April 2023

My favorite fishing sections on rivers are the ones you either need to hike into or use a drift boat to access the most productive waters.  I’ll add the Rocky River on the Westside of Cleveland to the list as a rare exception in a city environment. 

The entire Rocky River is in a park setting.  I would estimate there are almost 17 miles of river, adjusting for the numerous sweeping bends on the 11-mile drive by road.  There are easily accessible parking spots right next to prime Steelhead holes where the fish stack up awaiting their turn to traverse the modest weirs on their way upstream. 

Don’t get me wrong, I’ll take the easy access at the crack of dawn when these productive staging areas are virtually free of fishermen.  I will 100% take a shot of landing a fish before the crowds arrive.

The Rocky River is extremely well maintained and provides paved paths as well as hiking trails through the majority of the park.  Literally, one can walk the entire river without peril.  So, there’s no blaming the weekend crowds, just keep exploring.

The Rocky is amazing and is the only totally accessible river in the Cleveland area.

I can only hope someday I meet somebody in Cleveland with a friend, who knows someone with a friend, who owns a beautiful stretch of property of the Chagrin or Grand rivers to provide more access options on the Eastside. I guess that’s where the drift boat would come in handy. 

The other rivers in Steelhead Alley contain miles of productive river sections inaccessible to the general public in contrast to the Rocky. In a way, that’s good as it provides a safe haven for fish to spawn without the daily angling pressure. 

Since I rambled extensively on day one in my first post…  I’ll get to the point…  Two days, two Steelhead.  So, in baseball terms, I’m batting a thousand.  Wait…  Does 99% caught count?