Arkansas Canoe Club Forums

I don't know if anybody will be interested or not, but a couple of us went out and floated Marble to Marshall Ford on Sunday. I have never done this stretch and I was very impressed with the scenery. The fishing was definitely slow, but the beautiful weather Sunday more than made up for it.

Here are a few more
I know the picture isn't very good, but I still get excited any time I get a picture of a bald eagle
Had a great day out on the river the gauge read 3.90 when we launched and was just about the perfect level. We covered about 11 miles in 7 hours. We did hit a few shallow areas that we had to drag over but for the most parts it was deep pools which I am sure will have some incredible fishing here in a few weeks. For those who have not done this stretch before there are 2 low water bridges that have to be crossed the first being a simple up and over but the second requires a little more work because you can't launch from the bridge. Hope someone enjoys the pictures or finds the information useful.

Awesome scenery - thanks for sharing!

Shake, I love to see pictures of places I havn't
paddled yet. Thanks for posting, I'll definitely
have to put that run on my to-do list.


Tommy

What is the best way to portage the second bridge? Is there a better side, left or right? Are there some good gravel bars for camping along the way?
Thanks for sharing.

arfish wrote:What is the best way to portage the second bridge? Is there a better side, left or right? Are there some good gravel bars for camping along the way?
Thanks for sharing.

Portage left. On the upside of the river the slope up is slight with concrete footing. On they Lower side they have built a concrete ramp with ridges for footing. Depending on the water level it can be a two foot drop to the water from the bottom of the ramp. They did a very nice job IMHO to make it as easy as possible.

There are several gravel bars to camp on. Give Ernie at Kings River Outfitters a call. He can give you better details depending on how long you want to stay on the river.

If you plan to fish it 2 days 1 night. If you plan to fish it hard 2 nights is perfect.

great pics
i love the kings

Shake,
Did you guys run your own shuttle or did you use Ernie?
I have driven to the Marble low water bridge which is what I assume you used as put-in but have never been to Marshall. Is it difficult to locate? Safe to leave a vehicle? Any info you can provide or anyone else would be greatly appreciated. Looking to head up there Fri for an overnight trip if the water continues to hold on.

Thanks in advance..

Clint

Clint Rickett wrote:Shake,
Did you guys run your own shuttle or did you use Ernie?
I have driven to the Marble low water bridge which is what I assume you used as put-in but have never been to Marshall. Is it difficult to locate? Safe to leave a vehicle? Any info you can provide or anyone else would be greatly appreciated. Looking to head up there Fri for an overnight trip if the water continues to hold on.

Thanks in advance..

Clint

Clint,

We ran our own shuttle and everything was very easy to locate. I don't see any reason why you couldn't leave a vehicle over night. the portage over the second bridge might be a little bit of a pain with a canoe that was loaded down with camping gear, but it is doable. Hope you enjoy the float I haven't been on this stretch yet this year.

-Shake

Clint Rickett wrote:Shake,
Did you guys run your own shuttle or did you use Ernie?
I have driven to the Marble low water bridge which is what I assume you used as put-in but have never been to Marshall. Is it difficult to locate? Safe to leave a vehicle? Any info you can provide or anyone else would be greatly appreciated. Looking to head up there Fri for an overnight trip if the water continues to hold on.

Thanks in advance..

Clint

We do our own shuttle as well its only about 15-20 min each way. If you are doing it solo call the Marble Store they used to shuttle using your vehicle so it would be at Marshall when you got there.

At Marble you can park at the 1st driveway past the put in. It keeps your vehicle out of site just in case. The fella doesn't charge but I always leave a little donation.

Marshall is easy and there is parking. You cant miss the take out.

The second low water bridge can be a challenge if it is just you and a loaded canoe but it is manageable.

Thanks for the reply Shake. We will all be in kayaks, so the portage shouldn't be too difficult.

Stymie, thanks for the heads up on the Marble Store. I think the last time I was through there, I remember stopping at a Conoco for some snacks/fishing stuff. It was just upstream a little ways from Marble. Is that the store you are referring to?

Thanks

Clint

Clint Rickett wrote:Thanks for the reply Shake. We will all be in kayaks, so the portage shouldn't be too difficult.

Stymie, thanks for the heads up on the Marble Store. I think the last time I was through there, I remember stopping at a Conoco for some snacks/fishing stuff. It was just upstream a little ways from Marble. Is that the store you are referring to?

Thanks

Clint

Yes that's it. You can call them before you leave to make sure.

Enjoy it is a great float.

Excellent photos of such a beautiful river. Definitely on my list to go float this year. We go by the Marble store every time we go out to the Buffalo area from Fayetteville. Not only do they provide services, they have the best, greasy food after a long day in the woods.