From Bow to Stern Part III: Paddling in the Ozarks

While many will spend hours getting their complex rigs to the water, many southwest Missourians find fun on the water a lot closer to home in a canoe or a kayak.

Canoes and kayaks are the fastest and least expensive vehicles to get on the water, says James Mattox, a buyer for outdoor retailer Dynamic Earth, and the water is nearer than most people think.

“Actually, the James River is beautiful, and it’s close,” Mattox says. “It’s probably the closest gem that we have. With a small kayak, you can put in at Springfield Lake and either go down or up. Or you can put in on the Finley, go down to where the James and the Finley meet, and float on down to Hootentown (in Crane).”

Auto analogy

While both canoes and kayaks use paddles as their primary source of propulsion, they behave very differently. Each craft has its advantages.

“A husband and wife will get divorced in a canoe unless they are really good paddlers,” Mattox says. “They’ll go to kayaks. Conversely, sometimes a kayaker will go to canoes just because they need to haul more gear. The analogy would be to compare the canoe to an 18-wheeler and a kayak to a sports car.”

The lure of freedom represented in that waterborne sports car is what hooked Brenda James, a senior claims representative with Missouri Employers Mutual in south Springfield.

“Anybody who enjoys canoeing, if they try a kayak, they will never want to go in a canoe again,” James says.

James discovered kayaks through her sister, Juleen Trogdon. James started with a cheaper kayak from Sam’s Club and upgraded when she had the chance. Now, she enjoys easy daytrips to spots such as the Niangua River.

“The peacefulness and the quietness, that’s what I go for,” James adds. “After being on the phone all day and talking to people, it is nice just to be out there with no cell phone. It is peaceful, and you can see nature.”

Ozarks’ treasures

People are drawn to the beauty of the water, says Carolyn Parker, co-owner of River Run Outfitters.

“It is so pretty on many of our streams that I don’t know how many times I’ve missed a fish because I’ve been gawking at all this other stuff,” says Parker, whose Branson company offers guided fly-fishing trips on Lake Taneycomo. (See Business Spotlight on page 6.)

Parker’s seven guides take fishermen out in boats that look like crosses between a canoe and a small Viking longship. Called western style drift boats, the funny-looking boats have wide bottoms and high bows and were made to slice through the fast waters of Oregon’s Cascade and Coast ranges, Parker explains.

The drift boats run shallow, only drawing 4-to-6 inches of water. With only oars, they are very quiet.

Parker has noticed more drift boats popping up on Lake Taneycomo. Fully outfitted, they run around $7,000 to $10,000.

Kayaks sell for between $600 and $1,000.

Floating Close to Home

The Missouri Department of Conservation has produced “A Paddlers’ Guide to Missouri” with information about 43 rivers in the state. The James River is the closest floating access to Springfield. Here are James River access points where those who canoe and kayak can launch their boats.

• Joe Crighton Access – off Highway D, three miles southeast of Springfield

• Southwood Access – at Lake Springfield, west of the Highway 65 bridge

• Clay Henshaw Memorial Access – at Lake Springfield, west of Highway 65 on Evans Road

• Tailwaters Access – below the dam at Lake Springfield on Evans Road

• Delaware Town Access – five miles west of Nixa off Highway 14

• Shelvin Rock Access – five miles southwest of Nixa off Highway M

• Hootentown Access – six miles east of Hurley off Highway U

• H.L. Kerr Access – two miles northeast of Galena off Highway 176

• Ralph Cox Memorial Access – at the Highway 13 bridge near Galena

Source: Missouri Watershed Information Network