I\'d like to add that if it\'s a large river and you don\'t know it well, get out and walk the back to get to a new fishing spot. Same could apply to a few smaller rivers as well.
It doesn\'t matter if it\'s one of those rivers with an even gravel bottom, but on some of the others you can wade - upstream or down - and pick your way carerfully to a new spot, then find it\'s too deep to go any further, and then not be able either to get out or find your route back to where you started without getting a soaking - or worse.
I\'ve floated down a couple of rivers that way, and watched a bloke on the Annan wade down one section at thigh depth, then vanish with only his hat showing after he walked off the ledge he was on.