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Rocky River?

2K views 26 replies 13 participants last post by  imadawg22 
#1 ·
Fished it a couple of times now near the metroparks reservation park in Rocky River, and have had a little success with the smallies, but was wondering if anyone had any suggestions of other places along the river that can be accessed by walking? The park is nice and it's close to me, but it gets pretty busy with kayakers, hikers, etc.

Same question goes for the Cuyahoga near Cleveland.

thanks in advance!
 
#3 ·
Best time to fish the Rocky is fall-Spring. Steelhead will be in and are a blast. Big smallies usually start coming in May in the northern parts of the river too. 1/32oz jig with a minnow-style soft plastic 2'-3' under a float drifted through deeper holes is a deadly presentation
 
#5 · (Edited)
You should be able to catch Smallies this time of year. As others have said, look for deep pools near faster running water. The summer water levels are very low, so "deep pools" might be only 2-3 feet deep in some areas. I do well with tube jigs and shallow diving crank baits. Crawfish are a big part of the Smallies diet in the Rocky River, so keep that in mind when choosing colors and sizes.
 
#6 ·
You should be able to catch Smallies this time of year. As others have said, look for deep pools near faster running water. The summer water levels are very low, so "deep poosls" might be only 2-3 feet deep in some areas. I do well with tube jigs and shallow diving crank baits. Crawfish are a big part of the Smallies diet in the Rocky River, so keep that in mind when choosing colors and sizes.
this was my exact approach when I had my success. Nothing big, but it produced. I will have to try it again in a different area.
 
#7 ·
I have done well parking at the Rocky River Nature Center and walking the river downstream from there (maybe a 1 mile section of river). There are some decent deeper water areas along the steep shale cliffs (side away from the all-purpose trail) along with plenty of small pools near very shallow ripples all along that area.
 
#12 ·
I would say no to the Hoga close to Cleveland. I believe the Kent area is a better area for Pike, but I do not have personal experience fishing there. I suspect a small canoe or kayak might be required to access most of the better areas (unlike the Rocky, that can be walked almost in its entirety)
 
#15 ·
Well I made it out and fished below the nature center. Took me a while to find them but I ended up landing 7 and probably missed just as many if not more. All little guys though, biggest maybe pushing 11", but a fun way to spend a beautiful afternoon nonetheless. Next time I'll be more prepared to wade so I can reach some different spots. Thanks for all the help everyone!
 
#25 ·
Ya it's definitely low. Having a tough time finding anything deeper than maybe 3 or 4 feet.
This is a great time to be on the river. More so for scouting if you plan on fishing the fall/winter/spring. Pay close attention in the low clear water to where the deeper pools are. Find cuts and eddies and spots that you think will be productive when the water level is higher. Spots that are 2-4ft deep right now can be extremely productive should you decide to target steelhead or lake run smallies in the spring. Jot stuff down in a notebook. The better you know the water, and the structure of the bottom, the more productive you will be later when the water is deeper, faster, and not as clear. This means less time searching for spots in the fall and more time catching fish.
 
#26 ·
Those are much more likely Pike than Muskie in the Hoga. I need to get out there one of these days and target them.
Not to argue but I'd say musky. The Great Lakes strain seems to be coming strong, my son caught a 12 lb'er near downtown Cleveland, took a pic and released it. GL strain is rather spotted and easily mistaken for northern pike.(Google it)
 
#27 ·
I have done well parking at the Rocky River Nature Center and walking the river downstream from there (maybe a 1 mile section of river). There are some decent deeper water areas along the steep shale cliffs (side away from the all-purpose trail) along with plenty of small pools near very shallow ripples all along that area.
Hey ClareMarBass, do you walk toward the lake or away from it? It looks like the river forms a Y according to the satellite imaging. Is that where you walk through?
 
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