To the people that have camped near the Buffalo River where's the best area to aim towards for fishing and any suggestions on a campsite? Also is it usually a doable float in August?

The water might be a little low in August. I've canoed it in July, we had to do a fair bit of dragging.

That's what I was worried about. Wife isn't fond of dragging. Trying to think of a river to go to within somewhat driving range for a camping trip. I want to do something new and have already been to Beavers Bend and Current/Jack Forks.

Oh man, if she can float the Buff in April or May, she would be in heaven!! We have always done the trip in April and May. After that, the flow is not good unless they have had a lot of rain. We have always done the long trips (30+ miles) so I can't name a specific campsite as we would just set up anywhere.

In June, you may want to consider the White River. Flow is normally good and the water is cold. Lots of good fishing too.

Looks amazing. Going to have to check it out.

Try the Ouachita River near Mount Ida, AR. Similar scenery to the Buffalo, crystal clear water, better fishing (IMO), 3 hrs closer, and a fraction of the river traffic.

I recommend Two Spirits, LTD. Frank is the owner and has cabins (A-frame style with A/C) or he has a place for tents.

The best section is the 4 miles directly downstream from his place. If you just wanted to paddle it, you can do it in about 1.5 hours. Or you can fish it hard and spend all day on that stretch.

I live in Hot Springs Village and started kayak fishing last year. But I have not done any river fishing yet. Glad to see a positive review of the Ouachita.

Jim

This is a trip our family wants to do baaaaaad.

You'll be dragging a lot in August. If you go to steel creek landing there is a huge hole there that you could fish for days. You could also just walk the creek and drag a small float to paddle through deep areas rather than hack through the thicket along the creek when the water gets too deep to wade.

Steel Creek



The big water hole is right above where this woman is sitting. The water is gin clear. I remember thinking I would wade across to the other side, as the water looked about chest deep. Four feet off the bank it was chest deep. I think it was more like 20 feet.

Can't beat Buffalo River. Your wife will be entertained by the clear water. You can see every fish in the river as you float over them.

Fishing is better at Kings River though. The Buffalo gets over a million visitors and is fished hard.

Hard to go wrong floating, fishing and camping anywhere in Arkansas as long as there's enough water, as others have said. If you can find a copy of Bob Narramore's Rivers and Rapids book, there's lots of good info within, although it might be dated. I've only floated the upper Buffalo, but the lower part, from Gilbert on downstream, is deeper and not as seasonal as the upper part. Another option would be the Spring River in Arkansas. It's totally spring fed and 58 degrees year round. If you're going to float and camp, be prepared for poison ivy.

You should be able to put in at Maumee north and float to Buffalo Point without any dragging. The fishing is usually pretty good and lots of camping opportunities. This is an easy two day trip with plenty of time for fishing, you can extend it to Rush to make it a little longer.

I am planning a Buffalo River float trip as well. We are planning on going first weekend in June. Based on talking to a few canoe outfitters late June is the time of year the water level gets pretty dicey on the upper part of the Buffalo River. They said you can float the lower part of the river for much longer.