Access Below Noel?

[OKFlyFisher44]

Does anyone know of an access to launch a boat (drift boat) below the low water dam in Noel and then float down to the bridge in Tiff City? Or is this float even possible? Anyone done it? How far is it? I have researched everything I could and looked at GoogleEarth for an extended amount of time till my eyes hurt.

I have spent lots of time upstream from Pineville to Two Sons as well as all of the tribs (Indian, LS, BS) but have always wondered what the river was like below Noel? I ask because a group of us are heading up next weekend to fish the Elk for the weekend. We will be bringing along 3 drift boats and I would like to have a different float for each boat. Not trying to hotspot anyone's honey hole, just looking for a point of access.

Any help would be great....

Thanks guys...

[Chief Grey Bear]

I have put in at the ball field. That is just below the dam on the west side. That may be a little tough for a Drift boat though.

There is also River Ranch on the east side that you could use. Probably a better option.

Then if you look down river just a bit, where the river leaves the hiway, makes an L shape and comes right back, you will see a trail that heads to the gravel bar on the inside bend of the L. I am starting to see people use that area and saw a camp bus with trailer coming out of there. Didn't catch the name though.

My figures show that to be a 9.25 mile float. Doesn't quite seem that long to me. But I skip a lot water on the upper part of that run too. Also I am not as impressed with the lower end as I am the upper end of this river. It is a very easy float with no obstacles. I was just on it a couple of weeks ago and you shouldn't have any trouble.

There is a Jet boat with bow hunters running it too. You will find gar carcasses everywhere.

I would like to know how you plan on getting out at Tiff City though? Most people take out at the Cow Skin access. LOL!

[Wayne SW/MO]

You might not want to risk leaving a vehicle at Tiff.

[Chief Grey Bear]

Actually Wayne TIff City is on Buffalo. That is why I was ribbing him a little.

But your point is well taken. Not the best of crowed hanging there. I have done it though without any trouble.

[OKFlyFisher44]

Thanks for the info Chief! Lol, when I said Tiff City...I meant, Cowskin. Tiff City, MO is right there at that bridge where Cowskin access is, thats why I was saying that. Sorry for the confusion. 9 miles is a good all day float in the drift boat so thats totally do-able. I'm not liking the fact that you said the fishing isn't as good down there as it is in the upper end, especially with you guys using conventional tackle mostly right? Might not be as good as an option as I thought it would be...

Whats the river like down there? Does it open up to where its wide and slow? Or is there some good current and riffle water down that way?

I had heard the put a gate up at the ballfields and you couldn't get in there unless there were baseball games going on? I didn't think about River Ranch though, I guess I thought it was upstream of the dam. We will check it out though!

Thanks for tip on not leaving a vehicle Wayne. That thought had crossed my mind especially after my tool box was raided a few ago on Indian Creek below 71 bridge and I had some tools stolen. Total bummer.

Chief....once again, thanks for the info bud! You're the man!

[ollie]

You could pay old stinky at Cowskin to take you up to the farm and put in. That put in is just upstream from the big boulder in the water by some caves. I think the place your talking about Chief is where the discharge from Tyson's is? If so I'm not sure that would be a good put in for a drift boat either, but I can't remember that place too well except I have caught a nice 6 pound largie there before and some catties. I do like that stretch of water on the Elk though. I would check the cfs flows before I came down however with all the rain going on around here. Last I looked the gauge for cfs was 465 which isn't too bad, but if it climbs then it will be tougher to fish IMO.

[OKFlyFisher44]

I would like for it to bump a little on the flows. We have floated it in the upper section when the gauge was reading 1000-1200 cfs and it was good water for a drift boat. Fishing was good too. We just have to fish our heavy full sink lines like we use for streamer fishing on the tailwaters for trout. Works just fine. I'm really hoping that Indian Creek comes up so we can float it again like we did a few weeks ago. It was very cool in a drift boat...

Ollie, how many miles is the float you are talking about if we used the old guy at Cowskin to shuttle us? Really wanna check out the lower Elk but I keep getting mixed opinions on the fishing. Just need to go try it out sometime if we can find a for sure put in below Noel.

Thanks again guys....

[Chief Grey Bear]

I would float it Chance. There is good water there. I think you will do well. You are fishing totally different from what I do.

And these last couple of years, and I don't know why, but I have been floating more Al like and putting in more miles in less time. I really need to slow back down a little.

As far as mileage, from the dam at Noel to the MDC Cowskin access is 9.25 miles. Another float to think about is from Cowskin to the where the Buffalo dumps in. It is about a 3 miler????? Maybe a little less.

One thing about this lower end, is the river starts to leave the more typical Ozark topo and is entering the more prairie like topo. So the river flattens and gets wider. Especially from Cowskin on into Grand Lake.

When I was on it a couple of weeks ago, like Ollie mentioned the catfish, they were chasing cranks. So you may have some great action with them and streamers.

Ollie:

"You could pay old stinky at Cowskin to take you up to the farm and put in. That put in is just upstream from the big boulder in the water by some caves. I think the place your talking about Chief is where the discharge from Tyson's is?"

That is the place I am thinking of. Just up stream from the rock. We are thinking of the same place.

[ollie]

If you fished the upper with that kind of cfs flow then don't worry about the gauge then! lol I just personally don't like it that high to fish, but sounds like you have that covered. Chiefs right about the topo of the stream down below. Great thing about the lower end is you just never know what you will catch! I've had days where I caught everything from cats to big drum, the trifecta of bass with smallies, whites, and largies, and you could even hook a nasty ol gar! Just a plethora of different fish to be had.

[hoglaw]

The float from the ball fields to Cowskin is worth doing. It's by far the least crowded part of the river. I don't think there are as many giants down there as there are on the drunken part of the river, but it is definitely a float worth doing. I've seen the MDC folks running the river down there in their jet which is funny since so few people float it compared to the upper part. Just goes to show you, they're far more interested in playing with their toys than they are actually enforcing laws. I'd like to put in there at Cowskin with my jet at some point and head down towards the lake a little. I'm sure it would be fun to head upstream too.

The river doesn't get much different than the rest of the Elk in my opinion. There are more snags and branches and such, but it retains all of its "river" characteristics throughout and you never feel like you're getting close to a lake on that float. It isn't the coolest float in the state or anything, but it's worth doing.