A Day on The Niangua River

I’m still exploring good recreational floats for this time of year.  Last weekend I took the kayaks to the Niangua near Bennett Springs.  I knew there was a threat of rain, but with the day off decided to try it anyway.  It rained the whole time, but was still a fun trip.  We decided on a take out at NRO and although the campground and river is a ghost town in the Winter we still we able to find someone to drive us up to the put it.  Charlie was willing to give us and our boats a lift to Fort Niangua for $25.  The float was short, between 4 and 5 hours, but the water was clear and still swift enough for some fun.  There are lots of bald eagles on the water in this section.  We stopped to watch several pairs and even some juveniles soaring near the bluffs.  This was the maiden voyage for my new Dagger Axis 10.5.  I was really happy with the improvements on the similarly designed Blackwater, which I have used for years.  In a flat out race the Axis outperforms the Blackwater, which I attribute to the swedeform (torpedo) shape of the Axis.  With the keel shaped bow and stern, the drop-down skeg and the new asymmetrical shape, it seems to have made a boat that tracks nicely and moves fast with a possible slight reduction in the maneuverability.  A great ride for Ozark streams.  My only complaint is that with removing the felt pads between the skeg and it’s housing there is a clunking sound with each stroke as the skeg swings from side to side and makes contact with the housing.  A little home-modification will fix this.  I recommend water-proof socks and gloves for this time of year SealLine makes a nice neoprene version, but simple rain gear will keep you dry in other respects.  My set of Patagonia Rain Shadow rain gear works great for this.  Keep paddling folks!