Is the current always strongest in mid-channel? Do rivers flow fastest in mid-stream?
They do, Ric, but only if you’re on a straight reach and if the river isn’t too wide. In big rivers, the main current doesn’t follow a straight line, and the thalweg (the river’s “fast lane”) meanders from one side of the river to the other even when the river itself runs straight. OK. What about places where the river doesn’t run straight, then: the water in a bend is always faster on the outside, isn’t it? True. That’s why cut-banks are usually found on the outside of bends, while sandbars form on the inside, where the slower water drops some of its “burden” of sediment. The outside of a river bend also collects trees which have been uprooted by the collapse of undercut banks. These “sweepers” and “strainers” can be deadly, especially in high water. That’s why prudent paddlers stay close to the inside of bends in spring. Let’s get out of the fast lane, shall we? In places where the current slows down and the water isn’t too deep less than three feet, say it seems like I have to work
