These maps are going north out of the Nesbitt Launch.

RIVER NOTES

The above maps are based on a river level of approx. 4 feet.  The official depth and flow gauge is on the Black Diamond bridge.  In our opinion 3-4 feet is the best depth/flow for fishing.  5-6 ft. is fishable however the flow gets stronger.  When you look at the website that tracks the information from the Black Diamond bridge you can see the flow rates.  See the website here.  At 5-6 feet you can take even a big 20ft fiberglass bass boat almost anywhere.  For fishing the flow is strong and most of the eddys and current breaks are gone.  A lot of the shoreline pockets and structure are underwater.  You can fish the backs of the bridge piers.   At 5-6 ft. a 70 lb and up 24 volt trolling motor will suffice except for the fastest spots.  Once it gets to 7 ft. and higher the depth is not as much the issue as is the flow, in our opinion is just to strong to fish safely.  As you can see if you look at the flow charts when you click the yellow link above, the flow increases exponentially to the depth.  Just one foot in depth increases the flow drastically. 

In our opinion, the best depth for fishing is in the 3-4 ft. range.  The flow is not to strong.  You could do ok even with 12 volt trolling motors 40-55 lbs.  At 3-4 feet you could still use a large bass boat but you would need to be more careful.  Small outboards like a 9.9 would get you around nicely.  Rob Rosencrans has an 18 foot Tracker fiberglass boat with a 150 hp Merc., and a 72lb 24 volt trolling motor.  At 3-4 feet he can go from above the Pierce St. bridge all the way down and below the Carey Ave. Bridge.  In some spots you would have to stay on the channel side of the river. 

This summer the river was down to a -2ft.  Yes that is a minus sign.  Even then bigger boats could still get on the river at the Nesbitt Launch and fish the WB stretch of river from below Pierce St. down to the Black Diamond bridge staying on the WB side.   With the river at that level, -2 you could not go below the Carey Ave. Bridge, EVEN WITH A JET!  Except for small outboards like 50 or smaller, and only if you had power trim and a flat bottom boat could you get below the Black Diamond Bridge.  You can see most of these areas on the above maps.  I have a Tracker 175hp inboard jet.  That boat can pretty much go anywhere.  You still need to cautious in certain areas.   The most dangerous level is probably just about 3 ft.  Because the water is low enough that hugh rocks and boulders are only inches under the water in certain areas.  If you were never on the river when it was below 2 ft you don't know where they are.  Some of those areas are marked on the map.  We can't guarantee that they are the only one's.  Remember, when the official river level reading is 2 ft. that is only at that spot at the Bridge where it takes the measurement.  5 feet to the left, (looking down the river), of the "official" spot there is a deep channel.  When the water is 2 ft there it still varies greatly up and down the river.  If you don't know where the channel is it can look like you have clear water.  Be careful there are rocks and shoals everywhere. 
The key is to take some time to get to know where you are going.  Talk to any of the anglers who fish the river, and they will tell you it is worth the effort.  The fishing is awesome.  Whether you fish for bass, walleye, northern, muskie, catfish, rockbass, and others, the fishing is great.  See you on the Suskie!