# Major, major float trip: Need your help



## Oldcountryboy (Feb 23, 2008)

In a few days I might be purchasing myself a 16 ft. canoe. I plan on using this to do a lot of small stream fishing. But I have always wanted to go on overnight float/fishing trips. Since I will be purchasing a canoe this is gonna be my opportunity. 

I have always wanted to float the whole Illinoise River. This particular river is not located in the state of Illinoise (but their maybe a Illinoise river that is) but is located in both Arkansas and Oklahoma. 

It starts out somewhere around Fayeteville, Arkansas as a small stream and flows somewhat northwest/west toward the Oklahoma state line. Once it crosses the state line it flows eastward for a few miles and then starts flowing southwesterly. Eventually it flows into Lake Tenkiller and from Tenkiller dam it flows straight south for several miles and empties into the big Arkansas River. The river really kind of travels in a big C across the Ozark foothills. 

Now this isn't just gonna be a overnight trip. I figure the whole river to be somewhere around 150 miles long. From my past experience of float trips on part of the river that is close to my home, I figure I would make about 25 miles a day. Althogether we're talking about 6 days or more. Which I will probably break it down to 2 or 3 day trips till I get it all in. 

Now I need your advice on what kind of foods to pack for such an adventure. I'm thinking of mostly living on fish for breakfast and supper. Get up in the morning, catch a fish and fry it up. When I settle down in the evening, catch a fish or two for supper. 

What simple foods and snacks would you all recommend to take along that would be lightweight and easy to fix? How would you plan your meals for an adventure such as this.


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## TedH71 (Jan 19, 2003)

Sounds like something I would be interested in. Too bad I have two young kids and a wife who would be angry if I took off for a week!


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## Jolly (Jan 8, 2004)

Had a friend of mine that knocked together three of four rafts over the years and floated down Red River for an occasional week long trip.

Some essentials? Fishing hooks & line, waterproof matches, an iron pot with a lid that doubled as a shallow skillet, salt & pepper mixed together in one shaker, a tarp, a few groceries and a .22 rifle with ammo.


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## Ed Norman (Jun 8, 2002)

When I was a kid I would take 40-60 mile floats with a friend. We took a skillet, grease, flour, salt and pepper, a few cans of food, a dozen boiled eggs, maybe some oranges and a loaf of bread. We would go about a mile an hour average when we stopped to swim or fish or look around. We usually took a bow and fish arrows. A crawdad trap is nice to toss out while camping, too. We would camp under a tarp on a sandbar.


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## Farmerwilly2 (Oct 14, 2006)

Cheeze Whiz and beef jerky. That's what won the west.


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## Oldcountryboy (Feb 23, 2008)

As far as gear, I'm thinking of taking along a small dome tent, a cot, a blanket, flash light, hatchet for fire wood, bug spray, matches, skillet(s) & utinsels, hygene kit, 2 fishing poles (one for bass/sunfish fishing and one for a little night time catfishing, sunblock lotion, extra clothing, firstaid kit. 

Foodwise: Oil and cornmeal to cook the fish in. A few potatoes to fry for breakfast or supper. Jerky, pickled eggs, plenty of drinking water, some kind of snack bars, instant Grits, instant soup (chow mein), salt & pepper, hot tea or coffee bags.


I'm trying to go as light as possible and plan on doing more floating then fishing. However a few good ideal Hot Spots may tempt me. But after I wake in the morning I'll fish around to catch breakfast and when I settle down for the evening I'll catch supper. Then after pitching camp and clean up chores, I'll see how the night time catfishing might be for a while before I hit the sack. I figure that in order to make 25 miles a day I might have to do more paddling and less fishing. 

Any other ideals for food or gear?


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## Haggis (Mar 11, 2004)

Here is a nice place to start:

http://www.solotripping.com/


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## Outlaw9 (Jan 9, 2006)

When I go backpacking I will take the foils packs of tune. Ill take some cracker's, peanut butter, Summer sausage and oatmeal. Not the best meals in the world but it keeps me going. If I was in a boat I would take a skillet and a block of fatback you can eat it and use the grease to cook. Take you some meal to put on the fish you catch. Oh yeh ramen noodles.


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## Parrothead (May 3, 2009)

Think of what you would take if you had to backpack in to a remote area. Keep it light.


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## Micheal (Jan 28, 2009)

If you are planning this "alone, I'd wonder why a 16 footer?
The reason I ask is that I own a 17 foot canoe and trust me the "alone" part in handling it at times is scary! The wind will blow you in circles, stream currents will put you where you don't want to be, and if portage is required it gets heavy and seems way longer than xx feet very fast!!!!
Other than that I go along with those that posted - take no more than you would if you were going to backpack.


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## netexan (Jan 3, 2008)

Lipton makes both rice and noodle side dishes that are really light and they cook in 6-7 minutes. I've taken them on kayak and backpacking trips and they make a pretty good meal if you throw in a couple pieces of beef/turkey jerky or smoked fish.
I'd also look into getting a water proof bag or rain cover for the front of your canoe so that your gear stays dry when it rains.


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## Oldcountryboy (Feb 23, 2008)

Haggis, thanks for the website. Looks very interesting, I'll have to check it all out. 

Crackers and peanut butter sounds perty good. Maybe some cans of smoked oysters too! 

Micheal, a 16 footer is what I just purchased and I've been wanting to do this kind of trip for a long, long time. I've mentioned this kind of trip to several old buddies but for some reason the old buddies just don't do things like that anymore. So I'll have to go it along or I may never get to live my dream. Also, it'll be the dog days of summer when I tempt this once in a life time event. The Illinoise river is not a very big river and not too swift during this time of year. Major floods in the springtime though. Although it's been 10 years or so since I've floated a canoe, I use to be very experienced. Also, when a young fellar I use to work for a canoe outfit where I hauled people and canoes up the river. I would give the non-experienced canoers some instructions and turn em loose. Actually I kind of prefer to canoe along as I set almost in the middle of the canoe on my knee's and I don't have to worry about turning over. I can make a canoe go anywhere I want with this method.


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## foxfiredidit (Apr 15, 2003)

The choce of a canoe is the most important by far. I like my 17 ft. canoe for sure. Like Michael said, it can be a bit cumbersome but I find that for me that's usually on the smaller streams where technical skills play a larger role. On wide waters, a keel helps a bit to keep from being blown around in the wind. A 1 inch keel is usualy the standard I believe. A keel ain't that handy in fast water though. But I have ran the Nantahala River in North Carolina several times with mine and made it down okay. That's an 8 mile run that took about 2 hours.....pretty quick for me. A 17 ft. will have more freeboard than a shorter canoe when packed with the same amount of gear. More freeboard means you'll float higher in the water with a load and not have to plow through the water with your paddle power. When paddling solo, I turn the canoe around and sit facing the stern on the front seat.....I get better load distribution that way, it keeps the bow down as well for a little better stability and I like sitting more toward the middle of the boat if I'm by myself. Each to his own on that. I take a dry box for cooking utinsels and I add some potatoes and onions in there and don't forget tin foil. You can wrap fish in tin foil, add a little onion with some olive oil and just throw it on the coals for a few minutes......comes out great. I cook a lot of stuff "hobo" style that way. A small backpacker stove is great when your firewood supply is nil and you need some quick energy from dry soup mix or something. A machete is always within my reach on the water. I usually carry a 380 Sig tied somewhere close and secure but out of sight. Tie an extra paddle down, and when solo, I always keep a line coiled on the cooler directily in front of me so that in the event I go over, I can grab it or if I miss it then it will play out behind the canoe for several yards. On big water camping trips I don't tie my stuff down in the boat, I just pack it loosely and secure the lids. If I go over, I want it to float and stay together. You can turn the canoe back upright in the water by going to the back, pushing down until the bow comes out of the water as high as you can get it, and then letting go and twisting it around before it hits the water. It will have some water in it but you can "leapfrog" back in from the stern and find the bail bucket, then look for your gear floating downstream. Just be prepared and think about things that could happen and plan for them. Makes a big difference. HAVE A GREAT TRIP !!!!


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## Haggis (Mar 11, 2004)

Oldcountryboy said:


> Haggis, thanks for the website. Looks very interesting, I'll have to check it all out.
> 
> Crackers and peanut butter sounds perty good. Maybe some cans of smoked oysters too!


There is a book, written by Calvin Rutstrum, called _North American Canoe Country_ which is well worth a read.

http://www.amazon.com/North-American-Canoe-Country-Technique/dp/0816636605

By the by, I live just outside one of the greatest canoe areas in the US; Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, and have been on many week to two week outings, traveling by canoe, and carrying all of my "outfit" in just a few packs.


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## duckidaho (Dec 31, 2008)

I have canoe trekked in the Boundary Waters, the Rio Grande, Ilse Royal, and others. I usually don't worry too much about a couple extra pounds of food weight. Onions, potatoes, cheese, non-refridgerated type summer sausage, pasta and Knorr brand seasoning packets with butter and powdered milk, peanut butter, bagels stay good in a pack. If you are not portaging the canoe the weight is not a concern on flatwater. People canoe out of the backcountry in the Boundary Waters with a dead Moose in the canoe. Treat your water! Sounds fun! I moved to Idaho and there isn't much canoe trekking here, except a few canyons down south we haven't gotten to.


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## Haggis (Mar 11, 2004)

duckidaho said:


> I have canoe trekked in the Boundary Waters, the Rio Grande, Ilse Royal, and others. I usually don't worry too much about a couple extra pounds of food weight. Onions, potatoes, cheese, non-refridgerated type summer sausage, pasta and Knorr brand seasoning packets with butter and powdered milk, peanut butter, bagels stay good in a pack. If you are not portaging the canoe the weight is not a concern on flatwater. People canoe out of the backcountry in the Boundary Waters with a dead Moose in the canoe. Treat your water! Sounds fun! I moved to Idaho and there isn't much canoe trekking here, except a few canyons down south we haven't gotten to.


I'm rather fond of oat cakes gotten up similar to a scone of oats, and on a canoe trip Herself will make for me two sorts: one sweetened with honey, and one sort plain. The sort sweetened with honey may be eaten as is for a snack, or tossed into a kettle of boiling water to fashion a proper cooked oatmeal (blue berries or other such are added to this if in season). The unsweetened sort may also be eaten as is, or broken up so as to roll freshly caught fish in it. Then my "staples" consist of oat cakes and olive oil for frying fish.


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