . i packed up around 2;30 and drove to spring creek made a few cast with no takers ,another short drive to buffalopoint and met some boaters putting in. made some casts and hooked a few baby smallies then drove to rush walked the bank casting with no takers and headed home. put on some miles but i'd do it all again ,all except for calling that owl!!

[Wayne SW/MO]

You're going to have to get a lantern that will burn all that stuff you keep in that van.

Your "friend" wasn't at Tyler huh, oh well sounds like a fun trip.