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Cleveland's steelhead river. Metroparks access from Berea to the lake. The river tops out around 10 ft. What you see is a modeled chart: the shoreline is real, the max depth is published, and the contours between are estimated. Plan with it; don't navigate by it. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Drawn out, this is 355 acres of water rimmed by 23.8 miles of bank. That shoreline is heavily fingered (development index 9) — bays, points and pockets everywhere, which multiplies the fishable edge. The whole water is littoral — nothing here runs deeper than ~15 ft, so it's all weed-and-bait territory. Tip to tip the water measures near 6.4 mi with a 2-mi widest point. The water lies in Cuyahoga County. Closest neighbour on DepthScout: Chagrin River, 24 mi east of here.
Start shallow in spring: smallmouth bass sit in 3 to 10 ft that time of year. They don't go far with the seasons — 3 to 10 ft covers summer, 3 to 10 ft covers winter. The spot to know is Berea Falls riffles, a rock pile in about 4 ft of water that rates prime for smallmouth bass in spring. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. Throw a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Berea Falls riffles (4 ft) | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 3 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Berea Falls riffles (4 ft) | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 3 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | Berea Falls riffles (4 ft) | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 3 to 10 ft | midday | Wing dam row (mile 11.9) (6 ft) | Blade bait, Hair jig |
When the water first warms, steelhead slide up into 2 to 10 ft. There's no big seasonal slide here — summer means 1 to 10 ft, winter 3 to 10 ft. Start at Marina hole (mouth). It's a deep basin holding about 9 ft of water and rates prime come summer. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep an orange dodger + fly high in the column or a thin spoon off boards rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Lowhead weir tailrace (9 ft) | Small spoon or spinner at the mouths, Jig + waxworm under float |
| Summer | 1 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Marina hole (mouth) (9 ft) | Orange dodger + fly high in the column, Thin spoon off boards |
| Fall | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Lowhead weir tailrace (9 ft) | Spinner (silver/blue), Casting spoon |
| Winter | 3 to 10 ft | midday | Lowhead weir tailrace (9 ft) | Float jig (black/purple), Bead rig |
Early season rock bass use the shallows, holding in 2 to 10 ft. Even in summer they hold at 3 to 10 ft; winter keeps them in 3 to 10 ft. Put Berea Falls riffles first on the milk run — a rock pile near 4 ft that grades prime for spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in the evening. Tie on a ned rig (small) or a marabou jig and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | Berea Falls riffles (4 ft) | 1/16 oz jig + grub, Small inline spinner |
| Summer | 3 to 10 ft | dusk | Berea Falls riffles (4 ft) | Ned rig (small), Marabou jig |
| Fall | 3 to 10 ft | midday | Berea Falls riffles (4 ft) | Small tube jig, Inline spinner |
| Winter | 3 to 10 ft | midday | Berea Falls riffles (4 ft) | Tungsten jig + plastic, Small spoon + spike |
12 pieces of structure are mapped here — Marina hole (mouth), around 9 ft, is the deepest of them.
Access data: Ohio DNR — Boater & Stream Access. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Ohio waters are set by the Ohio DNR Division of Wildlife — and special regulations can apply to Rocky River specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Ohio fishing regulations →
Rocky River is about 10 ft (3 m) deep at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.
Anglers target smallmouth bass, steelhead, rock bass on Rocky River.
Berea Falls riffles is the top-rated area: a rock pile in about 4 ft of water that rates prime for smallmouth bass in spring. The map above holds the full rated-spot list for every species and season.
For smallmouth bass, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Fishing on Rocky River is regulated by the Ohio DNR Division of Wildlife. Check the official Ohio regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Chagrin River 24 mi · Aurora Pond 25 mi · Spencer Lake 26 mi · Chippewa Lake 27 mi · Lake Erie - Central Basin West 27 mi, OH/ON · Findley Lake 29 mi · Wellington South Reservoir 29 mi · Silver Creek Lake 32 mi · LaDue Reservoir 33 mi · Punderson Lake 33 mi · Long Lake 34 mi · North Lake 35 mi
See how Rocky River stacks up: best smallmouth bass lakes in Ohio · best steelhead lakes in Ohio · best rock bass lakes in Ohio
Browse all Ohio fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.