Labor Day weekend float question

[Gavin]

Guage at Akers is running at 1.1'  which is almost dead low but you can still float out of Baptist at that level. Might have to drag a bit, and  find the channel in shallow flat runs. Baptist to Akers is a good float. Just a pain to hump your boat & gear over the low water bridge at Cedargrove. Most of the outfitter traffic will be below Cedargrove. Would not put in if the Akers guage gets to 4.0. NPS will close it down at that level. Best around 2.5'. Have a great trip.

 

[Al Agnew]

Tan Vat or Baptist Camp to Cedargrove will have some traffic and probably plenty of trout fishermen.  Cedargrove to Akers will be crowded.  Akers to Round Spring will be an absolute zoo.  You won't avoid the crowds by going higher on Current River.  Round Spring to Two Rivers will have both the floating crowd, though not as many as above, and a whole bunch of jetboaters.  It's all floatable just about all the time, except that above Akers you might have a few riffles that will put some scratches in the bottom of your boat--Welch Spring comes in just above Akers and adds enough water that the river is easily floatable year-round from there down.

[Jeff_L]

Thanks Al.  I've floated below Akers (and Jack's from the Prongs to Two Rivers and pretty much every other river).  But I haven't done much late summer / early fall floating due to crowds.

When I say I want to "avoid crowds" i mean avoiding a ton of jet boats and avoiding the party floats in rafts (floated Jacks in June and Alley on down was silly).  I don't mind other people on the river.   My go to for this used to be upper North Fork, putting in at Hebron and floating to Blair Bridge.  I float Elevenpoint a couple times a year also, but finding camp sites on that river is so stressful.

With this in mind, any recommendations?  Will be with 3 people and care most that (1) no giant party floats and (2) being able to find a decent gravel bar to camp 2 nights.

[ducky123]

It will be a zoo over that weekend. It may be the busiest of the year. Where you go on the current will not matter.

[snagged in outlet 3]

3 hours ago, ducky123 said:

It will be a zoo over that weekend. It may be the busiest of the year. Where you go on the current will not matter.

Listen to this!!!!

[Jeff_L]

I’m not sure what I’m supposed to “listen” to here. Obviously if I want to avoid jet boats and rafts it does matter where I put in, right? Are there going to be jet boats and rafts at Baptist, or above Akers?

Does anybody have a suggested alternative for a less crowded river? I get that holiday weekends are busy, so I’m trying to pick the best trip possible. Like I said, worried about finding camping spots on elevenpoint. 

[ducky123]

If your primary concern is finding a place to camp, you should not have a problem.  The overwhelming majority of boaters are out for the day.  If it were my trip, I would start looking for a good spot around 4:00 pm and settle for the next available spot once it hits 5:00 pm.

But it will be crowded.  Upper end will be canoes and kayaks.  I bet every permitted boat is out there and all the privates too. College kids will be out in force.  I no longer enjoy such trips, so I would rather stay home.  But then again, when I was in college at Mizzou, that's how I was introduced to Ozark float trips.  So if the monster crowds only come out on certain weekends and leave the entire rest of the year for me, that is a more than fair tradeoff.

Where to go when it is crowded?  Anywhere that does not rent boats is where I go.  Scenery certainly sux compared to the Current.  If I needed natural beauty as well, upper Jacks Fork would be the hike/float I would choose. Great scenery, great fishing, but it would be a lot of manual labor.  Again, EVERYTHING easy and nice will be jam packed.

[Gavin]

You will be good between Baptist & Cedar, no rafts. The mob starts at Cedar, Jets after Round Spring. I spend 7-10 days a year fishing between Montauk SP and Welch Spring. There is a reason why. 

[snagged in outlet 3]

1 hour ago, Gavin said:

You will be good between Baptist & Cedar, no rafts. The mob starts at Cedar, Jets after Round Spring. I spend 7-10 days a year fishing between Montauk SP and Welch Spring. There is a reason why. 

Majority in the winter though right?

[Gavin]

We go there often, sometimes in the summer. Jadwin Canoe might dump 20 boats in at Baptist but It’s not their money maker. Fishing will be dead by the time they get there, and good again after the rent a boat folks are long gone.