Two Day Float Trip And Camping Over Night On The White. Is It Possible?

[N9BOW]

The Buffalo National River runs into the White River between Cotter and Norfork. Only motors below 10hp allowed. All public around the river so there are plenty of gravel bars to camp on. Excellent smallmouth fishery.

excellent! thats more my style. I want to completely disconnect from civilization when camping.

[hoglaw]

excellent! thats more my style. I want to completely disconnect from civilization when camping.

The buffalo is about as close as you can get to doing that. If you can leave a boat and hike up big creek or into the sylamore wilderness, you can be a LONG way from civilization. Probably some of the mosteremote places in the state next to down south.

[N9BOW]

Well I got my transom mod done. still hope to make it down in Sept/Oct but they just keep piling on travel at work.

Anyway here is my transom mod to run a 5 HP on my Excalibur

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[Amery]

What's up the buffalo?????big freakin smallmouth. That's what.

[cpriest]

I don't have a pontoon but I have a gheenoe and run a 5hp merc. I have never motored back upstream and always have someone shuttle my car. It's awesome to have to re run drifts but hard to make any head way if they are generating.

[N9BOW]

I don't have a pontoon but I have a gheenoe and run a 5hp merc. I have never motored back upstream and always have someone shuttle my car. It's awesome to have to re run drifts but hard to make any head way if they are generating.

Yeah. I took my scadden out with my wife to see how it motored around with the new transom and outboard. We were on a smaller river and we went a couple miles down stream and the trip back was labored with the 5hp (very enjoyable if you just want to cruise around but not for re-drifting a productive stretch). It did the job.... Im am certain i would not want to try it under any significant flow.

looks like when I come down I will be putting in and having someone take me back.

I did see a 16' panfisher by tracker that looks like it might be a good little boat.

[Ham]

I did see a 16' panfisher by tracker that looks like it might be a good little boat.

My suggestion would be to wait until you more down here and fish with a few folks that have dfferent boats. You'll be able to decide for yourself if you want a jet or need a prop. Lots of used boats designed to be used on the White for sale all the time.

I think if you bought the Panfisher that you would be selling it not long after you moved down.

[N9BOW]

My suggestion would be to wait until you more down here and fish with a few folks that have dfferent boats. You'll be able to decide for yourself if you want a jet or need a prop. Lots of used boats designed to be used on the White for sale all the time.

I think if you bought the Panfisher that you would be selling it not long after you moved down.

Thanks Ham!

Agreed!.....happiest day of a boat owners life is the day he sells it!....

I have owned several and sold several so i can say that with conviction, my favorite has been my Gator tail 1754 center console mud motor boat for duck hunting that I tricked it out for walley on the Mississippi. loads of fun - not very comfortable in big chop though. My favorite big boat was a Tuffy osprey 1890.

Some day I will buy another boat.... but this little scadden toon will have to hold me over till we move down.

[Ham]

Move down, buy a trout boat, buy a Bass Cat, buy a cane, buy yaks, and maybe buy a drift boat. I encourage you to buy all the boats you can afford and that you can store, but I consider boats a long term purchase and I would wait until I got here. when Is that again?

[N9BOW]

Ham,

moving permanently will be a little while yet but i plan to purchase some property as soon as the farm sells.

as far as the float trip is concerned, I am coming down the end of the month to do a three day fish camp trip. If you are available it would be great to fish with you or anyone else for that matter.

I Plan to arrive late on the Wednesday 24th sleep in the truck and start the float trip early on Thursday at Bull Shoals.

Float all day and then set up camp for the night at Blue Heron Thursday (I already reserved the space), then head out early again on Friday morning till I get to the mouth of the Buffalo River set up camp upstream and fish the confluence there for the remainder of the evening. The next morning I'll motor out to meet up with Bill (hes on vacation so I still need to arrange the place) and head back to the truck to look at property below Rim Shoals. Found a couple places I liked along the river and want to take a closer look.