Download the mobile app!
Hooking Up Anglers Since 2011.
Rocky River was named one of the “150 Best Places to fish in America” in the June 2007 issue of Field and Stream magazine
The Rocky River is just beginning to approach fishable conditions again, and a few odd fish were being hooked by anglers this morning. Conditions will continue to improve as long as the rain holds off. But, there is quite a bit of rain in the forecast for the next day or so, and this will dictate whether or not the river is fishable this weekend. Anglers can monitor the latest trend in river flow at the following link:
Prior to the rain earlier this week, the river was getting low and clear and fishing was challenging accordingly. As the river continues to drop and clear, large bright spawn sacks and larger streamer flies in contrasting colors (such as an egg sucking leech like the one pinned in the jaw of a nice steelie in the pics below) are the best bets. Wise anglers will monitor the flow gage regularly before hitting the river in the coming week with all the rain in the forecast. Although complaints have been far and wide of less fish in all the Lake Erie tributaries this year (and that includes PA and NY), anglers can very likely expect the largest run of steelhead yet this season once things calm down again.
Wallace Lake was stocked with 750 pounds of rainbow trout this past Tuesday since river conditions were not favorable. Anglers have been catching these fish, with many in the 2 pound size range, very well at this week on Power Bait. We hope to stock the river again late next week if conditions allow, and the Ohio Division of Wildlife (DOW) also plans to stock Hinckley Lake with 2,500 trout on Thurday April 14. These trout stockings will complement 500 rainbow trout stocked in Shadow Lake last week, as well as 1,350 pounds of trout stocked in the East Branch Rocky River the past two weeks and all the trout stocked in Wallace Lake over the winter.
The Lake Erie white sucker run is still underway in the Rocky River. For anglers looking to put a bend in their rod, these fish are a load of fun and are reportedly good table fare in fish patty recipes. Suckers tend to pile up in deeper holes in the northern miles of the river before starting to spawn, and transition into riffle areas when spawning. Suckers have among the less discriminating palates of fish in the river right now, and will bite offerings ranging from a small nymph or wet fly, to grubs on a jig, to a worm fished on the river bottom with a sinker. Given their willingness to bite and abundance, suckers make a very good quarry for less experienced anglers or children, in particular. In addition to white suckers, there are also golden redhorse suckers and common carp coming up from the lake (which can be caught on some of the same offerings listed above).
The marina area of the Rocky River is currently being dredged to facilitate better boating access, and the current plan is to install the courtesy docks as soon as this is complete. We are hoping that will be in mid-April. We are sorry for the temporary inconvenience this poses to early season boaters.
Lake Erie Coldwater Task Group 2011 Report Available. The 2011 Lake Erie Coldwater Task Group annual report is now available and, unfortunately, has some bad news. See the executive summary here: . The population of parasitic, non-native sea lamprey is at a 30+ year high (see graph in photos below), and it’s having an affect on other fish species. The most notable example is a deepwater species called a burbot, which is a native freshwater cod in Lake Erie, which is on the verge of a population collapse. Lake trout restoration efforts are also struggling, and the sea lamprey are not helping. And the sea lamprey are no doubt having an affect on the steelhead, as well. Comparatively low return rates of steelhead observed by local anglers in our streams this year are most likely a combination of increased lamprey and, overall, unfavorable environmental conditions in our streams (low water fall, harsh winter river conditions, and flooding in early spring). You may access the full report at the following link:
Thank you to the Rodmakers Shop in Strongsville. Thanks to Frank, Ray, and the rest of the gang at the Rodmakers Shop in Strongsville for their generous donation of $80 in gift certificates to use as prizes at our upcoming Spring Children’s Fishing Derbies. This local business has supported this event for kids for many years on-going, and regularly gives back to the fishing community. Please consider checking out their shop if you have not already done so. They are a full service tackle shop with everything you need. You can call them at (440) 572-0400 for more info.
If you have a photo that you would like to contribute to the fishing report, or if you have any further questions regarding fishing in the Cleveland Metroparks, you may contact Aquatic Biologist Mike Durkalec at (440) 331-8017 or md@clevelandmetroparks.com .
Good fishing,
Mike
Yuri (pictured) and Fabio have been catching some nice Chagrin River steelhead. The lower fish was caught by Fabio on a hexagenia mayfly nymph pattern (photos courtesy of Fabio Malspina).
Congratulations to Joyce on catching this fine Rocky River hen steelhead last week (photo courtesy of Joyce Smith).
Kevin and his fishing buddy have been hooking some nice steelies on the Rock in recent weeks (photos courtesy of Kevin Halloran).
Justin referred to his steelhead filled spring break from school as "March Madness", and for good reason. He only had one day all week where he did not land at least five steelhead! (photos courtesy of Justin Telep).
This 13 pound brute buck steelie was taken on the Rock over the weekend (photo courtesy of anonymous angler).
Justin proved he can catch fish on the fly rod, too, as evidenced by this beauty caught on an egg sucking leech (ESL) fly pattern (photo courtesy of Justin Marconi).
The parastic sea lamprey population in Lake Erie is at a 30+ year peak, which is not good news for fish like lake trout, steelhead, and burbot (graph from 2011 Lake Erie Coldwater Task Group annual report).
Sean caught this fine brace of rainbow trout in Wallace Lake yesterday (photo courtesy of Sean Rutti).
What do a Ranger lieutenant who enforces fishing regulations and a fisheries biologist do on their day off? Well...go fishing, of course! Sean Flanigan and I experienced good fly fishing on Sunday by targeting the deeper pools and runs. A pale pink sucker spawn egg pattern in size 14 was the best producer for us.
Our counterparts in Summit County captured these neat trail camera images of wildlife during a coyote survey. Seeing wildlife along the rivers while fishing is part of the enjoyment for many local anglers (photos courtesy of Metroparks Serving Summit County).
_________________________________________________________________________________
Cleveland Metroparks Fishing Fund Cleveland Metroparks Fishing Fund helps provide a rewarding fishing experience to Northeast Ohio anglers through the stocking of rainbow trout, channel catfish, largemouth bass, and other sport fish. The Fund also supports children's fishing derbies and creation and restoration of essential habitat in the ponds, lakes, and rivers within Cleveland Metroparks. For more information or to make a gift to Cleveland Metroparks Fishing Fund, please contact: Karen J. Kannenberg, CFRE Manager of Gift and Donor Development Cleveland Metroparks 4101 Fulton Parkway Cleveland, Ohio 44144 216.635.3217 kjk@clevelandmetroparks.com
This Fishing Report was submitted on 4/7/2011 11:40:39 AM by Seamus and last updated on 4/7/2011 11:40:39 AM.
Including GPX (Universal GPS Format), KML (Google Earth), and XLS (Excel) files.
Gives You Access To:
Download GPS files of fishing spots. Create Custom Maps of fishing spots. Fishing predictions w/ future date & location. Featured Listings for your fishing business.
$7 month or $49 year