Rex Hancock and Maddox bay ?

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Adventureseeker42
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Rex Hancock and Maddox bay ?

Post by Adventureseeker42 » Sun Oct 16, 2016 11:42 am

Hey guys I'm new to this page and fairly new to the delta region. I've been enjoying going to places like apple lake and the woods of dagmar and wattensaw. Ive heard canoeing Maddox bay and Rex Hancock black swamp can be fun also but not really sure of when an where to go. Any advice on certain routes or water depths I should wait on would be greatly appriciated!

BEubanks
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Re: Rex Hancock and Maddox bay ?

Post by BEubanks » Tue Oct 18, 2016 8:01 am

Welcome to the forum, Rex. Not nearly as active as it once was--much of the conversation has shifted to Facebook. But you might check out the Arkansas Blackwater group there for more info on your questions.

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Re: Rex Hancock and Maddox bay ?

Post by Cowper » Thu Oct 27, 2016 8:03 am

We have paddled the Maddox bay area at all river levels, from so low that we had to drag over beaver dams to get into Adams Bayou, to so high that there was significant flow in Maddox bay, and it was possible to not only paddle into Upper Eagle's Nest Lake, but also paddle North-west out of Eagle's lake and over to Cut Bluff Slough. But at any level you could paddle across the bay and into Pryor Lake. The best access for Maddox Bay is a boat ramp at N34.51 W91.182 (Lawrenceville). Be sure to stop in the store and pay your $5 fee for use of the ramp. The best gauge for levels in this area is here: http://www.water.weather.gov/ahps2/hydr ... gage=clda4 I can tell you that the water is "low" now, but you can still paddle Maddox Bay and Pryor Lake. Also go to Adams Bayou, and paddle as far as you can into that. But levels have to be somewhere upwards of 20 feet (or more?) before you can paddle into Upper Eagles Nest Lake.

One of our favorites is Bayou DeView. Information on that has now been collected here: http://www.agfc.com/species/Pages/Speci ... er%20Trail

Also, watch for Debbie's post coming soon; she will be putting up a Fall schedule for group trips featuring several "Big Woods" destinations. Even if you prefer a more solitary experience, joining some of these group floats is a great way to get the lay of the land and figure out which places you like the best, learn the access points, etc.
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Re: Rex Hancock and Maddox bay ?

Post by Adventureseeker42 » Thu Oct 27, 2016 9:11 pm

Thanks for the info. Yes the big woods of the deview are lots of fun. I actually contacted Agfc about removing a few log Jams in the deview so it could be floated a little shallower without having to get out. They said they will look in to it but y'all know how far that normally goes.. I will have to check out Maddox bay.

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Re: Rex Hancock and Maddox bay ?

Post by Cowper » Fri Oct 28, 2016 8:19 pm

AGFC removing logs in DeView? They'll probably call the same volunteers that put up all the trail signs. (That would be Debbie, who calls me when there's chainsaw work or heavy lifting.)

There's one major log jam on the trail just upstream of the spur that goes over to Hickson lake. I haven't tried to tackle that one yet - at high levels, you can paddle around it; at low levels, it is still a relatively short drag. And I feel that to some degree, that spot "catches" a lot of logs, so it prevents us from having multiple jams at other locations. Tell us more about where you encountered problems, and we'll check it out when we get a chance.
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Re: Rex Hancock and Maddox bay ?

Post by Cowper » Fri Oct 28, 2016 8:23 pm

PS - forgot to ask - do you know what day you were there, so I can check the level? Generally it needs to be above 14' or you'll encounter spots that just don't have enough water...
(14' on the USGS gage near Brinkley)
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Re: Rex Hancock and Maddox bay ?

Post by Adventureseeker42 » Sun Oct 30, 2016 6:33 pm

No paticular day just looking for new grounds to explore. Looking at topos it seem like the cache in Rex Hancock would be fun.

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Re: Rex Hancock and Maddox bay ?

Post by Adventureseeker42 » Sun Oct 30, 2016 8:38 pm

My issues are more with the low water. I like to get out even when water is low and 11.5 and up I'll canoe it. The massive log jam your talking about is one and I noticed this winter even with high water to not have to get of the trail itself there were a few others up north of the powerline. Also do y'all know why the "unimproved" boat ramp just south of the bridge is no longer usable? Just curious because it's marked as a ramp on the map but the gate is closed to it

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Re: Rex Hancock and Maddox bay ?

Post by Cowper » Mon Oct 31, 2016 1:41 pm

On Deview? Which bridge?
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Re: Rex Hancock and Maddox bay ?

Post by Adventureseeker42 » Mon Oct 31, 2016 4:51 pm

No bridge. I know they are unimproved on the bridges but according to the map the are "improved" the one I'm talking about is just south of the 17 bridge if you look at the cache river nwr maps I believe. 34.9200 -91.7576
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Re: Rex Hancock and Maddox bay ?

Post by Cowper » Wed Nov 02, 2016 10:32 am

Sorry, I was having a little trouble following. You said it was south of a bridge, then when I said "which bridge" you said "no bridge". 34.9200 -91.7576 is about 25 miles West of DeView, but the map you attached shows different coordinates and clarifies exactly where you are talking about, Thanks!

The ramp you are talking about is on Nature Conservancy property; that is where they start and end most of their DeView tours. Debbie says contact Jason Milks, the Delta Manager, to find out what the story is on the gate, whether or not they allow access other than when leading group tours, etc. I don't have his phone number, but if you call the Nature Conservancy office in Little Rock I'm sure they can connect you.
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Re: Rex Hancock and Maddox bay ?

Post by Adventureseeker42 » Wed Nov 02, 2016 11:49 am

Sorry the maps wouldn't pull up correct locations but yes the ramp in the natural area just south of the 17 bridge. Not really a gate just a wire running across the entrance

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