Big Elk Floats and Camping named outfitter of year
PINEVILLE — Big Elk Floats and Camping was recently named Outfitter of the Year for 2024 by the Missouri Canoe and Floaters Association.
Owner Pat Tinsley, who coowns the establishment with his mother, Waydene Tinsley, said his father, John Tinsley, purchased the campground in 1989, and the family has owned it since.
Pat Tinsley serves as the western director of the board of MCFA.
In October, he said, MCFA had a road show in which all the outfitters on the Elk River were invited to participate, and people came from around the state and toured several campgrounds that participated. After the tours, a discussion was held, and the outfitters talked about their ways of doing business.
“I learned a lot. It was a winwin,” he said.
In early March, MCFA held a trade show, and all the outfitters in the state voted on the outfitter of the year, he said.
“I was shocked that I won it,” he said.
He received a canoe paddle with his name, the MCFA logo and “Outfitter of the Year 2024” engraved on it.
He said he is active in MCFA, which also goes to Jefferson City to advocate for tourism whenever there are tourism issues. He said
MCFA was instrumental in keeping the school start date within 14 days of Labor Day and not earlier in August in order to keep more tourism dollars in the state.
Big Elk Floats and Camping has a water safety and quality program in which a teacher from Arkansas brings students to the Elk River and teaches them the dangers of the river, and the business provides the place, he said.
The campground’s biggest customer base is people from Kansas City, he said. It is also a national destination for small-mouth bass fishing, he added.
The business has canoes, kayaks, camping, floats and rafts. The season goes from April 1 to Oct. 15.