Depends on not just the rower, but the boat as well. I used to have a Willie Boat and it tracked straight as an arrow, I now have a Thor Built and it tracks even better. My first drift boat was a 14' Lavro and it slid around all over the place compared to the alumininum drift boats. You can get fiberglass boats to track pretty well but they require a little different technique to keep them straight. What kind of boat do you have, Jed?
I have a few buddies who are still learning to row and I usually let them pull plugs in slower water, then some medium, then a little bit of faster water. The oarsman needs to get the feel of not just how the boat reacts, but how to keep the oars straight and/or feathered if necessary, and the reflex of what oar to pull to go left and vice versa. I practiced rowing in a small lake before I hit the river and it really gave me a good sense of the push, pull, left, right thing. A good "feel" for how to hold the oars, how the oar enters the water, and grabbing them in a hurry needs to be met before you can concentrate on steering. Have a good one, Riverman, and keep those plugs running straight.

Oh, yeah, I almost forgot. You have to make sure you got somebody with some muscle and endurance behind the sticks if they are going to be pulling plugs and navigating throughout the day. If you have somebody that can't hang, then they will burn out soon and not only get discouraged, but they will not be able to pull off of that log jam or rip rap because they're energy reserves are shot!
Justin
CEO, Sauk River Steelhead Ranch
[This message has been edited by SAUKit2em (edited 01-15-2001).]