Carter lake and Branched Oak are both decent spots to go. Carter lake has one side of it is No Wake, so floating is good. The river is unique, and water flows are expected to be high for some time due to rain in the upper Mo basin. Heavy rains that plagued the river earlier this season have, hopefully, ended, so debris are not an issue. Manawa has a nice shallow cove type area that we have partied in for years, but October weather could be cooler, OK for boats, not so OK for swimming/wading. Manawa has the advantage of having a ramp into the river as well as ramps into the lake. I dont fear the river, but if my boat had running issues, I would simply make sure I had a good anchor. A day trip get together sounds like fun, I wont be winterizing untill probably Halloween anyway.