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Finley River (Missouri), Riverdale (07052345)

State	Missouri	Latest	Poor (91 cfs)
River	Finley River	Rating	Observed	Estimated
Updated	2026-04-17 15:45 (41 minutes ago)	Flood - The river is flooding. Obstacles can be treacherous or deadly. The river should be avoided at this stage for casual trips and definitely for the inexperienced. Trips should be attempted only with protective gear and equipment.Flood	(none)	1665
Discharge	91 cfs (median: 256 cfs)	High - The river is high and potentially dangerous, especially for the young and / or inexperienced. Normal stream obstacles are sometimes difficult to navigate. Extended distances can be attempted, but canoe travel may not be advisable.High	1200	750
Height	1.31 feet	Good - Conditions are ideal for a canoe or kayak. Boats typically will drag on fewer than one-quarter of riffles, if at all, and portages are unnecessary or rare. Normal float lengths can be attempted without a problem.Good	230	381
Trend	Falling (steady over 24 hours)	Low - River is low but can still be floated. Some riffles are okay but most come with significant dragging and might need a portage. Float lengths should be reduced to accommodate low flow, dragging, and portages.Low	120	147
USGS	USGS Site ( Duck Duck Go Maps)	Poor - River is too low to float comfortably. Most or all riffles will drag or must be portaged and some obstacles (such as slick shelf rock) cause undue problems. Avoid the river at this stage for casual paddling trips.Poor	(none)	51

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Trips for Finley River (Missouri), Riverdale (07052345)

	Date	Start	End	Distance	Condition	Discharge	Height	Fishing	Details
	2022-05-10	Lindenlure	Riverside	Total trip distance: 4.5 miles4.5	Good	1010	3.39	Poor	None Romano, David Schmidt, John Schmidt, Matt Van Someren, Tom The water level was excellent. This is the highest CFS I've done on the Finley and we had absolutely no problem navigating the strong and steady current the entire distance. We probably should raise our "High" water level rating to 1200cfs, as I think another 200cfs would still be safe to enjoy. There's one set of downed trees 1 mile down from Linden that mostly obstructs the path of the river. Removing a few of the limbs with a chainsaw would be easy, letting the next major flood further clear the path. USGS Gauge Data: Riverdale (07052345) Discharge: 1010 Height: 3.39 Source: Van Someren
	2020-05-21	US 160	US 160	Total trip distance: 1.5 miles1.5	High	894	3.06	Good	RB SMB Van Someren, Tom Paddled upstream 3/4 of a mile against a pretty strong current to the long deep pool that's basically the same distance below Riverdale dam. Fished for two hours, finally catching eight smallmouth and goggle eye of various sizes around dusk. Each time I've fished this large pool there have been large gar routinely jumping out of the water and splashing about. Sometimes it gets annoying it's so frequent. Note: Getting kayaks and equipment in and out of this spot isn't very fun at all. The roar of traffic continually blowing by is very nerve-wracking and quite unsettling. USGS Gauge Data: Riverdale (07052345) Discharge: 894 Height: 3.06 Source: Van Someren
	2020-05-31	Johns Ford Road	Reed Road	Total trip distance: 6.5 miles6.5	Good	745	2.80	Fair	SMB Edmond, Brian Van Someren, Andrea Van Someren, Bre Van Someren, Tom The water level was perfect for this float. There were a few tricky places and one portage around a log jam but nothing was particularly dangerous or difficult, even for beginners. At this level, the water is fast and clear. USGS Gauge Data: Riverdale (07052345) Discharge: 745 Height: 2.80 Source: Edmond
	2022-05-12	Johns Ford Road	Reed Road	Total trip distance: 6.5 miles6.5	Good	683	2.82	Poor	None Copeland, Bryan Jones, Marianne Schmidt, John Van Someren, Andrea Van Someren, Tom An utterly beautiful day to float. Sunny 90° air temperature all day with the water flowing nicely the whole way. No obstructions blocked our way throughout. USGS Gauge Data: Riverdale (07052345) Discharge: 683 Height: 2.82 Source: Van Someren
	2017-04-19	Larose Road	Reed Road	Total trip distance: 9.9 miles9.9	Good	659	2.68	Fair	RB SMB Edmond, Brian Van Someren, Tom We took this day to clean up some log jams. The first two, within a mile of our starting point, took up the majority of our clean up time. These weren't completely cleared but hopefully enough that a flood will clear things out. We also cleared several other smaller blockages along the way. USGS Gauge Data: Riverdale (07052345) Discharge: 659 Height: 2.68 Source: Edmond
	2024-05-19	Johns Ford Road	Reed Road	Total trip distance: 6.5 miles6.5	Good	642	2.65	None	None Bernskoetter, Alli Blaisdell, Beth Copeland, Bryan Edmond, Brian Edmond, Julian Jones, Marianne Taylor, Chris Taylor, Katie Thompson, Denise Van Someren, Andrea Van Someren, Tom The water level on this day was perfect with nearly constant flowing water, several haystack riffles, and perfect clarity. There were several difficult areas that turned out to be fairly technical. I was informed that this was not an easy river (like the others) and it wasn't as much fun as a "leisurely" float. We stopped and had two lunches, including chips, cookies, deer sausage, cheese sticks, potato salad, and, of course, rivercado. The obligatory selfie suffered from poor lighting, inadequate equipment, and uncooperative subjects. USGS Gauge Data: Riverdale (07052345) Discharge: 642 Height: 2.65 Source: Edmond
	2021-06-13	Johns Ford Road	Reed Road	Total trip distance: 6.5 miles6.5	Good	600	2.60	Poor	None Dudenhoeffer, Todd Edmond, Brian Edmond, Joseph Edmond, Julian Van Someren, Tom The river was moving swiftly but not dangerously so. There were a few tricky spots, one of which turned Joseph over in a pretty bad spot. We lost some gear and some pride but he was okay. Julian did a great job paddling through all of the obstacles and he and I were the only ones who didn't flip this day. Renee and Marianne were invited but declined for some unknown reason (probably because they thought the water would be higher than it was). USGS Gauge Data: Riverdale (07052345) Discharge: 600 Height: 2.60 Source: Edmond
	2020-05-02	Johns Ford Road	Reed Road	Total trip distance: 6.5 miles6.5	Good	573	2.46	Poor	RB SMB Bartlett, Renee Jones, Marianne Van Someren, Andrea Van Someren, Tom An absolutely perfect day, with excellent water flow and stream clarity the whole way. Got in at 11:40 and took out at 18:30, stopping for two lazy lunches on shady gravel bars. The nasty snarl just below Jackson Spring needs more work done on it, due to a large tree completely crossing the river obstructing the navigable path. The Pedelo Creek snarl area has another minor tree obstruction that a chainsaw would make quick work of. Note: Ed Underwood, the property owner at the Reed Road take-out spot, has gated his entrance to the river. He hasn't begun locking the gate yet, only utilizing a loose chain looped into a slot on the movable gate. Speaking with another person who also parked on the property, he said Ed put the gate up since the Linden property owners had closed that access to the public. He said Ed would continue allowing access to the river so long as it didn't get crazy or out of hand. I think it's only a matter of time, though, before idiots will ruin Reed Road as a usable access to the Finley. USGS Gauge Data: Riverdale (07052345) Discharge: 573 Height: 2.46 Source: Van Someren
	2022-03-20	Johns Ford Road	Reed Road	Total trip distance: 6.5 miles6.5	Good	559	2.56	Fair	SMB Van Someren, Tom The water was up from a recent rain, the weather was perfect for mid-March (sunny and 74), so I had Cynthia drop me off after leaving my car at the take-out (since all my float friends were laming out on me). The river was flowing great with no obstructions. Only a couple spots required some technical skill to work my way through them. Caught three nice sized smallies as I gently floated along with the Sun warm on my skin. Perfect conditions. USGS Gauge Data: Riverdale (07052345) Discharge: 559 Height: 2.56 Source: Van Someren
	2018-05-18	Johns Ford Road	Reed Road	Total trip distance: 6.5 miles6.5	Good	532	2.37	Fair	BLG LMB RB SMB Van Someren, Tom The current was flowing really great, however the visibility into the water was murky from silt still not having settled (due to the recent rains). Despite having just paddled this section of the river the Saturday before, I decided to go again (on a whim and moment's notice) since the weather was perfect for it. The fishing turned out pretty good too. USGS Gauge Data: Riverdale (07052345) Discharge: 532 Height: 2.37 Source: Van Someren
	2020-02-29	Johns Ford Road	Reed Road	Total trip distance: 6.5 miles6.5	Good	472	2.22	None	None Bartlett, Renee Haun, Korey Van Someren, Andrea Van Someren, Tom This was a GREAT float! The perfect water level with crystal clear visibility and fantastic weather for the last day of February. Korey smoked ribs the evening before and they were awesome! I spent the day before clearing a couple of minor snarls to give us an unobstructed trip the entire way. USGS Gauge Data: Riverdale (07052345) Discharge: 472 Height: 2.22 Source: Van Someren
	2019-05-17	Johns Ford Road	Reed Road	Total trip distance: 6.5 miles6.5	Good	465	2.32	Great	GSF RB SMB Bartlett, Renee Edmond, Brian Van Someren, Tom This was an ideal water level for this stretch of river. Several blocked passageways and some obstacles were encountered. We cleared some of these with a chainsaw and manpower but there is much work to be done. USGS Gauge Data: Riverdale (07052345) Discharge: 465 Height: 2.32 Source: Edmond
	2017-04-08	Johns Ford Road	Reed Road	Total trip distance: 6.5 miles6.5	Good	442	2.21	Fair	SMB Hooper, Joe Van Someren, Tom The water level was excellent! Despite breaking my $135 carbon paddle IN HALF, this float was great (near 80 degree weather, with some very good fishing). Had to spend too much time babying my crudely repaired paddle, but even with that I managed to catch four nice small mouth bass.There are two tree snarl obstructions in this segment of the river. The first one located at these coordinates, 37.045881, -93.065229. It's fairly easily portaged around and with a chain saw could probably get a small pathway cleared through it. The second tree snarl (coordinates 37.042722, -93.072017) is MUCH larger and more difficult to portage around. It would take some significant time and effort to fully clear the river of this major obstruction. Photos of both snarls can be seen on Flickr. USGS Gauge Data: Riverdale (07052345) Discharge: 442 Height: 2.21 Source: Van Someren
	2023-02-20	Lindenlure	Ozark	Total trip distance: 6.2 miles6.2	Good	437	2.35	None	None Unknown There is a log jam that requires portage right before the old Riverside Inn Bridge. Stay right, and portage on gravel. The water has come down from the last large rain, making the water an easy float but watch for debris. USGS Gauge Data: Riverdale (07052345) Discharge: 437 Height: 2.35 Source: Smith
	2019-06-21	Johns Ford Road	Reed Road	Total trip distance: 6.5 miles6.5	Good	415	2.22	Good	BLG GSF RB SMB Bartlett, Renee Van Someren, Tom The water level was perfect for this trip. The weather was too, right up to the point when a small rain shower developed and caused us to stay under tree cover / shelter for a while. Wet from the rain the temperature drop made it seem much cooler than it should have been for June. Still, a great impromptu Solstice Day float. USGS Gauge Data: Riverdale (07052345) Discharge: 415 Height: 2.22 Source: Van Someren
	2023-02-15	Johns Ford Road	Reed Road	Total trip distance: 6.5 miles6.5	Good	411	2.29	None	None Bergfelt, Matt Medearis, Rusty Medearis, Zach Van Someren, Tom A warm near 70o February day on the upper Finley. The water level was flowing WAY better than the stated 402 CFS was showing at the Riverdale gauge. It was curious if the water we were experiencing just hadn't fully reached the gauge yet since, from previous floats, it felt more like a 500-600 CFS current flowing. No major obstructions were noted anywhere along this stretch of the stream. USGS Gauge Data: Riverdale (07052345) Discharge: 411 Height: 2.29 Source: Van Someren
	2021-04-27	Johns Ford Road	Reed Road	Total trip distance: 6.5 miles6.5	Good	396	2.12	Poor	None Copeland, Bryan Copeland, Layla Van Someren, Andrea Van Someren, Tom The water level was just about perfect except for a couple short spots where the bottoms of our boats scraped over wide gravel bar areas out in the middle of the stream. There are two new trees that have fallen across the river. One (about 200 yards past the snarly mess that I cleared away last summer, which was just below where Patterson Spring enters) blocks the stream making a quick portage around it the smart choice. The 2nd downed tree is about a mile further downstream. Both trees could be cleared in about 45 minutes and 15 minutes respectively, with a couple chainsaws and helpers. The first downed tree managed to dump me, as I stupidly wasn't able to thread the needle through it properly due to the swift current and overconfidence. Even more stupidly, I lost my cell phone from capsizing. Searching for it we were unsuccessful in locating it. However, hiking back to the spot the following morning with a facemask and snorkel I managed to find it. (YESSSSS! 💪) Thankfully I did, because 4 hours later the river rose nearly 1400 CFS into flood stage. 😨 USGS Gauge Data: Riverdale (07052345) Discharge: 396 Height: 2.12 Source: Van Someren
	2018-05-21	Seneca Road	Seneca Road	Total trip distance: 2.4 miles2.4	Good	394	2.09	Poor	LSF RB Van Someren, Tom Put in (16:30) and took out (20:00) at Seneca Road. Paddled upstream for 1.17 miles (fishing the slower pools) until the strong current took its toll on my arms and just I just didn't want to exert myself anymore. Beautiful late afternoon day to get on the river. USGS Gauge Data: Riverdale (07052345) Discharge: 394 Height: 2.09 Source: Van Someren
	2019-04-16	Reed Road	Reed Road	Total trip distance: 5.8 miles5.8	Good	377	2.14	None	None Van Someren, Tom On a whim (and because it was such a mild April day with good flowing water) I paddled 2.9 miles upstream to Pedelo Creek to clear away some river obstructions. USGS Gauge Data: Riverdale (07052345) Discharge: 377 Height: 2.14 Source: Van Someren
	2019-04-09	Johns Ford Road	Reed Road	Total trip distance: 6.5 miles6.5	Good	373	2.13	Fair	SMB Bartlett, Renee Van Someren, Tom This was a near-perfect-conditions day to be on the river, especially for early April. The water level was still flowing really great from semi-recent rains, and the air was very clam and warm from a cloudless sunny day. Too bad the fishing was rather poor (Renee managed to catch a small carp). The large spread-out tree snarl that occurs where Pedelo Creek joins the Finley has changed again where it can be made MUCH more easily navigable with a day's worth work with a couple chain saws. USGS Gauge Data: Riverdale (07052345) Discharge: 373 Height: 2.13 Source: Van Someren
	2021-07-03	Johns Ford Road	Reed Road	Total trip distance: 6.5 miles6.5	Good	373	2.10	Poor	None Brown, Lucy Edmond, Alex Edmond, Brian Edmond, Joseph Edmond, Julian Ligon, Adalia Ligon, Day Ligon, Elseya Romano, David Romano, Hannah Brown Van Someren, Tom This was a beautiful trip on the Finley with the water levels nearly perfect. We got a late start due to previous obligations (about 1430 hours) and got off the river around 1930 hours. We had two canoes and kayaks. This was Adalia's first solo trip in a kayak. Elseya was in my kayak for most of the trip. Hannah turned out to be very good and independent in a kayak. Julian, of course, was an old pro. Due to the holiday weekend, we did see a few other people on the river but it wasn't bad. Day bought Keystone Light for Darrell McHaffie at the put-in and Tom delivered some gift cards to Ed Underwood at the takeout spot. USGS Gauge Data: Riverdale (07052345) Discharge: 373 Height: 2.10 Source: Edmond
	2020-02-24	Johns Ford Road	Reed Road	Total trip distance: 6.5 miles6.5	Good	366	1.99	None	None Haun, Korey Van Someren, Tom Korey and I got a late start on this trip (1400 hours), but still easily finished just after 1700 hours. The water level was okay with plenty of current, but we still found areas where our boats scraped over some shallow gravel bar-ish spots. The river has managed to self-clear nearly all previous non-navigable obstructions through this section. Only one snarl (just below Patterson Spring) presents some challenge getting through, yet can be avoided with an easy portage around it. Didn't see one fish in the stream the entire trip. USGS Gauge Data: Riverdale (07052345) Discharge: 366 Height: 1.99 Source: Van Someren
	2019-06-30	Reed Road	Lindenlure	Total trip distance: 3.0 miles3.0	Good	343	1.90	Good	BLG GSF LSF RB SMB Van Someren, Andrea Van Someren, Tom This little 3-mile section of the Finley has several great fishing holes, as well as some good swimming holes. The water was moving nicely and only one area could benefit from a chainsaw clearing an easier navigable path through it. One down side is having to portage kayaks over the dam at Linden (as all the property above the dam is private homes). It's not difficult to do so with two people, but the climb down the damn can be quite slippery and precarious. I certainly wouldn't want to attempt doing so with a very strong current flowing over the dam. USGS Gauge Data: Riverdale (07052345) Discharge: 343 Height: 1.90 Source: Van Someren
	2018-05-10	Reed Road	Reed Road	Total trip distance: 2.0 miles2.0	Good	322	1.93	Poor	BLG RB Van Someren, Tom Paddled one mile upstream from Reed Road and fished the couple deeper holes where the water wasn't flowing too quickly. The current was actually fairly aggressive to paddle upstream, especially so over the shallower gravely areas. I had to get out and pull the kayak upstream through the swifter water. USGS Gauge Data: Riverdale (07052345) Discharge: 322 Height: 1.93 Source: Van Someren
	2017-06-02	Johns Ford Road	Reed Road	Total trip distance: 6.5 miles6.5	Good	305	1.88	Fair	BLG RB SMB Van Someren, Tom Originally this trip began with the purpose of me clearing away some downed trees. But stupidly leaving the chainsaws at home it simply became a fishing trip. The water level was PERFECT for a lazy day of casting the entire way. And the weather was GLORIOUS, too, with clear blue skies and an 83 degree temperature and no wind. There are still large tree obstructions that need clearing along this 6-mile stretch. Two new large trees have fallen together at these coordinates ( USGS Gauge Data: Riverdale (07052345) Discharge: 305 Height: 1.88 Source: Van Someren
	2013-08-17	Riverdale	James River	Total trip distance: 9.8 miles6.4	Good	293	1.76	None	None Bowe, Michelle Edmond, Alex Edmond, Brian Edmond, Joseph Edmond, Julian Ligon, Adalia Ligon, Day Ligon, Elicia Ligon, Elseya Van Someren, Cynthia Van Someren, Tom Williams, Hannah Williams, Sarah Williams, Tom The water level was ideal for canoes. There were several obstacles along the way that we walked around for the benefit of the babies. Kayaks were able to traverse most of them with ease. USGS Gauge Data: Riverdale (07052345) Discharge: 293 Height: 1.76 Source: Edmond
	2020-01-05	Johns Ford Road	Reed Road	Total trip distance: 6.5 miles6.5	Good	274	1.75	None	None Van Someren, Tom On a whim, I decided to make use of the 55 degree January day and the good water level to find out how many obstructions had possibly formed along this section. Getting started late (at 14:45) I only had 2 hours of daylight to complete this 6.5 mile, but managed to finish before dark. The first obstruction (37.034948 -93.046506) is .25 miles above Patterson Spring inlet. Two trees cross the river and could be removed with some difficulty. The second obstruction (37.041540 -93.048854) is just below Patterson Spring and is more of a navigable snarl. The last obstruction is just above Pedelo Creek. Two more trees cross the river here and could be more easily removed than the first blockage upstream. USGS Gauge Data: Riverdale (07052345) Discharge: 274 Height: 1.75 Source: Van Someren
	2018-05-29	Braden Road	Braden Road	Total trip distance: 2.6 miles2.6	Good	260	1.71	Fair	LSF RB SMB Van Someren, Tom Put in late in the afternoon around 15:30 and took out right before dark, 20:30. Found a spot to park the car well off the road that wasn't marked Private Property / No Trespassing and paddled upstream 1.28 miles. This section of the river isn't as favorable to paddle upstream as it has WAAAAY too many extended gravelly bars the kayak has to be pulled through (so it's more like a hike with your boat). The fish weren't biting at all until right before dusk when I caught three very nice size smallies and a goggle eye. USGS Gauge Data: Riverdale (07052345) Discharge: 260 Height: 1.71 Source: Van Someren
	2017-06-04	Reed Road	Reed Road	Total trip distance: 2.0 miles2.0	Low	246	1.71	Fair	LSF RB Van Someren, Cynthia Van Someren, Tom We just paddled 1 mile upstream from Reed Road and had a nice afternoon picnic in the shade of a private gravel bar, then returned back the car. The water level was low, but still mostly kayakable, except over the partially exposed gravely areas. USGS Gauge Data: Riverdale (07052345) Discharge: 246 Height: 1.71 Source: Van Someren
	2016-08-13	Lindenlure	Ozark	Total trip distance: 6.2 miles6.2	Good	241	1.58	Great	GSF LSF SMB Coroleuski, Linda Edmond, Brian Edmond, Julian Van Someren, Tom Williams, Sarah The water level was very good, but this trip included at least two non-trivial portages and several very tricky spots, even for a kayak, due to downed trees and overhanging branches. USGS Gauge Data: Riverdale (07052345) Discharge: 241 Height: 1.58 Source: Edmond
	2018-05-12	Johns Ford Road	Reed Road	Total trip distance: 6.5 miles6.5	Low	237	1.71	Great	GSF RB SMB Acharya, Sree Arnold, Al Casey, Libra Edmond, Brian Edmond, Julian Fillmer, Lawrence Hong, Kenny Larsen, Chris Van Someren, Tom This was a fantastic float and a good day to be out. Several of the riffles had significant amounts of dragging, a few required a short portage or pulling the boat through the water. At least one set of snags caused a significant portage across two gravel bars. We spent some amount of time clearing debris and cutting limbs to make future floats better. USGS Gauge Data: Riverdale (07052345) Discharge: 237 Height: 1.71 Source: Edmond
	2018-05-30	Reed Road	Reed Road	Total trip distance: 4.2 miles4.2	Good	218	1.58	Excellent	BLG LMB RB SMB Van Someren, Tom A *gorgeous* day to be on a river, so I spent the entire day paddling up stream, swimming, fishing, eating, and soaking in the solitude of having this stretch of clear stream all to myself. Fished several holes and long calm sections extensively from shady areas and utterly KILLED it with the number of fish caught. At the spot where I stopped paddling up stream I spent probably 90 minutes catching something on nearly EVERY cast (it was unbelievable for a while!). Most were 6-7" goggle eye and small sun fish, but several were nice sized large and small mouth bass. Just a perfect day. USGS Gauge Data: Riverdale (07052345) Discharge: 218 Height: 1.58 Source: Van Someren
	2022-03-17	Lindenlure	Ozark	Total trip distance: 6.2 miles6.2	Good	207	1.64	None	None Chalumba, Claude Edmond, Brian Eth, Joe Jones, Marianne Jordan, Kelsie Van Someren, Andrea Van Someren, Tom This was nearly perfect weather for a March float trip. The wind was modest and from the south but it didn't cause too many problems. The water level was not ideal and could have used a little more flow but this section was well within the "Good" range. USGS Gauge Data: Riverdale (07052345) Discharge: 207 Height: 1.64 Source: Edmond
	2017-04-12	Larose Road	Johns Ford Road	Total trip distance: 3.4 miles3.4	Low	204	1.62	Good	LMB SMB Edmond, Brian Van Someren, Tom This was a very enjoyable and worthwhile trip. However, the water level was almost too low for a trouble-free float. Nearly every riffle had some dragging and most places came with some real work to keep moving forward. We had to get out a few places.Like most wild rivers, there were some downed trees that had to be portaged. A chainsaw would have been helpful for this trip and for cleaning up the river. Ironically, one downed tree and the Braden Road (2.2 miles downstream from put-in) low-water bridge could be floated under, which wouldn't have been possible with significantly more water.There were several springs and seepy bluffs along this stretch of river. USGS Gauge Data: Riverdale (07052345) Discharge: 204 Height: 1.62 Source: Edmond
	2016-08-07	Riverside	Finley River Park	Total trip distance: 1.4 miles1.4	Good	198	1.56	Fair	LSF SMB Van Someren, Tom Just paddled upstream from the Finley River park to Riverside bridge and back to fish a little, so twice the distance. USGS Gauge Data: Riverdale (07052345) Discharge: 198 Height: 1.56 Source: Van Someren
	2018-05-24	Johns Ford Road	Johns Ford Road	Total trip distance: 2.5 miles2.5	Good	194	1.58	Poor	RB Van Someren, Tom Put in again at 16:30, paddled upstream to Braden Road (with only half a kayak paddle, since I stupidly took the two male halves) and lazily fished the deeper slow pools while drifting down stream. There are a couple spots in this stretch that would benefit from a small chain saw being brought along on the next trip. The water level was good for this sort of up-stream trip: not overly swift, but high enough to make the downstream trip easy without dragging. USGS Gauge Data: Riverdale (07052345) Discharge: 194 Height: 1.58 Source: Van Someren
	2021-10-26	Lindenlure	Riverside	Total trip distance: 4.5 miles4.5	Good	177	1.51	Poor	None Coffman, Rick Hesington, Craig Van Someren, Tom First time in nearly five years to float this section of the Finley. Weirdly, the trip started off with my boat seemingly taking on an inch and a half of water in the first tenth of a mile. Thinking I had worn through the hull Rick walked back to his truck to retrieve some duct tape. Dumping out the water and inspecting the boat for cracks, I couldn't find any. Returning back to the float Rick was now missing his paddle. WTF! Mystified by all this, we did find it just downstream. What an idiotic start! There are two areas where trees are crossing the river and obstruct the floatable path. The portage around them, (or through them) isn't particularly treacherous, but any babies tagging along might find them aggravating, if not difficult. I'd say the river at this level is at the low end of "Good"; still easily navigable, but one will get stuck on a low-water gravel area if they're not paying attention. USGS Gauge Data: Riverdale (07052345) Discharge: 177 Height: 1.51 Source: Van Someren
	2018-09-03	Johns Ford Road	Reed Road	Total trip distance: 6.5 miles6.5	Poor	174	1.41	Great	BLG GSF LMB LSF RB SMB Hooper, Joe Van Someren, Tom The weather was perfect, the fishing was great, but the water level was pretty lousy (despite the recent rains that occurred earlier a few days before). The CFS had unfortunately dropped below a "Good" rating. Several 12-14" large mouth bass were caught throughout the day, though. The river obstructions located at N37.045881 W93.065229 have become worse and need significant cleanup to make this area easily navigable again. Portaging around it in lower water levels has become a real hassle. The second tree snarl (coordinates N37.042722 W93.072017) now has a wide easy pathway through it. USGS Gauge Data: Riverdale (07052345) Discharge: 174 Height: 1.41 Source: Van Someren
	2022-06-09	Johns Ford Road	Reed Road	Total trip distance: 6.5 miles6.5	Good	172	1.59	Fair	BLG GSF SMB Coffman, Rick Van Someren, Tom Perfect gorgeous day to float. I was expecting the water level to be marginal, but it actually was good (though on the low side of good). Still, we only scrapped across a few low water gravel spots where I was expecting there would be a lot more occurrences. This was Rick's very first time to float this section of the Finley. He caught several very nice sized smallies using his fly fishing rig. USGS Gauge Data: Riverdale (07052345) Discharge: 172 Height: 1.59 Source: Van Someren
	2020-06-23	Patterson Road	Patterson Road	Total trip distance: 0.0 miles0.0	Low	168	1.45	None	None Van Someren, Tom This wasn't a float trip, but an afternoon spent trying to clear out a large tree obstructing the river just below where Patterson Spring enters. I'm just placing the report here to denote the date it was done along with the river's water level at the time. Video documentation is also included in the external links. USGS Gauge Data: Riverdale (07052345) Discharge: 168 Height: 1.45 Source: Van Someren
	2024-06-27	Lindenlure	Riverside	Total trip distance: 4.6 miles4.6	Good	167	1.59	None	None Acker, Christine Acker, Jon Duggins, Robert Romano, Ben Romaon, David Van Someren, Tom This was a float trip to mainly clean up some strainers and potentially dangerous spots along this section of the river. We cleared navigable paths through about 5-6 areas that could cause problems to careless or inexperienced paddlers. The water level was slightly low in a few areas but still workable for an enjoyable day on the river. USGS Gauge Data: Riverdale (07052345) Discharge: 167 Height: 1.59 Source: Van Someren
	2017-01-21	Lindenlure	Ozark	Total trip distance: 6.2 miles6.2	Good	162	1.39	Poor	None Acharya, Holly Acharya, Sreekanth Arnold, Al Bernskoetter, Alli Casey, Libra Cricket Edmond, Brian Edmond, Julian Eth, Joe Ficarra, Serena Larsen, Chris Larsen, Lisa Van Someren, Tom The water level was about right for this stretch. More water would have reduced dragging on some riffles, but it would also have made the obstacles and portage areas much more dangerous. This is a technical stretch that required a half-dozen portages or more, two of which were pretty substantial. There are also several places that are tricky, especially for a canoe. USGS Gauge Data: Riverdale (07052345) Discharge: 162 Height: 1.39 Source: Edmond
	2016-09-18	Reed Road	Reed Road	Total trip distance: 4.2 miles4.2	Low	144	1.24	Fair	BLG RB SMB Van Someren, Tom Put in and took out at Reed Road. Paddled upstream for 2+ miles until a YUUUUUUGE tree snarl was encountered (coordinates of the blockage: 37.042665, -93.072104). USGS Gauge Data: Riverdale (07052345) Discharge: 144 Height: 1.24 Source: Van Someren
	2024-06-29	Lindenlure	Ozark	Total trip distance: 6.2 miles6.2	Low	118	1.38	None	Edmond, Brian Edmond, Julian Evans, Adam Mohr, Kelly Romano, Ben Romano, David Romano, Hannah Romano, Lucy Sherman, Bev Sherman, Paul Van Someren, Tom This trip was a celebration of the legal victory that kept the Canyon Road access at Linden on the Finley River open to the public. The water was on the "good" end of "low" (or the "low" end of "good"). Several of the riffles were draggy, some portages were required, and the current was very slow. Tom and I discussed this and rated it as a "low" for these purposes. Since we started around 1430 hours (and off around 1900 hours), there was no organized lunch. Everyone shared some food, however, The weather didn't turn out as hot as predicted and the water itself was cool and refreshing. USGS Gauge Data: Riverdale (07052345) Discharge: 118 Height: 1.38 Source: Edmond
	2018-08-17	Reed Road	Reed Road	Total trip distance: 3.0 miles3.0	Poor	102	1.12	Great	GSF LSF RB SMB Van Someren, Tom Tried to take advantage of the perfect weather and recent rains, but the water level was still much too low. Had to drag the kayak over pretty much every gravel bar to get upstream about 1 1/2 miles and fish the long slow pool located there. Great fishing was had, though, just sitting in the shade pulling in one after another 6-7 inch goggle eye and SMB. Got in the water at 15:00 and took out 18:40. USGS Gauge Data: Riverdale (07052345) Discharge: 102 Height: 1.12 Source: Van Someren
	2020-11-08	Riverside	Finley River Park	Total trip distance: 1.4 miles1.4	Good	96	1.12	None	None Bartlett, Joe Bartlett, Renee Our first put in at the new Riverside Bridge. While the parking area is nice and large, there is a considerable carry to the water with a rather steep small access from the bank. Otherwise, This section is easy and unobstructed. The fall foliage was spectacular. USGS Gauge Data: Riverdale (07052345) Discharge: 96 Height: 1.12 Source: Bartlett
	2020-07-10	Two Rivers Road	James River	Total trip distance: 3.5 miles0.3	Good	96	1.12	None	(none) Barton, Adam Brumfield, Josh No notes for this trip USGS Gauge Data: Riverdale (07052345) Discharge: 96 Height: 1.12 Source: Barton
	2022-10-29	Lindenlure	Riverside	Total trip distance: 4.6 miles4.6	Low	88	1.12	Fair	RB SMB Barton, Adam Greenstreet, Michael A beautiful fall day to spend on the river. Weather was cloudy with little to no wind and a high temperature of around 60 degrees. Fishing was slow and the river was ultra clear with a layer of leaves on the bottom making finesse patterns difficult to deploy. Nevertheless, we had a great time and saw numerous wildlife, including bald eagles, turkey, and deer. We saw one 10-point buck bedded down below Green Bridge and spooked him as we floated by. USGS Gauge Data: Riverdale (07052345) Discharge: 88 Height: 1.12 Source: Barton
	2017-07-02	Reed Road	Reed Road	Total trip distance: 2.0 miles2.0	Low	81	1.05	Poor	None Edmond, Brian Edmond, Julian Van Someren, Tom We paddled 1/2 mile up to a downed double-trunk sycamore to cut it out. Both of us had to paddle back to the put in one time to retrieve something to assist in the effort, resulting in 2 miles total. Much of the work was done and the obstacle is definitely better than it was. But, we couldn't move the bottom log completely out of the way. The pool between the put in and the obstacle was pretty slow. One small riffle between was easily paddled but was very low. USGS Gauge Data: Riverdale (07052345) Discharge: 81 Height: 1.05 Source: Edmond
	2023-07-16	Reed Road	Reed Road	Total trip distance: 2.0 miles2.0	Poor	79	1.07	Poor	SMB Van Someren, Andrea Van Someren, Tom Spent a perfect afternoon one mile upstream from Reed Road on my favorite private gravel bar / swimming / fishing hole (that is slowly filling in with gravel and will probably be gone by next year). Brought and tested out a new portable beach umbrella for easy shade. It works great! USGS Gauge Data: Riverdale (07052345) Discharge: 79 Height: 1.07 Source: Van Someren
	2021-11-11	Lindenlure	Riverside	Total trip distance: 4.6 miles4.6	Low	72	1.01	Great	LMB RB SMB Barton, Adam A beautiful late autumn day full of portages around log jams and walking through the riffles. One significant portage of about 300 yards was required due to a large tree across the stream. The detour takes you away from the creek and you have to bushwack back to the gravel bar. The fishing was good though, with smallmouth feeding deep and largemouth cruising the backwater areas. USGS Gauge Data: Riverdale (07052345) Discharge: 72 Height: 1.01 Source: Barton
	2022-08-07	Reed Road	Reed Road	Total trip distance: 2.0 miles2.0	Poor	59	1.06	None	None Blaisdell, Beth Copeland, Bryan Edmond, Brian Edmond, Joseph Taylor, Chris Underwood, Katie Van Someren, Andrea Van Someren, Tom Andrea wanted to get on the river for the afternoon and this was our best option to avoid the crowds. Maybe 1/3 to a 1/4 of this stretch had to be hiked upstream with our kayaks in tow. It wasn't too bad but more than some expected. Once we got to the gravel bar, the day was excellent. Unfortunately, the swimming hole at this bend is starting to fill in with gravel. It's like to be full in a year or two or maybe after the next big flood. We had rivercado, guacamole, deer sausage, cheese, crackers, grapes, various chips, Cynthia's homemade cookies, beer, and whiskey shots. USGS Gauge Data: Riverdale (07052345) Discharge: 59 Height: 1.06 Source: Edmond
	2018-06-29	Braden Road	Braden Road	Total trip distance: 2.6 miles2.6	Good	55	0.86	Fair	LSF RB SMB Van Someren, Tom Put in late in the afternoon around 15:30 and took out right before dark, 20:30. Found a spot to park the car well off the road that wasn't marked Private Property / No Trespassing and paddled upstream 1.28 miles. This section of the river isn't as favorable to paddle upstream as it has WAAAAY too many extended gravely bars the kayak has to be pulled through (so it's more like a hike with your boat). The fish weren't biting at all until right before dusk when I caught three very nice size smallies and a goggle eye. USGS Gauge Data: Riverdale (07052345) Discharge: 55 Height: 0.86 Source: Van Someren
	2020-08-13	Reed Road	Reed Road	Total trip distance: 2.0 miles2.0	Low	46	0.80	Good	RB Van Someren, Tom Just paddled (and dragged) the kayak upstream 1 mile to a favorite fishing / swimming hole. Despite the low water level and CFS, this mile of stream is mostly easily paddle-able in this less-than-optimal condition. Caught several 5-6 in rock bass / goggle eye and observed MANY good sized small mouth. USGS Gauge Data: Riverdale (07052345) Discharge: 46 Height: 0.80 Source: Van Someren
	2020-09-28	Finley River Park	Finley River Park	Total trip distance: 2.8 miles2.8	Good	37	0.74	None	None Bartlett, Joe Bartlett, Renee It was a beautiful day of near perfect weather. We put in at Finley River Park and paddled upstream to Riverside Bridge before turning and paddling back. There was a small wildfire that spanned 100 yards or so along the eastern bank just south or Riverside bridge that was being battled by Nixa FD. USGS Gauge Data: Riverdale (07052345) Discharge: 37 Height: 0.74 Source: Bartlett
	2020-09-08	Rt KK	Rt KK	Total trip distance: 7.8 miles7.8	Poor	36	0.72	None	None Van Someren, Tom Took advantage of the low water conditions and cloudy day to paddle/wade/hike 3.9 miles upstream (just past Greasy Creek), scoping out the amount of debris and river obstructions along this section of the river. While there were several trees and blockages to deal with, I noted that nearly all of them could be cleared out fairly easily with a chainsaw, enough so to provide a clear navigable path when 100-200 CFS more flowing water would be present. There are several long deep-ish good fishing holes along this section, especially between Arapaho Road and Hwy KK. Between Olga Road and Arapaho Road I spoke with a landowner who was "politely unreceptive" to my query/suggestion of using a chainsaw to make a navigable path in the stream (WTF?). Above Olga Road on toward Hwy Z the river seemed less hospitable with more difficult obstructions. But even in this extremely low level water condition the river was "mostly navigable", though not enjoyably so. So it's got to be MUCH better with even as little as 100 CFS more water flowing. USGS Gauge Data: Riverdale (07052345) Discharge: 36 Height: 0.72 Source: Van Someren
	2020-09-13	Finley River Park	Finley River Park	Total trip distance: 2.8 miles2.8	Low	33	0.70	Poor	None Van Someren, Tom Just paddled upstream from the Finley River Park boat ramp to Riverside bridge and back. Fished mostly the upper half mile and didn't even get a single bite, despite seeing plenty of good sized fish in the water. USGS Gauge Data: Riverdale (07052345) Discharge: 33 Height: 0.70 Source: Van Someren
	2017-10-01	Reed Road	Reed Road	Total trip distance: 1.0 miles1.0	Poor	30	0.68	Poor	BLG RB Van Someren, Tom Just paddled upstream a half mile, ate some lunch, and fished the slow pools. Mostly to just enjoy the sunny 82 degree October 1st Sunday afternoon. USGS Gauge Data: Riverdale (07052345) Discharge: 30 Height: 0.68 Source: Van Someren
	2020-09-20	Reed Road	Reed Road	Total trip distance: 5.8 miles5.8	Poor	28	0.65	Fair	BLG RB SMB Van Someren, Tom Paddled / waded / hiked upstream to the confluence of Pedelo Creek to, once and for all, clear a navigable path through the multiple tree obstructions that have been there for the last several years. Also did a little fishing on the return back to the car. USGS Gauge Data: Riverdale (07052345) Discharge: 28 Height: 0.65 Source: Van Someren

A total of 59 rows are displayed.

Trip Summary for Finley River (Missouri), Riverdale (07052345)

Condition Descriptions

Fishing Conditions

Fish Species

Notes

Classic Trip List

Gauge Data Table