would it be better to put my spread on the upstream or downstream side of an island in the middle of a medium sized river?

[evan.hensel]

would it be better to put my spread on the upstream or downstream side of an island in the middle of a medium sized river?

[JM]

I think it depends on wind/where birds are coming in from. Hard to give you an answer without seeing the location with my own eyes =\.

[buckhunter]

Upstream. Get a little head start chasing a downed bird floating downstream.

[Dcast]

I waterfowl hunt a river in my area on islands and have found they tend to land more on the upstream side and float down rather than land downstream and swim up. On one island we hunt they will land in the slack water downstream and swim up, but I'm assuming it is because this particular island sticks out into the river more like a pier than an island creating a large slack water pool down river.

[drake_whisperer]

Depends on where the wind is....Your birds will want to land into the wind and your decoy spread should accomidate birds from that direction. I like to place my decoys 20 yards down wind on an island and shoot as they "cup" into the spread.