Buffalo River Trip

[Wishicaughtmore]

Planning a trip to the Buffalo River in June. I would like to make a three day trip with the family and do a lot of smallmouth fishing. Looking for calm water and great scenery. Does anyone have any suggestions on where to start and how far to travel? My family will include four daughters and my wife. We will be traveling in two kayaks and two canoes.

[Wayne SW/MO]

River camping?

[gotmuddy]

IMO you cannot beat a trip from rush down to the white river. You can easily make it a three day float, and it is one of the few stretches of river to guarantee water during the summer. If the water is up float from buffalo point to the white.

[Wishicaughtmore]

Planning on camping along the river. If you go to the white river, how hard is it to go up river to the takeout point?

[gotmuddy]

very

I would recommend talking to the people at riley station accross the river from the mouth, or float down to shipps ferry.

[Al Agnew]

It all depends upon how much water they are releasing from Bull Shoals. The White can be so low you can wade up the riffle to the Buffalo City access (although your legs will get cold!) or paddle up it reasonably easily. Or it can be so high you just can't do it. Or anywhere in between. I've only taken out at Buffalo City once, and then the White was fairly low, but it was still pretty hard paddling to get up the riffle at the mouth of the Buffalo. The guidebooks advise to stay next to the left bank going up out of the Buffalo until you clear the riffle.

In the past, if the White was too high for upstream paddling, you could call the White-Buffalo Resort just upstream, and they would tow you upstream for a fee. I don't know whether that's still true or not.

I usually float on down the White to Norfork, a distance of 11 miles that will go very fast, just a couple of hours, if they have a few generators running, but can be pretty slow if the river is low and it's windy. If they are releasing a lot of water from Norfork Dam, it can be tricky crossing the inflow of the North Fork to get to the landing.

There are two other accesses between the Buffalo and the North Fork. Cartney Landing is a public forest service boat ramp 3.5 miles downstream from the Buffalo, on the same side as the Buffalo, but it's a long way from anywhere on rough gravel roads. Shipps Landing is a public Game and Fish ramp on the other side of the river but with better roads leading to it, 5.5 miles downstream from the Buffalo.

Whoever you get to shuttle you on that stretch can probably give you the best, most up to date advice on which access to use taking out.

[Wishicaughtmore]

What about Mt. Hersey to Tyler Bend? Can I float that fairly easy in 3 days in mid June? Is it fairly safe with good fishing and good scenery?

[Wishicaughtmore]

I also thought about Gilbert to Buffalo point? Anyone have an opinion on these two?

[gotmuddy]

the only shuttle I would use is buffaloriverfloatservice.com . they are very reasonable and do good work. I always park at rileys station, that way my vehicle is safe.

[gotmuddy]

What about Mt. Hersey to Tyler Bend? Can I float that fairly easy in 3 days in mid June? Is it fairly safe with good fishing and good scenery?

it all depends on water level. three years ago we floated bakers ford to gilbert the second weekend in june, flash flooding killed people in albert pike campground. we got there on friday afternoon and the river was perfect. three hours later it was 3 ft higher and rising.

last year you would have to drag the whole way. The moral of the story? you never can tell, so dont plan.