Fishing Season: Spring

Rocky River - OH

Fishing Outlook & Conditions

Water Temp:

58

Orvis Westlake's Tip of the Week

You will find smallmouth close to cover this time of year. That means targeting deep water, log jams, and rock shelves with minnow type patterns. Utilizing a sink tip can be helpful for getting down deep in the larger pools.

Directions open in app

Map of Rocky River

Water Flow Data

5-Day Outlook as of 5/8/25

The river is dropping back to fishable conditions from the rain earlier in the week. Good numbers of smallmouth are being caught and a few steelhead are still present. Spring is here so make the most of it! Until the USGS gage is up again, keep an eye on the East Branch stream gage to get an estimate of what the Rocky is doing.

Techniques & Tips as of 5/8/25

Eggs and nymphs under indicators should produce fish. Swing streamers through the tail outs of pools where moving fish stop to rest. White is a good color. Moving and covering water will help you find fish.

Local Species Available Spring

  • Fish Icon

    Steelhead/ Smallmouth

Orvis Westlake's Recommended Fly Patterns

"Must-have" fly fishing patterns in descending order of importance:

Name: Colors: Size(s):
Bead Head Woolly Bugger Streamer Black, olive, white 8, 10
Conehead Bunny Muddler white, brown, black 6, 8,10
Schultzy's Single Fly Cray Peach 6
Clouser Minnow Olive, white, gray c 2
River Rat Tube Fly Purple 2
Senyo’s AI Intruder Rainbow 2
Kauffman's Stone Olive, Black, White 6, 8
Bead Head Flash Zonker White 6
Senyo’s AI Intruder Copper 2
Exasperater Sculipin Natural 2

Bead Head Woolly Bugger Streamer

Every angler needs an assortment of these weighted attractor Bead Head Woolly Bugger Streamer flies.

2.49

Item #0311

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Orvis Westlake's Recommended Gear

Description: About Rocky River

The Rocky is a medium-sized tributary of Lake Erie similar in character to its Eastern neighbor, The Chagrin River. It receives excellent runs of Lake Erie steelhead from October through April in most years, and its close proximity to Cleveland’s Eastern and Western suburbs make it a very popular destination for fly anglers. In 2007 Field and Stream Magazine named the Rocky River one of the 150 best places to fish in America. The Cleveland Metroparks provide excellent public access along the Rocky and its branches, and several fords along the river force migrating steelhead to pause in their upstream movement, creating excellent fishing opportunities. Like the other shale-bottomed rivers in Northeast Ohio, the Rocky rises and falls dramatically after a precipitation event, so monitoring its flow in cubic feet per second is critical to being successful as an angler. Also like the other northeast rivers, it fishes best with a slight green stain, which usually corresponds to flows between 150 and 350 cubic feet per second. During the summer months, the Rocky provides excellent warm-water fly fishing opportunities for smallmouth bass, carp, and panfish. A 9 ft. 5 or 6 weight rod is perfect for casting the flies needed to bring these fish to hand.

Nearest Airport:

Cleveland Hopkins Int'l Airport (CLE), Cleveland-Akron-Canton (CAK)

Hatches:

This fishery is based on subsurface activity, and there are no key hatches of note. Baitfish and sculpin patterns are the primary forage to imitate on this river. Crayfish imitations always fish well. Stoneflies, woolly buggers, and egg patterns are great when nymphing.

Best Time to Fish:

Any

Best Stretch:

Lower and middle access points

Best Access:

http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Portals/9/pdf/rocky.pdf