hi Scott, it is good to get a good map, one that shows the wing dams. hot spots, and a copy of the Mississippi River guide are two good ones. the river guide is made and obtained by the dnr. it show all wing dams from mpls to iowa. the red and green marker buoys are there for a reason. they mark the channel. when going pt to pt, like on plane at speed, you want the red buoy on the right side when going up stream, the easy way to remember it is : red, right, returning. so then green buoy on the right when going down river. you will be shocked to find out what a wing dam will do to a lower unit. Jack.