Posted in Mountain Scenery, The River, Weather, tagged Arkansas, early, great fishing, in the day, late, little buffalo, parthenon, smallmouth bass, sunfish spawning, water clear and flowing on July 28, 2014| Leave a Comment »
We have had lots of rain this July; nearly 8 inches, That has kept the Little Buffalo floatable all July, even in its mid-section. Smallmouth Bass are plentiful and Sunfish are still spawning; there are plenty of aquatic insects hatching early and late. All the fish seem interesting in the larger Mayflies. The river is alive !
Posted in The River, tagged Arkansas, below, canoe, fishing, Jasper, Little Buffalo River, low water bridge, nature, outdoors, pruitt, smallmouth bass on February 26, 2013| 1 Comment »
I drove and hiked into the lower section of the Little Buffalo River east of Pruitt last week. While no longer in the Boston Mountains, and out on the Springfield Plateau; it retains lots of beauty. I floated the stretch from the Jasper Highway 7 bridge the the old Hasty low-water bridge in early June 1974 (nearly 40 years ago).
I remember a lot about the float, especially the smallmouth bass fishing. It was phenomenal !! By 1974 I put away the spinning rods and was fly-fishing these rivers. On that day I caught so many nice smallmouths; over 20 (14-18 inches) on the Little Buffalo but caught one real good fish on the Buffalo about 1/2 miles below the confluence of the Little and Big Buffalo Rivers. It was 21 inches long and weighed 4 pounds 13 ounces. Sadly, I elected to keep the fish for mounting (it resides a the Ozark Cafe in Jasper today). We released all the other bass, goggle eye, and sunfish we caught that day.
The lower Little Buffalo has fewer riffles and longer, deeper pools than the upper river. Most of the action, when fishing, took place at the head and tail of each pool. The river was sporty and fun to canoe during spring water levels; there were more bottom fields but a good scattering of short-leaf pine on the bluffs. I am planning on floating the Little Buffalo from the Creek’s End (Thomas Creek) all the way to the mouth at the Big Buffalo this May, water and health hold up. Id like to create a float map for tis clear water gem.
Posted in The River, tagged 1929, Arkansas, big, buffalo, middle river, near Carver, river, smallmouth bass on January 18, 2013| Leave a Comment »
Back in the days of “catch and keep”, here is a picture from one of several trips my grandfather made to the Buffalo River in the late 1920s, 1930s and early 1940s. This one is of him with a smallmouth bass, marked Buffalo River; Carver 1929; 5 pounds 4 oz.; 21 inches. A pretty good smallmouth at any time:
Life and Wildlife along the Little Buffalo River 