Hazelgreen Construction

[snagged in outlet 3]

3 minutes ago, Gavin said:

Have seen folks run jets up from Riddle. I think it would be a bad idea to run up more that a couple miles above the Roubidoux. There is a nasty shoal about 2 miles down from the narrows.

 

I think I've been just short of that.  Actually a lot of jets at Riddle when I've been there.

[oneshot]

5 hours ago, snagged in outlet 3 said:

Why?  Is there enough room?

Well riffle was pretty good right there, few rocks and really didn't look that deep.

oneshot

[fishinwrench]

Schlitz spring (above Waynesville) gets plenty of jet traffic, and I've seen them come up to Mitchelle (hwy.7) from down below, but I don't think I've seen one above 7hwy., except for a few areas (Black Ford, Falcon, ect.) where they obviously didn't run very far from where they launched.  

[Gavin]

The Gasconade is an unusual river. It actually looses flow between Hwy 7 and the Narrows because about half of its flow goes underground. The flow comes back in through the 3 major springs below the Narrows.

 

 

[Al Agnew]

The middle Gasconade really varies a lot in flow from normal spring water to typical late summer water.  The losing stretch that Gavin talked about can get so low that you can't float the riffles cleanly in a lightly loaded canoe in low water conditions, while there will be plenty of flow above and below it.  Mitch and I once put in at Schlicht Spring with his jetboat, and just barely had enough water, while there was a lot of water down near Jerome.  Cwc and I once wrestled his jet boat in at Mitschelle Access, which doesn't have a boat ramp, and had no problems running as far up as we wanted to go, and that was in mid-summer, but the water was up a bit.  On the other hand, I've seen the river unrunnable a lot of times above the mouth of the Big Piney.

If the flow at the Hazelgreen gauge is over 200 cfs, you MIGHT be able to run as far as the mouth of the Osage Fork, but you'd better have some nerve and not a lot of concern about your boat and motor unless you're very familiar with that stretch.  Right now it's at 185 cfs, and I wouldn't chance it.

[snagged in outlet 3]

10 hours ago, Al Agnew said:

If the flow at the Hazelgreen gauge is over 200 cfs, you MIGHT be able to run as far as the mouth of the Osage Fork, but you'd better have some nerve and not a lot of concern about your boat and motor unless you're very familiar with that stretch.  Right now it's at 185 cfs, and I wouldn't chance it.

The Meramec is the same way right now.  REAL low.  Jet scours on all the flats. 

@Al Agnew, you were talking about CFS in relation to gauge height and I watch and keep records on both for my trips.  This year the Sullivan gauge was 460 CFS at 2.2'.  Last year it was at 425 CFS and 2.5'.  No problems on those expansive flats last year but this year those same flats were covered in jet scours and a few of them had guys turning around and not even trying them. 

[Gavin]

You never really know until you go....Scraped this up out of the archives. Its from the Gasconade Wild and Scenic River Study in 1975. It was recommended, but never implemented.

Gasconade Wasting Stretch.pdf

[Greasy B]

4 hours ago, Gavin said:

You never really know until you go....Scraped this up out of the archives. Its from the Gasconade Wild and Scenic River Study in 1975. It was recommended, but never implemented.

Gasconade Wasting Stretch.pdf 28.23 kB · 11 downloads

Thank goodness, we would have lost another treasure if the river had huge parking lots, boat ramps at every crossing and signs on the interstate telling the masses where they were. I’m all for river preservation but experience tells us that can backfire. 

The wasting graph matches my observations, of course the water levels have to pretty low before you notice. The resurgence starts at the gavel bar that splits the channel just above the rockslide. Warm water percolates through the downstream side of the bar,  between the local springs and Roubidoux you have almost double the water than at Hazelgreen.

If you want to run a boat clean you need 500cfs at Hazelgreen.  If you don’t mind eating the occasional rock your good to 300cfs. Depending on how much your willing to drag up or down a few tight spots you can do it much lower. 

[snagged in outlet 3]

57 minutes ago, Greasy B said:

If you want to run a boat clean you need 500cfs at Hazelgreen.  If you don’t mind eating the occasional rock your good to 300cfs.

Even at 550 last year my buddy wouldn't run the first shoal above Riddle. 

[Greasy B]

That’s why I love that stretch of river, of course I had my heart broken a few years back when Ruby’s landing showed up.