Rim Shoals access 11-4

[netboy]

I walked down the new access path at Rim Shoals this morning to check it out and do some wading. The path is somewhat overgrown, but our local TU chapter is meeting there tomorrow morning at 9 to clear the new growth. If any of you are going to be in the area, we could use all the help we can get. We bring string trimmers, loppers and chainsaws. We will also have a pizza lunch from Nima's in Gassville, which is pretty darn good.

Another event tomorrow will be Davy Wotten doing a seminar and fly tying demos at the state park visitor center at Bull Shoals dam Saturday and Sunday.

Here is a link...

Davy Wotton free classes this weekend – The Ozark Fly Fisher Journal (wordpress.com)

All that said, fishing was good, and I ended up with a couple dozen nice rainbows and 1 decent brown. I also saw another boating incident. A couple of guys (didn't appear to be a guide this time) came motoring slowly down the Marion county side of the river. They were in a Supreme with Yamaha jet and they bumped a bunch of rocks on the way down. Then a couple of hours later they came back upriver. They took it slow and hit a few rocks in the shoal and then when they got through the last shoal, they powered up. They ran about 100 feet and hit a big rock and the boat made a sharp turn and threw the driver out. Apparently, he didn't have his kill switch attached as the boat went into a spin. The guy in the front was able to get back to the motor and get it under control and finally get the driver back in the boat.

That is the second incident I have seen in the last few weeks of someone thrown out their boat. Most people think these rivers are dangerous at high flows, but I have witnessed more problems at minimum flow. Bottom line... connect your kill switch and take it slow on these low flows. Or just leave the boat at home and put on the waders. I haven't had my boat out in 2 months.

Here is a pic of the brown...

 

 

[Terrierman]

I like to fish the White from a boat, especially at Rim.  I do try to be careful, have yet to be thrown out of the boat anywhere, much less Rim Shoals.  To me, North Fork is much more dangerous to the inattentive boat operator.  But I've never even come close to falling out there.  

[netboy]

30 minutes ago, Terrierman said:

I like to fish the White from a boat, especially at Rim.  I do try to be careful, have yet to be thrown out of the boat anywhere, much less Rim Shoals.  To me, North Fork is much more dangerous to the inattentive boat operator.  But I've never even come close to falling out there.  

Well, I've seen 2 guys thrown out of their boats in the last 2 weeks on minimum flow on the White and I imagine the landing wasn't pleasant amongst the rocks in less than a foot of water. 

My point is, be careful and know your line through the shoals, or if you don't know the line, then don't even try.

[Terrierman]

1 minute ago, netboy said:

Well, I've seen 2 guys thrown out of their boats in the last 2 weeks on minimum flow and I imagine the landing isn't pleasant amongst the rocks in less than a foot of water. 

My point is, be careful and know your line through the shoals.

It's a good point.

[Ham]

On 11/4/2022 at 5:49 PM, Terrierman said:

  To me, North Fork is much more dangerous to the inattentive boat operator.    

Say it again Louder for the guys in the back. North Fork is a lot more hazardous.