Niangua Shuttle Service

[Mottled Sculpin]

Does anyone know of someone who provides reliable shuttle service during the off season on the Niangua River around the Bennett Springs Area? I may be floating this area in early December and will need my truck to be shuttled to the take out. Let me know if you have any suggestions.

[hank franklin]

Call Yellow Cab out of Lebanon. They'll set you up.

[Mottled Sculpin]

That's funny stuff Hank! You know getting through Lebbanon is the toughest part of the trip especially around 5pm on a friday. How does the song go?

[hank franklin]

"If I could only get through Lebanon...." That's all l remember.

No doubt about it: There's no worse trial or tribulation for the stream angler than trying to get through Lebanon at 5 p.m. on a Friday when you're supposed to be on the Niangua River.

Sometimes I feel like I'm STILL trying to get through Lebanon.

On the topic of shuttles, why don't you climb that bluff accross from Barclay CA and then run Magnolia Road all the way back to Bennett? It's only 7 miles.

[Wayne SW/MO]

No doubt about it: There's no worse trial or tribulation for the stream angler than trying to get through Lebanon at 5 p.m. on a Friday

You guys live on the wrong side of the state.

I don't know of anyone offhand, but the people at the Menagerie, west of the river, might, Clyde at Clyde's store might know of someone, and Clifford Keith might put you in.

Clifford is west on 64, look for a place on the left with canoes sitting there and firewood for sale. He's about 4-5 miles I think.

[McManus]

Call Sand Springs Resort, or NRO campground---I'm sure they'd charge, but they've always been helpful.

[hank franklin]

Wayne, we're country boys who don't take kindly to a traffic jam when we got the canoe on the truck.

About all you can do when encountered with such conditions is write a country song.

Regarding Clifford Keith, I suppose he'd be relation to whoever Keith Bluff is named after? We camped at the foot of that bluff a few years back. Nice spot.

[BrianK]

not sure about off season but NRO hooked me up back in Sep. they have a website.

Bob(owner) and his son (?name ) went out of their way to help me with a shuttle.

[Wayne SW/MO]

Regarding Clifford Keith, I suppose he'd be relation to whoever Keith Bluff is named after?

That would be right, his brother farms that bottom. Nice guy, friendly and helpful, but doesn't like the abuse the river is taking from civilization.

Living on the wrong side was simply that if you lived on the west side you wouldn't have to go through Lebanon, but then some people have all the luck. They're lucky they could squeeze in 4 lanes.

[hank franklin]

Wayne, we've only floated the Big Niangua once and we noticed a lot of trash on the gravel bars. Clothes, plastic crap of all kinds, etc. We picked up a big bag of stuff just on our gravel bar alone. River and the fishing was great though.