Rocky River, one of Lake Erie’s most popular tributary fisheries is best known for its annual steelhead runs. Each fall thousands of steelhead enter the river and in a ritualistic migration head upstream to the spawning grounds where they were first released into the river as fry.

Intermixed with their larger counsins, Rainbows are found in the same stretches as steelhead and are most abundant during fall and winter. As the heat of summer roles in—and steelhead runs subside—it’s primetime for fishing Rocky River’s warm water species including bass, panfish, and catfish.

• Steelhead
• Smallmouth Bass
• Rainbow Trout
• Largemouth Bass
• Catfish
• Panfish
• White Sucker
• Carp

Steelhead Trout

Center stage of the fishing attraction and experience on Ohio’s Rocky River is steelhead fishing and the annual steelhead runs. The key to catching steelhead is to be on the river when they are. So pay attention to the runs. Steelhead run the Rocky River from September through December and runs are greatly influenced by water levels—so you’ll want to watch the flows. Flows around 200-250 CFS (give or take) are ideal.

When big rains raise the water level, I find steelhead fishing on the Rocky at its best. After a heavy rain, wait ’til the water levels begin to subside and then begin casting. This is when clarity returns to the river, steelhead can see your bait, and your catch rate is going to be highest.

Again, the key to catching steelhead is to be on the river when they are, where they are. The following are few of my favority steelhead fishing holes on the Rocky River.

• Mortley Ford
• Rock Cliffs
• The Step (behind the lakewood animal shelter)
• Emerald Necklace Marina

Recommended techniques: One of the more common techniques for targeting steelhead on the Rocky is float fishing. Using a spinning, or even better, centerpin reel, suspend your bait just off the bottom. Fly fishing, bottom bouncing throughout the pocket water and pools, plunking near the river mouth, and drift fishing the deeper water can all prove effective for catching steelhead.

Recommended baits: 2.25″ 2″ crappie tube on 1/16″ jighead a feet under a float, cured salmon/trout eggs, soft/hard beads (for current), spawn sacs; inline spinners; nymph patterns, wooly buggers, egg patterns, stoneflies;

Smallmouth Bass

Next to steelheads, smallmouth bass draw the largest number of anglers to fish the Rocky River. There are really healthy populations of fiesty smallmouths in these waters that are known for putting up a fight. As steelhead fishing dies down in early spring, bass season is just getting underway. You can fish for smallmouths most of the year on the Rocky, but April through late June is peak season for catching smallies.

If you’ve got a kayak, I recommend fishing the northern stretch of the river up past Emerald Necklace Marina toward Lake Erie. Some good water here that holds nice size smallies, catfish, and trout.

Recommended techniques: Fishing a small tube on a light jig just off the bottom is a sure fire way to catch smallies on the Rocky River, but they’ll take topwater poppers, jerkbaits, spinnerbaits, and buzzbaits just as readily in most areas. I’ve had a lot of success wade fishing 4″ senkos on a wacky rig.

Recommended baits: Minnow type fluke, Senko worms, topwater poppers, jerkbaits, spinnerbaits, crappy tube

Rainbow Trout

In the lower portion of the Rocky you’ll find some catchable sizes of Rainbows. Anywhere there are steelhead you’re likely to find some rainbows intermixed.

You’ll find a decent population of rainbows in Wallace Lake where I believe they’re stocked annually. Fishing for trout in Rocky River is a lot like fishing for crappie. Same techniques will often net you both species.

Recommended techniques: Cast and retrieve with a worm or lure using spinning gear. Fly fishing a nymph or streamer. Using a traditional float rig with bait suspended.

Recommended baits: Earthworm, waxworm, spinners, powerbait

Largemouth Bass

I’ve never seen a largemouth in Rocky River, but I know they’re there. Most of largemouth bass are going to be found in the deeper water, but 9 times out of 10 you’re going to catch smallies when bass fishing on the Rocky.

Anglers report some nice size largemouth catches in Coe Lake and Wallace Lake down near Berea.

The same techniques and baits used to catch smallies will also work for targeting largemouths.

Catfish

There is a surprisingly good number of catfish, particularly channel catfish, found in the Rocky River. There are small catfish found throughout the river. You’ll find some nice size catfish in the deeper waters up near the Lake Erie inlet and around Emerald Necklace Marina. If you’ve got a boat, this is a great spot to put in.

It’s not uncommon for catfish to enter the river from Lake Erie. During the spring spawning catfish enter the river and you can hook some really nice catches. May through July is the best time of year to target catfish on Rocky River.

The easiest and most accessible spot to target catfish is along the wall at Emerald Necklace Marina. The water here if full of cats.

Recommended techniques: Bottom fishing or fishing just off the bottom. It’s not hard to catch catfish. Just have to get your bait in front of them.

Recommended baits: Worms, chicken liver, powerbait, minnows, anything stinky

Panfish

Just about anywhere you fish along the Rocky River you’ll find one species or another of panfish. Crappie, perch and sunfish are pulled from the river year round. However you’re not going to find every species everywhere you decide to wet your line.

Crappie are my favorite panfish to target and I tend to find them on the farther reaches where the channels get skinny and there are deeper holes. Crappie are on the river year round but early spring—mid April through June—is when the bite is especially strong.

Early spring is also prime time for perch fishing on the Rocky River. A crappie rig tipped with a piece of worm or minnow is a perch magnet. This simple rig will also catch you a fair number of other species including crappie, smallmouths and bluegill.

The key to catching perch on the Rocky is location. Fishing the edges of vegetation, structure and along deeper shorelines is your best bet. If you’re really after perch I recommend heading north toward Lake Erie, but there are few good spots along the Rocky River as well.

You’ll find bluegill in pockets up and down the Rocky River. I haven’t done much bluegill fishing on the Rocky, but I’ve seen anglers at Emerald Necklace Marina pulling them out along the wall. And where there’s bluegill you’ll likely find some sunfish.

The most common sunfish species on the Rocky River is the Redear. You’ll find bluegill and sunfish holding near structure (vegetation, rock piles, etc.) where the water pools and the current slows.

Recommended techniques: jigging, fishing a float rig, simple cast and retrieve

Recommended baits: piece of worm, waxworm, small minnow

White Sucker

Rocky River if full of sucker fish and they can get pretty big. This is not a fish that most anglers are targeting and they’re usually caught incidentally when fishing for other species. Suckers tend to run in early spring and your best chance of snagging one is between March and April.

If you keep hooking suckers when you’re targeting trout or bass, you’re probably fishing your bait too low in the water column. Suckers are bottom feeders and if you’re bait is hitting the bottom you’re likely to catch one of these bottom feeders.

A lot of anglers don’t realize just how a tasty fish this is. They make really good tablefair.

Recommended techniques: Bottom fishing. Any presentation that gets the bait down where sucker fish feed.

Other Fish Species

In addition to trout, bass and panfish, the Rocky River is home to a few more fish species you might want to know about, including carp, sheepshead, walleye and even an occassional samon.

You’ll find carp throughout the Rocky River and they’ll take just about any bait you can get in front of them. When fishing for catfish, you’re likely to really in a carp or two while you’re at it.

Walleye are a bit of rarity and most are going to be found within a few miles of the Lake Erie inlet. While walleye don’t run the river like steelhead, they will enter the river to feed, especially when water levels are high.

I’ve never really fished for sheepshead (freshwater drum) on the Rocky before but you’ll find some real lunkers approaching the Lake Erie inlet downstream from Emerald Marina. 6 lbs and over 25″ isn’t a uncommon catch. This is an often overlooked sportfish found in Lake Erie’s larger tributaries including the Rocky River.

Rocky River Fishing Seasons by Species

Catching you target sport fish is about about timing. You need to be on the river when they are. The following table provides the peak time of year to target the major sport fish species found on the Rocky River.

If you’d like to know where to target each of the fish species in Ohio’s Rocky River visit our Rocky River fishing map and access spots pages.