Like waterdog said, let me stress the importance of staying between them. There is some pretty treacherous stuff beyond the channel markers, especially on the Barkley side.

The best advice I can give you is to STAY IN BETWEEN THEM. If you're going to go into a creek with the markers, idle to your spot once you enter the creek.

Those markers are there for a reason. If you get to mess around a little, go out and scout them. There are places (I know of at least one on Barkley -- near the prison) where the channel cuts across the lake and if you're not paying attention you'll find yourself in a stump field -- or even worse.

Better yet, if you can look at your GPS while you're running, just stay in the channel and you'll be fine.