Hey friends,
Pert near been awhile since last post! Winter has been long & dreary here. Just recovered from a massive ice storm but our facility is intact & ready for the "tourist shuffle".
Gavin & I enjoyed deer season (even though the wind was tough on us all season!) Josie got a chance at hunting & did well (no deer, just did well) Meat in the freezer & goods on the shelf, so no complaints other than it went by too fast!
We are getting geared up for another fishing & turkey huntin' season. Can't wait for some warmer days, that Buffalo is looking good!!!! Smallmouth jumping & Turkey gobblin good times ahead! Yeehaw!
Dust off your gear (rods, reels, waders...yes waders, box calls, decoys & the shotgun!) I'm sure with some or all of these neccessities you can have a good time!
Trying to not be a lazy blogger! Forgiveness needed.....
Until next post,
Mountain Momma
Monday, February 16, 2009
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Guide in training
Hey all,
It isn't very often that one will admit that your "kid" whooped you on fishing, but this was the case for me. I had threatened several times this summer to just head up to Crooked Creek from the dock and wear some bass out. That was my attempt...I soon learned!
Gavin and I jetted out of the dock headed up to Crooked against the 8 generators. We took boat #10, it seems to be the fastest (at least that is what Dave from Memphis says!) We timed our trip being 37 minutes which I thought was pretty quick. Maybe ol' Dave was right? We were both armed with Zoom lizards and Yum crawdads. Our first goal was to motor up as far as we could go (my mind is still thinking of kayak'n that section) We ended up going approx 3 1/2 miles with the clarity being the worst the closer we drifted to the confluence on the White River.
Far enough, lets fish. The bite did seem to be a little slow and the bottom of the creek was moving fast so I anchored off a ledge. I missed one, then another, then another. I started thinking my L.O.F.T. was off (that is Lack Of Frigging Talent). Well I'm sure it was!
Gavin proved it by landing this nice creek smallie about 2 1/2 pounds. Good one boy, now its my turn. I tell you my turn never came and he caught a couple more and all I hooked was a gar. That 10 second catch would have to suffice me. Fine, lets head out to the White and drift home for trout. Well he wore me out on the trout and also fished a way that I never thought would catch fish.
We ended up with one limit of the gov't fish to feed these starving girls. Miles wasn't home that day and I even had to clean them! I was huntin' a hole to hide in and I made sure that he cleaned the boat out. I had to redeem myself somehow!?
Thank the Lord there can be another time for me to "whoop" him. Can't let the lil' guy get to boisterous!
Until next post,
"Bass-shamed" Mountain Momma
It isn't very often that one will admit that your "kid" whooped you on fishing, but this was the case for me. I had threatened several times this summer to just head up to Crooked Creek from the dock and wear some bass out. That was my attempt...I soon learned!
Gavin and I jetted out of the dock headed up to Crooked against the 8 generators. We took boat #10, it seems to be the fastest (at least that is what Dave from Memphis says!) We timed our trip being 37 minutes which I thought was pretty quick. Maybe ol' Dave was right? We were both armed with Zoom lizards and Yum crawdads. Our first goal was to motor up as far as we could go (my mind is still thinking of kayak'n that section) We ended up going approx 3 1/2 miles with the clarity being the worst the closer we drifted to the confluence on the White River.
Far enough, lets fish. The bite did seem to be a little slow and the bottom of the creek was moving fast so I anchored off a ledge. I missed one, then another, then another. I started thinking my L.O.F.T. was off (that is Lack Of Frigging Talent). Well I'm sure it was!
Gavin proved it by landing this nice creek smallie about 2 1/2 pounds. Good one boy, now its my turn. I tell you my turn never came and he caught a couple more and all I hooked was a gar. That 10 second catch would have to suffice me. Fine, lets head out to the White and drift home for trout. Well he wore me out on the trout and also fished a way that I never thought would catch fish.
We ended up with one limit of the gov't fish to feed these starving girls. Miles wasn't home that day and I even had to clean them! I was huntin' a hole to hide in and I made sure that he cleaned the boat out. I had to redeem myself somehow!?
Thank the Lord there can be another time for me to "whoop" him. Can't let the lil' guy get to boisterous!
Until next post,
"Bass-shamed" Mountain Momma
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Our DAM float
Well yes, we did a dam float. That is...we floated from the Bull Shoals dam back to Riley's Station. Oh, it wasn't that long OR scary. Matter of DAM fact, it was great!
This trip was to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary. The plan was to have another day long float with a wonderful camp trip involved.
Itenerary...float 32 miles from Bull Shoals launch area to Buffalo City and paddle ourselves into Buffalo River for one night camp. Did we succeed??? That is the whole senario of a bear poopin in the woods thing. Of course we did!
Launching at 9 a.m. carrying our 1 nights gear inside our X factor kayaks we started our float by forgetting batteries. Where else to stop but Gastons? We paddled right up to the dock to be welcomed by dock hand Bubba while Miles and I strolled the tourist shopping area. We did find some trinkets for Amy and the needed camera batteries.
Recording docks, homes and boat landings. It very quickly made us thankful for our area while appreciating others blessings. Isn't that they way it should be?
We arrived in BC by 5 p.m to paddle upstream to our campspot. Yes...nobody there. Always a happy campers desire! Good food to be started and then a suprise visit from another married couple. Little did they know we would be escaping at the same time. Oh well, call it chance, but it was a good visit. River rats are good folks, no matter what!
Let us help you with your anniversary ESCAPE! I can pull a few more ideas out of my hat just for you!
Mountain Momma
"dam kayak'r"
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Teen float trip
Hey friends,
Great weather and moderate river levels have kept the "floatin" bug in me. After a visit with my mom for a week and a family float from Rim Shoals to here I really wanted to float Buffalo again. Call me crazy, but I wanted to do this with my teenage daughter!!
We ended up loading equipment on the 22nd for our voyage the next morning. My crew would consist of 3 teen girls and Amy (friend, office/domestic goddess, partner in crime). Two of the girls had never placed their buns in a kayak before, much less did they know how to paddle/camp. Challenges were abound, but I was determined to overcome. Mountain Momma pride was outpouring!
We were close to loaded that morning and set off for WALMART in Flippin before launching. You know.....teenager necessities, food and lots of it. Rigged with 3 small coolers and 1 "fridge" cooler we were ready. After it quit raining!!
Finally loaded (while Mr. Russel wondered where it would all go) we launched by noon, we were off. Paddle instructions first, obedience training second and LOTS of FUN the rest of the way. Clabber Creek shoals were fun and the girls loved it. Our first challenge conquered. I then knew we would make it? I was loaded heavy as the commissary and paddled our tandem kayak while the teen girls had the mini-x's and Amy paddled the x-factor. Amy carried all the other supplies and while each girl had one bag plus their personal bags.
After about 3 miles we were well into our trip. Going thru a quick, shallow run Cate (who had the bedding bag) got hung on a submerged limb and off went the bedding. Nice one Cate! After a quick save and re-adjust we were back on. We ended up paddling 6 miles total and set camp on a gravel bar just above Horseshoe Bend. First agenda was to dry the bedding. These girls had never really "river" camped so it was up to Emory and I to get them going. They all set up tent and bed pads and I worked on the "changing room". My bed sheet was sacrificed as the screen for the potty area and I ended up in flames because I slept in the sleeping bag. That won't happen again!
Everyone survived 1st nights camp and I arose to make fruit strudels for breakfast. Started the day out right....sweets & grease! Re-adjusted the bedding bag so the tump factor wouldn't cause any damage. Everyone remembered where things went in the kayaks and we left Horseshoe Bend without a trace! The previous days rain gave us an advantage for river riding. We paddled hard all day and our goal was to see Elephant Head.We stopped to have our lunch at 1 p.m. and everyone wanted to wash their hair since we weren't in the colored water anymore. I could not convince the girls that moss was good for your hair. Oh well. We did enjoy many bluffs, shoals and deer the rest of our day.
Final arrival and many times Pocahontas spoke from me......."just around the river bend" to finally get those girls to our desired camp spot of Elephant Head (12.2 miles later). Arriving we encountered a human and it was of the "DAD" species. Emily's dad, Brian was checking on her accomplishments (and my ability...whatever!) We played it off like he wasn't there. We made it this far....right? Hey Dad, Bye Dad!
Camp setup was a cinch. Dressing room/potty area was a slight challenge, but thanks to the "navy" in my marriage I rigged up something half-rear for that area. Great supper with all done & put away by dark with an eagle flying over at sunset. The adult and semi-adult conversation was marvelous. Let alone the "river" margarita that Amy had rigged up for us.
Great times.....until.......THE COON! I warned the girls of camping in a "populated" area. Who listens to the guide anyhow? Well Mrs. Spotlight here had one in sight early on. Amy was the one to convince and it took several encounters. The last thing I heard was "let me know when you are gonna shoot"..........BOOM. He had to go. I wasn't going to spend my last night on the river babysittin vermin. Luckily, none of the girls got a pic of me keepin a tail for Amy's keepsake. Memories, Memories! What happens with a Riley.....stays with a Riley! hehe.
All in all, it was a great girl campin trip. I can't wait to take them again, even if the competitions kid goes along. Maybe the WB maw can go alongside next trip?
BTW...emory made it out alive along with the customer kid. Amy is still recovering from "CKC syndrome"(coon killin @ camp). I've researched slightly and the only cure is to revisit the experience.....Let me know if Riley's can help you with this syndrome!
Mountain Momma
Great weather and moderate river levels have kept the "floatin" bug in me. After a visit with my mom for a week and a family float from Rim Shoals to here I really wanted to float Buffalo again. Call me crazy, but I wanted to do this with my teenage daughter!!
We ended up loading equipment on the 22nd for our voyage the next morning. My crew would consist of 3 teen girls and Amy (friend, office/domestic goddess, partner in crime). Two of the girls had never placed their buns in a kayak before, much less did they know how to paddle/camp. Challenges were abound, but I was determined to overcome. Mountain Momma pride was outpouring!
We were close to loaded that morning and set off for WALMART in Flippin before launching. You know.....teenager necessities, food and lots of it. Rigged with 3 small coolers and 1 "fridge" cooler we were ready. After it quit raining!!
Finally loaded (while Mr. Russel wondered where it would all go) we launched by noon, we were off. Paddle instructions first, obedience training second and LOTS of FUN the rest of the way. Clabber Creek shoals were fun and the girls loved it. Our first challenge conquered. I then knew we would make it? I was loaded heavy as the commissary and paddled our tandem kayak while the teen girls had the mini-x's and Amy paddled the x-factor. Amy carried all the other supplies and while each girl had one bag plus their personal bags.
After about 3 miles we were well into our trip. Going thru a quick, shallow run Cate (who had the bedding bag) got hung on a submerged limb and off went the bedding. Nice one Cate! After a quick save and re-adjust we were back on. We ended up paddling 6 miles total and set camp on a gravel bar just above Horseshoe Bend. First agenda was to dry the bedding. These girls had never really "river" camped so it was up to Emory and I to get them going. They all set up tent and bed pads and I worked on the "changing room". My bed sheet was sacrificed as the screen for the potty area and I ended up in flames because I slept in the sleeping bag. That won't happen again!
Everyone survived 1st nights camp and I arose to make fruit strudels for breakfast. Started the day out right....sweets & grease! Re-adjusted the bedding bag so the tump factor wouldn't cause any damage. Everyone remembered where things went in the kayaks and we left Horseshoe Bend without a trace! The previous days rain gave us an advantage for river riding. We paddled hard all day and our goal was to see Elephant Head.We stopped to have our lunch at 1 p.m. and everyone wanted to wash their hair since we weren't in the colored water anymore. I could not convince the girls that moss was good for your hair. Oh well. We did enjoy many bluffs, shoals and deer the rest of our day.
Final arrival and many times Pocahontas spoke from me......."just around the river bend" to finally get those girls to our desired camp spot of Elephant Head (12.2 miles later). Arriving we encountered a human and it was of the "DAD" species. Emily's dad, Brian was checking on her accomplishments (and my ability...whatever!) We played it off like he wasn't there. We made it this far....right? Hey Dad, Bye Dad!
Camp setup was a cinch. Dressing room/potty area was a slight challenge, but thanks to the "navy" in my marriage I rigged up something half-rear for that area. Great supper with all done & put away by dark with an eagle flying over at sunset. The adult and semi-adult conversation was marvelous. Let alone the "river" margarita that Amy had rigged up for us.
Great times.....until.......THE COON! I warned the girls of camping in a "populated" area. Who listens to the guide anyhow? Well Mrs. Spotlight here had one in sight early on. Amy was the one to convince and it took several encounters. The last thing I heard was "let me know when you are gonna shoot"..........BOOM. He had to go. I wasn't going to spend my last night on the river babysittin vermin. Luckily, none of the girls got a pic of me keepin a tail for Amy's keepsake. Memories, Memories! What happens with a Riley.....stays with a Riley! hehe.
All in all, it was a great girl campin trip. I can't wait to take them again, even if the competitions kid goes along. Maybe the WB maw can go alongside next trip?
BTW...emory made it out alive along with the customer kid. Amy is still recovering from "CKC syndrome"(coon killin @ camp). I've researched slightly and the only cure is to revisit the experience.....Let me know if Riley's can help you with this syndrome!
Mountain Momma
Monday, June 9, 2008
Fly club outing
Hey friends,
Had a good turnout for the Mid South Fly Fishers outing this past weekend. Some folks fished on Norfork because they turned the water off. Others fished here catching bass & trout. Read the testimony of "high water" fishing at Riley's.
Hi Rileys - see attached pic of the brown I caught at the top of Smith Island Friday afternoon. We beached the boat and "waded" with 7 units running - really more like walking the island - I was standing in ankle deep still backwater when I caught it.
Not the fattest fish ever, but I think he was right at 20 inches. Caught him on an olive wooly bugger fished on a sink tip. Interesting thing was i had just caught a nice smallmouth on the same woolly just about 30 minutes earlier upriver on the Buffalo. Didn't even need to change flies! Caught a few more rainbows there also.
Can you send the pics that Miles took on our trip Thursday & Friday morning? I know David caught some really nice bass. We'll send you the rest of our smallmouth pics too.
Thanks again for a great weekend, and we'll see you soon!
-Bruce Miller & David Chipman
Not the fattest fish ever, but I think he was right at 20 inches. Caught him on an olive wooly bugger fished on a sink tip. Interesting thing was i had just caught a nice smallmouth on the same woolly just about 30 minutes earlier upriver on the Buffalo. Didn't even need to change flies! Caught a few more rainbows there also.
Can you send the pics that Miles took on our trip Thursday & Friday morning? I know David caught some really nice bass. We'll send you the rest of our smallmouth pics too.
Thanks again for a great weekend, and we'll see you soon!
-Bruce Miller & David Chipman
Well that should tell you that the fishing has been good here even with the water levels being higher than the last couple of years. The bass bite has also been great (the swimmin holes ain't too shabby either!!!)
We ended the groups trip with a pig cookout. Poor guy was dee-lish! Nothing better than smoked meat with all the trimmings while sitting on the riverbank. Thanks to all who attended and hope we can entertain the group again in the future.
Until next post
"hog smokin Mountain Momma"
P.S. Keep us in prayer for "big fish" this week. We have another Catch a dream child that arrived today and we are looking forward to helping in his dream of a trophy. Will post about that in the next few days. If you don't know about Catch a dream, look over their website http://catchadream.org/
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Buffalo getaway
Hey friends,
After taking a family member to kayak float the Buffalo I came back with a plan! I informed Miles to get his gear together, we were floatin the river! The Lord afforded us a 3 day window of easy resort life so that my #1 friend/domestic/office goddess could watch over the place and the kiddos. We launched 2 kayaks at Rush on May 26th around 2 and returned to our world May 28th. It was great. We had everything but a good tent! In a dead rush to get out of here we accidentally left our tent and had to purchase one from.....WALMART.....EEEK! To say that it leaked was an understatement. We had a whopper storm come thru early Tuesday morning and Miles was out there putting my chapstick on the seams while it was raining horses & cows (not cats & dogs!)
The leaking tent was funny and we learned the "Go be dry" system that they sell means to "Go be dry...somewhere other than in the tent". Oh well, river memories to share!
The leaking tent was funny and we learned the "Go be dry" system that they sell means to "Go be dry...somewhere other than in the tent". Oh well, river memories to share!Tuesdays float was marvelous with the bluffs letting out the 2 1/2 " rain we had the night before. Waterfalls & Wildflowers everywhere! Our second nights camp was right in front of "Bear Bluff". We arrived to find a beautiful waterfall flowing out of the face of the bluff and an eagle perched in a tree beside it. Awesome! The wild purity of this river is just speechless when you see it. The spring flooding did do some tree cleaning along the banks, but that is the Lords way of changing the scenery for us. He knows how complacent we can get even with our surroundings!
I am now in the planning stages of another trip soon for the girls! Camping & floating from the kayaks was simple. You just need to minimize down your gear to the essentials. It definitely was easier than setting up our canvas camp that we use for Turkey or Deer trips. We even brought along our cast iron pan and cooked up some mighty good grub. Miles was sure to tell me he wasn't eating granola the entire trip. Camp cooking is probably the best part of any camp trip. It always tastes superb!
Even though we can't put our canoes/kayaks on the Buffalo for rentals, we can help you set up your gear & equipment to do a float just like ours along with shuttling to different access points. It is renewing for the mind & spirit to take the time and getaway from it all. Let us help with your next river adventure!
blessings until next post,
Mountain Momma
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Summer Season Thanks!!!!
Hey friends,
The summer rush of visitors is upon us again. We are so thankful for our faithful customers and returning visitors. Bless you for your loyalty and excitement of Buffalo City, Arkansas!! It is a great place to return to......I can TESTIFY.
Our region of Arkansas is wonderful. I just love the whole DAM area. There is so much to see, fish, hike and ponder that I would love to keep it just to us. Oh well, I reckon we'll let ya come. :) How bout come see........the spectacular wildflowers, deer fawns, and those little yellow birds who eat all of the thistle!!! Their all great!!! Every spring evening is one of thankfulness! It is Beautiful!! High OR Low water, I love it all!!
Big fish on both rivers being caught in the last several weeks and the numbers are GREAT! We still have room available for summer dates. Keep us in mind for any upcoming outings or retreats. If any of you know the Riley's, we are willing to help plan ANY trip in the Ozarks! Give a call or email for your ESCAPE TO THE OZARKS!
blessings until next post,
Mountain Momma
The summer rush of visitors is upon us again. We are so thankful for our faithful customers and returning visitors. Bless you for your loyalty and excitement of Buffalo City, Arkansas!! It is a great place to return to......I can TESTIFY.
Our region of Arkansas is wonderful. I just love the whole DAM area. There is so much to see, fish, hike and ponder that I would love to keep it just to us. Oh well, I reckon we'll let ya come. :) How bout come see........the spectacular wildflowers, deer fawns, and those little yellow birds who eat all of the thistle!!! Their all great!!! Every spring evening is one of thankfulness! It is Beautiful!! High OR Low water, I love it all!!
Big fish on both rivers being caught in the last several weeks and the numbers are GREAT! We still have room available for summer dates. Keep us in mind for any upcoming outings or retreats. If any of you know the Riley's, we are willing to help plan ANY trip in the Ozarks! Give a call or email for your ESCAPE TO THE OZARKS!
blessings until next post,
Mountain Momma
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