New Guy

[ShakeAndBake]

Hello everybody, I have been reading through the message boards and finally decided to dive on in. My name is Craig and I live in Fayetteville. Last year was my first year to own my own canoe and I basically spent every moment I wasn't at work on one of the nearby rivers. I have absolutely loved the freedom of owning my own canoe and try to spend as much time out on the water as possible. I hope to learn alot from everybody on here, and hopefully you guys will let me know if my questions get too bothersome.

[Roy Staggs]

Glad to see you here Craig. Ask away.

[ShakeAndBake]

All right I'll go ahead and start off right now. One spot I didn't get to last year was War Eagle Creek, anybody suggest the section of WEC that has the best fishing? Thanks in advance for any info!

[GutIt]

Greetings Shake!

Welcome and jump right into the big middle of the fray!

Reading your post kind of struck me. I remember the first time I got my own boat instead of using Dad's chrome (alumium!) 19'er. After I left the nest and flew on my own! It was better than my first car! Lots of water under the bridge since then. Both white and flat! You know, I still get that same feeling! And I still have that boat and my very first holoform whitewater yak! I envy you, man!

You landed in a good place. I can't give you much in the way of War Eagle, or even fishing, but I would be surprised if you didn't get a response on your inquiry.

To many, many happy years of boating, Shake!

[okieboater]

Hey GutIt,

cannot remember the exact year but Francine and me were vacationing at the NOC and lost mine campground. Couple guys who were holloform happened to be camped next to us. They left before we did and needed gas money so they sold me two Holloforms at a extremely low price for the pair. I was at the right time and place with a few extra greenbacks.

anyway, we used those holloforms for a number of years, back in those days sunlight was deadly for the plastic. I did not know that but I think it was maybe 1982 or 83 when the first one cracked around the cockpit while I was doing roll coaching in a pool. Got out the other one and a few weeks later it also cracked cleanly around the cockpit rim.

we lived on a 3 plus acre lot out in the sticks and I had cut up a bunch of oak trees and stacked the limbs etc to dry out and one afternoon built a bonfire maybe the size of a big SUV out close to a pasture next to our lot. It was a Orville Wright sized blaze big time. I tossed the holloforms into the flames. They just sat there for a while and I thought nothing would happen, suddenly they just folded up and went away in the flames.

Lots of comments on the Holloforms, but they opened up the thought process for pretty good boats made from plastic. I know the two I had boated pretty good. I thought it was fitting to give them a Viking Funeral altho I am sure some EPA rule was broken.

How did you keep yours for so long?

[ShakeAndBake]

GutIt,

Yeah just the other day I was looking at some new canoes that would give me more room for storage on trips where I over night on the river, but if I decide to get another one I think that I might just have to start a fleet because it will be awfully hard to get rid of my first boat.

[Richard]

Old Town Discovery 169 for sale.

wait! Stop! What am I saying! That's my first boat.

It is heavy. It has a hole needing to be patched. Probably a few other things to be fixed. But there is no way I will be giving it up.

Unless I go wacko because someone makes another change to the message board.

Welcome to the board ShakeAndBake

[Clif]

Where does this one boat myth come from and who told my wife

Smaller canoe should be more maneuverable in smaller areas for fishing and such, lighter to load and unload... but the overnighter trips may need the bigger boat. More boats = more versatility + more fun doing it.

Fully understand the financial aspect tho.

[GutIt]

I guess I just never sold that boat, Okie!

I got my first plastic boat, a Dancer right after they came out, and meant to sell the old one. Quite frankly, I was too busy playing in the Dancer to even seriously consider selling the other one. After a while, I didn't really want to sell it. It started having sentimental value to me. Now I'm not sure I will ever get rid of it. I've had it this long! It sits around and collects dust, I never paddle it, but it just feels right to me to have it around for some reason. Same with that old Mohawk canoe. I really don't need it, but I took out my first loan ever from the Bank of Eureka Springs to buy it. I didn't have much but the shirt on my back, but I was going to own a canoe by god! I should probably get rid of it. I still go out and 303 her up every so often! I really don't need it. It has a small crack under the front skid, doesn't leak, some damage to the front deck plate, is still very serviceable, 17'. I just can't bring myself to sell it yet. In fact, I have considered giving it away and if I ever get rid of it, that is exactly what I am going to do. It really should be with someone who puts it in the water pretty regularly and now since I am writing this, I'm starting to consider it again. It has given me so many years of fun and enjoyment, I just don't think I could live with myself if I took money for it.

Kind of stupid, I suppose, but I guess that's just the way I'm wired!

[ShakeAndBake]

Clif,

I tried to explain that exact same thing to my fiancee. Different canoes for different kinds of trips. I already have a great fishing and day trip canoe, now I need a better canoe for camping out of and hauling more gear. I took her on her first over night trip last year on the buffalo and she absolutely loved it so hopefully it won't take too many more trips like that to convince her that I need a second boat.

[GutIt]

That's the ticket, Shake!

Hook the wife and you got it made for Life!

One year you buy her a boat, next year you buy you one! One day you wake up and are butt deep in boats and you are two Happy Campers!

That's what I call Wedded Bliss!

[ShakeAndBake]

Great idea! I'll just tell her the next boat is for her! She's already asked for her own fishing pole for this year so maybe I can just make a new boat part of a package deal for her (and me )

[Cowper]

Take her by the Bass Pro, start drooling on some bass boats in the 25,000 to 30,000 range. On the way home, be sure to stop by the car dealerships and look for a pick-up truck that is big enough to tow that bad boy. Something with four wheel drive, in the 35,000 to 50,000 range.

Later, tell her you've decided to save some of that money for the kids college by buying a smaller, simpler power boat in the 15,000 range that you can tow with your current truck, plus maybe 3 kayaks at 1000 each and two canoes at 1250 each, for a total damage of less than 20,500, which wouldn't have even covered the first boat under Plan A.

[shelbyjohnson]

All right I'll go ahead and start off right now. One spot I didn't get to last year was War Eagle Creek, anybody suggest the section of WEC that has the best fishing? Thanks in advance for any info!

I don't fish but growing up in High School a lot of guys fished from Hwy 412 down to Withrow Springs @ Hwy 23. Pretty and relatively short. The long float that got a lot of fishing was from Withrow Springs @Hwy 23 down to Hwy 45 - on the way to Eureka Springs. I don't know how long that run is but on spots of it there are some long and deep holes. There's a ford on that section somwhere but I can't remember the name of it for sure but think its called Walker Ford. A local around Clifty or Hindsville could tell you where its located and you can use that as a takeout to break up the longer float. Hope this helps a little.

[ShakeAndBake]

Yeah I have been looking at the stretch from 412 to Withrow Springs. Anybody know what the best water level is to float that stretch of the river?