Freestone · Shale · Ohio, US

Rocky River

Rocky River Cleveland Ohio
Today · About as good as it gets
Sculpin Streamer
Forecast · Today
About as good as it gets
On the feed top to bottom — start on the rises with a dry, drop a nymph if they stay down.
90% projected
Today's fly
Sculpin Streamer
Sculpin Streamer
Conditions on the water · Today
Live gauge
Level
Steady
1.92 m
Rising in the last 6h
Water temp11.7°C
ClarityClear
Weather9°C
WindN 32 km/h
Pressure1028 hPa
Rain · recent8.9 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

The nearest gauge doesn't record temperatures, so we've estimated it — defer to the river keeper's advice.

Water temperature for Steelhead
Ideal
12°C est.ideal 4–13°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Steelhead
When
Steelhead Oct–Apr, on the drop after each rain or thaw
Where
A Cleveland-metro-park steelhead stream and the easiest introduction to Ohio's 'Steelhead Alley' — a flashy shale river that colours up after rain and drops…
Why this works
Poor — water temperature is working for you, but water clarity is the limiting factor today.
Likely species
Mayflies
Chironomids
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 21h

12h(now) — Eastern Blue-Winged Olive

Stage: On emergersApproach: Emerger or dryActivity: 63%
Also:Black Midge22%
Peak emergence window5 food groups active

Peak activity at 21h — Brown Dun (Brown Dun, 4 food groups active)

Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Supporters see what else is on the menu.

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Evidence
Records-basedModerate confidence

Based on species-occurrence records, not local invertebrate surveys.

Through the year
0–3 scale · October highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Brown DunHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Quill GordonHatch
2
2
Blue QuillHatch
2
3
2
HendricksonHatch
2
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Fly box · Steelhead
Local fly shops: Chagrin River Outfitters·East End Angler·Elk Creek Sports Shop
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Ohio licence; verify ODNR reach rules
  • Introduced, harvestable sport fishery — Lake Erie steelhead are stocked.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Fishing better nearby · 4
Vermilion River
40 km
73
Steelhead
Grand River
65 km
55
Steelhead
Chagrin River
48 km
30
Steelhead
Ashtabula River
104 km
30
Steelhead
Gallery · 2
  1. Rocky River Cleveland Ohio
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic life: Impaired
  • Fish consumption: Impaired
  • Recreation: Impaired
What this classification means

Fish consumption: Consumption advisory (Polychlorinated Biphenyls PCBs) — fish for sport, not the table.

Recreation: Bacteria/pathogen advisory — mind wading cuts and immersion.

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'Rocky River' (OH041100010203), 2024 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Not Supporting. Listed impairment causes: Oxygen Depletion, Habitat Alterations, Hydrologic Alteration, Pathogens, Polychlorinated Biphenyls PCBs. This is a Clean Water Act assessment-unit classification (the US analogue of WFD), not a live reading.

Status is for the Clean Water Act assessment unit covering this reach.

EPA ATTAINS (Clean Water Act) · OH041100010203

Why this score · for Steelhead
  • Temperature10028% weight
  • Flow5522% weight
  • Clarity1518% weight
  • Feeding Time4513% weight
  • Pressure757% weight
  • Insect activity4512% weight
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts