Floating the Little Smokey?

[Cal]

Just wondering if anyone knows whether the Little Smokey can be run in a canoe in the fall. I want to hunt elk from the Valleyview bridge to the one south of High Prairy, I'm hoping a week would give me enough time to hunt it thouroughly. If anyone has any info I would appreciate it.

[BigJon]

I belive you and I chatted about the L. Smoky before. The easy answer is...it depends. Water levels on the smaller rivers like the L Smoky can vary quite a bit from year to year. The fall can be a sketchy time for floatability...depends on precip levels throughout the summer and into the early fall. Your only options are to monitor the water levels yourself or have someone local do it for you. Last year it would have been easy to do in the fall.

Sorry but there is no way to answer with a solid yes or no.

[leo]

Originally Posted by Cal

Just wondering if anyone knows whether the Little Smokey can be run in a canoe in the fall. I want to hunt elk from the Valleyview bridge to the one south of High Prairy, I'm hoping a week would give me enough time to hunt it thouroughly. If anyone has any info I would appreciate it.

Alot of people I know used to float in tubes from the locations you mentioned, it only takes a good solid day to float that distance. There is alot of private property along that stretch of river as well, don't get into trouble by breaching the high watermark + 100ft(not exactly easy to tell at times). There are also some treacherous cliffs, and rapids too. Please be careful.

[Cal]

Originally Posted by BigJon

I belive you and I chatted about the L. Smoky before. The easy answer is...it depends. Water levels on the smaller rivers like the L Smoky can vary quite a bit from year to year. The fall can be a sketchy time for floatability...depends on precip levels throughout the summer and into the early fall. Your only options are to monitor the water levels yourself or have someone local do it for you. Last year it would have been easy to do in the fall.

Sorry but there is no way to answer with a solid yes or no.

So that wouldnt be a good one to draw a moose tag on in the future then I guess. Too bad, not a lot of river stretches where you can hunt both banks on a special licence.

Float it in a tube in one day? I think you must be mistaken, the same approximate distance on any other river that size that I have run takes at least two good days of paddling.

[danger7]

If your talking the 669 highway bridge to old highprairie road bridge it is about 3 days taking it easy but there are some rapids that would upset your canoe unless you are well prepared. Kayaker can make it alot easier but a 15-17foot canoe is abit too much length. A good bet would be just north of fox there is a road going to cnrl north tony field and that is a 2-3 day float to little smoky and i have done it in the fall and it was very doable.

[Elkaholic523]

I've been all over at the very end where it dumps into the big smoky and it would b a little sketchy that time of year but if u could do it I'm sure u would b productive....

[Elkaholic523]

Feels like elk hunting is just around the corner man I CAN'T wait

[Cal]

Originally Posted by danger7

If your talking the 669 highway bridge to old highprairie road bridge it is about 3 days taking it easy but there are some rapids that would upset your canoe unless you are well prepared. Kayaker can make it alot easier but a 15-17foot canoe is abit too much length. A good bet would be just north of fox there is a road going to cnrl north tony field and that is a 2-3 day float to little smoky and i have done it in the fall and it was very doable.

Thanks for your concern but I've run some pretty good rapids on other trips, would have a hard time getting an elk in a kayak me thinks. I guess I knew that section is a long shot, it would just be such a perfect stretch to run every year if it was do-able. Right now my moose and elk hunting gets done on different rivers because the way that most of the zones are split up there seems to be very few sections with good elk populations where one could hunt moose on both sides of the river on a special licence. That being said I'm looking for a new stretch to hunt elk on, maby the Big Smokey downstream of Debolt if the Little Smokey is too low. Anyone know how the jet boat trafic is there? Would it be better to do it in the bow season or rifle?

[leo]

Not sure which bridge you mean? From the bridge on Sunset House Road to the bridge on Alder Ridge Road can be floated in a day. There is no Little Smokey bridge South of High Prairie , the river doesn't run anywhere near there. It is a good 25 miles West of High Prairie and flows from the South? I know the area well, and the people that live there, I lived a 1/2 mile from the Little Smokey.

[Cal]

Originally Posted by leo

Not sure which bridge you mean? From the bridge on Sunset House Road to the bridge on Alder Ridge Road can be floated in a day. There is no Little Smokey bridge South of High Prairie , the river doesn't run anywhere near there. It is a good 25 miles West of High Prairie and flows from the South? I know the area well, and the people that live there, I lived a 1/2 mile from the Little Smokey.

Sorry, my bad, the one west of High Prairy on Highway 2A. It doesnt realy matter at this point. If running th river is not a sure thing I'll just stick to my usualy places for moose and run the big Smokey for elk. Thanks for all the feedback guys.

[danger7]

my buddies went sunset to alder ridge road with a 12ft canoe and 12ft kayak last year september long weekend and made it ok but they left saturday morning and got out noon monday and only issues were the rapids half way or so it is not crazy but you may lose gear if you have a larger canoe.

[BigJon]

You will almost certainly see jet boa traffic on the Smoky downstream of DeBolt....the game is certainy there though.

[Cal]

Originally Posted by BigJon

You will almost certainly see jet boa traffic on the Smoky downstream of DeBolt....the game is certainy there though.

Yeah, I'm expecting some jet boat trafic, just hoping its not too much more than the Athabasca by Hinton.

[Elkaholic523]

I don't think it would b to bad all the farmers should b in the field so at least they won't b on the river the elk defanately there.

[Elkaholic523]

I think it would b a good rifle hunt the increased hunting pressure seems to drive the elk down the river banks Good luck maybe you'll call me in from the bush I'll b in that neck of the woods I'm sure