Long distance float

[Drifter54]

I did the Buffalo from Boxley to the White and the King's from Marble to Romp Hole this spring in my drift boat. Next spring I am thinking of doing another distance float. I have been thinking of floating the Arkansas from Fort Smith to the Mississippi.

Have any of you done a long float on the Ark and have gone trough the locks? Any help, suggestions, advice would be greatly appreciated.

This will be a fundraiser for a fly fishing retreat for men with cancer. Would like to have others float along with me. Tentative date for start is April 1st (April Fool's Day).

[Chuck Ainsworth]

Drifter, interesting about the Arkansas. Email me at guadalupecanoe@gmail.com as I have a question or two. Thanks.

C -Huck

[Donald]

There are several sections of the White River that would be great for a long float also.

[Cowper]

Many years ago, I heard some folks in canoes went through the locks.

I don't know the protocol; do you just paddle up and yell until the operator notices you, is there a phone or call box, or what?

I suspect that if they know another boat is coming, they might make a smaller boat wait so that several could go through on one cycle.

I suggest you give them a call and ask; let usknow what you find out:

Murray Lock (Pool 7) - Mcclellan-Kerr Ark Rvr Nav Sys
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Phone: (501) 329-2986

[Steve S]

Many years ago a large group of canoes and kayaks paddled from the launch area near I-430 to Cajun's Wharf for the Sunday brunch. We pulled up to the upstream side of Murray Lock & Dam and pulled on a lanyard that alerted the lock crew to our presence. They brought the water level up for upstream entry and opened the gates. We paddled in and waited for the water to drop. There was no other traffic on the river, so we didn't have to wait.

After several kayakers did rolls for the novelty of rolling in the middle of the lock, a very large turtle surfaced for air. Realizing that we had no idea what else was in the lock with us, no one did any additional rolling.

I should also mention that the paddlers in one canoe were wearing gorilla suits. The lock crew found that pretty intriguing - almost as much as the patrons at Cajun's who watched them pull the canoe up to the parking lot and head to brunch.

[reedo]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^LOLOLOLOLOL^^^^^^^^^^

thats great

[Gordon Kumpuris]

Man, I want to party with you!

[MStrobel]

I’ve gone thru the locks several times on motorboats. Be cautious as there can be some tricky currents, undertows and whirlpools that can be created by the gates, large boats/tows and of course the release of water between chambers. Any commercial boat will have right-away/priority over you and that is totally up to the discretion of the lock operator. If a towboat is approaching the lock, you will likely have to wait. The larger tow boats have to break up their string of barges into 2 sections because they are too long. If that is the case, you may have to wait for the towboat to take one load thru, tie up barges off on the other side, come back, pick up the second group and go thru again. Each pass takes about 20 minutes. They will not let you in the lock with a string of barges and a tow boat. If you are waiting for one of the towboats to come out of the lock, give it plenty of room as their propeller wash in the confined areas near the lock can be unpredictable.

As you approach the lock, pull on the designated chain. If the traffic signal is green, you can enter. If it is red, move back a safe distance as boats may be coming out soon. Listen for possible instructions from lock master’s over the P.A. A horn will sound whenever the gate is about to open. Wait for the gates to be opened all the way and the traffic light is green to enter. There are floating bollards that you can throw a line around if you want but if I was in a canoe or kayak, I would want to stay away from the walls and they are rough and will certainly leave a scar on you boat. Do not reach around or grab hold of anything along the sides. These are all spots Water Moccasins love to rest. I recommend you get the phone numbers of the locks you plan on passing thru http://www.swl.usace.army.mil/navigatio ... ml#contact" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and call them on your c-phone as you approach. Most of the lock masters are very friendly and will help you in anyway they can. Just follow their instructions. Safety is their biggest concern. I do know that there are some locks in other parts for the country that will not allow paddlers to lock thru (I’m sure someone will post a follow-up about boating rights) but I’ve not heard of any problems on the AR system. You can read more about how to use the locks at http://www.swl.usace.army.mil/navigation/lock.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

There can be a lot of debris in the water. I was on the lower Arkansas River this past weekend going up from the Mississippi River about 25 miles and went thru 2 locks (#1 & #2. We encountered 2 trees, a water heater, and lots of unidentified items that were all big enough to do some damage. On of the trees was about 25’ long and just popped up to the surface with out warning. The further south you go on the AR River, the worst the debris gets especially after a heavy ran and where the White River comes into the AR River. And just a quick word about the towboats. Keep clear and always be able to see their wheelhouse. It can take them about 2+ boat lengths to stop. Forget about rules of the road and who has right-away. The best rule to remember is “the biggest boat is the first boat”

[Drifter54]

Looks like my Arkansas River float is a go.

My planned departure from Fort Smith is noon on March 27,2010. I hope to finish in 3 weeks at the Mississippi River.

Hopefully I can raise a bunch of money for Reel Recovery, A fly fishing retreat for men with life threatening cancer. We just finished our first retreat in Arkansas this last weekend. Everyone involved said it was a life changing event. Our goal for 2010 is $30,000. Hopefully we can get some big boys to pony up with a bunch of cash.

If anyone would like to float along with me please contact me. It would be neat for a bunch of boats to be paddling down the river. Maybe you can only float a small portion or the whole thing. We will be doing this as a float-a-thon, with people pledging $$$ per mile or for the whole thing.

I will be needing sponsors to help defray the cost of food and such. I hope to get good coverage from the media and state tourism.

[rickyrod]

for sponser info. contact James Burges with Unifirst in Ft. Smith . he is the sales maneger for this area. and has told me that they could sponser somesort of kayaking event. the number is 918-six40-4256 cell 479-four74-0247 office. just let him know the perticks. especialy about the reel recovery angle. and tell him Ricky Rodriguez from ok farms has thought he might be interested in helping your cause. they do our uniform services for us and are nation wide . and like I said he has offerd some sponsership in the past, after watching, us playboat. goodluck and becarfull the Ark;s a booger.

[jermdog]

Lucas has been talking about doing the "Arkansas Across Arkansas", as he calls it, for years. I'll let him know and you may have a few more people on your hands.

[Drifter54]

Thanks for all the info guys. Hope to see some of you on the float.

[rynorris]

How long did the trip on the Buffalo take?

[Drifter54]

We did it in 7 days. Earliest we got on river was 9am latest on river 6:30 pm. Most days we only floated about 5-6 hours. To say the least, the river was a bit high. You can read about it at http://www.justfishinguides.wordpress.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Drifter54]

The Arkansas River float is definitely on. Although I have had to change it some. I miscalculated the miles and am adding the Tulsa to Ft Smith section. I will be leaving Ft Smith at noon on March 27th.

Planning on stopping at towns along the river to raise awareness and hopefully money for Reel Recovery (http://www.reelrecovery.org" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) I will be taking out at Lock #2 near Dumas because I don't want to have to go down Mississippi to find takeout. Friends will then shuttle me back to Tulsa and float down from there to Ft Smith. All total it should take 3 weeks for over 400 miles rowing in a drift boat.

Right now we are having two retreats in Arkansas, one in April and one in October. If you would like to donate, volunteer, or participate in a retreat go to the website. If you want to float a stretch with me, I'd be glad to have you along. Just contact me at justfishinguides1@cox.net