I've canoed many rivers over the years in Eastern Nebraska. I know that anyone has access to rivers to canoe as they are private propery, so long as you are not trasspassing in order to get there...

In this part of the country, it is most common to launch and land underneath the bridges of major highways/roads.

To my knowledge, all sandbars and islands on/in the river are part of the river and not private property.  You always see signs warning of private property on the shore line.  Where exactly does the boundry line start/end?  Is it the water's edge? Often times in the summer, the channel on the Platte and Elkhorn can move, leaving up to 100 yards from where the edge of the water had been, over dried up sand bars to where the river now is....

I was just wondering if any of you have had problems with land owners running you off when you were in this "grey area"?

I plan to do some canoeing on smaller rivers in western Iowa (Nishnabatna) and was wondering if smaller rivers such as these (only about 25 feet from bank to bank) are public access as well, or if you needed permission to paddle them?

I know you need to have good relations with property owners, and was wondering on advise on how to keep things on the positive side in this department.

thanks