Strainers trap solid objects such as overturned boats and people, while allowing water to pass through. Always avoid getting swept into the bank or into a strainer. The inside of the river bend commonly has the slowest-moving water. However, it is often very shallow. These are areas where novices put dings in those shiny new propellers or put scratches in the new paint job.
Boaters become pushers, pullers or draggers.
Avoid these shallows. We know that water flows downstream by choosing the easiest route possible until it meets an obstacle and is diverted in another direction. The contours of the riverbed and the geology of the area define the local river. Rivers winding through farmlands are different from the raging rapids rushing over craggy rocks and through narrow hillsides. Channels are created as water bounces off obstacles and flows around them.