Shape of river channel will make a difference. If you have lakes and pools, these act as 'spreaders' changing a 3 day deluge into a month of high water.
When I went canoeing in Northern Saskatchewan every year, I came up with a set of rules for checking routes:
200 km2 of water shed: The canoe would float, but I had to walk. 1000 km2 of water shed: I could paddle, but I'd be getting in and out a lot. 5000 km2 of water shed. I only worried about the places where the river constricted.
BUT: That was empirical observation of one part of the world, one month of the year (trips were in June) with most of the geology being bog and granite. (Laurentian Shield)
This is why gauge stations are important.