Ohio Steelhead

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Rocky River

What the sources say

“The river offers excellent steelhead fishing as well as bluegill, catfish, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and perch.”

“The Rocky River Reservation provides easy access to the river for many recreational activities, including boating (near the mouth), kayaking, fishing and wading.”

“Worth noting – the Rocky River itself is a top steelhead fishing location, noted as one of the 150 best fishing spots in the country.”

“With easy access of of Valley Parkway and parking available nearby, Morley Ford is a great fishing spot for a variety of species including steelhead and smallmouth bass.”

“With easy access of of Valley Parkway and parking available nearby, Rockcliff Springs Ford is a great fishing spot for a variety of species including steelhead and smallmouth bass.”

USGS gauge

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Conditions log: past reports naming the Rocky River, next to this gauge’s flow on each report’s date.

Stocking

Steelhead stocked each year, and ODNR’s target in the last column (ODNR table, PDF)
Water202120222023202420252026 Target
Rocky River100,53294,53093,80181,05180,04580,000
Headings and numbers exactly as ODNR prints them: Water Area/Location 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 Target, Rocky River 100,532 94,530 93,801 81,051 80,045 80,000. The last column is a target, not a count.

Where ODNR’s map marks fishing

ODNR, Rocky River Steelhead Trout Fishing Map (PDF) labels these places. It is an older map, so treat it as a starting point and confirm access with the park district before you go:

Rules

Selected Ohio fishing-law provisions are quoted on the rules page, with links to the full code sections and license exceptions.

In Ohio, you can only gain access to streams flowing on public property. If you are on private property, including land that streams flow over, you must have landowner permission. (ODNR map (PDF))

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