# Turbidity



## smath

What's an ideal turbidity reading for the Rock? What's too high a reading for good fishing?


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## steelhead sniper 860

Everytime you go to the river, look at the gauges. You will have a firm understanding of what the readings mean, and the numbers/ conditions YOU prefer


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## dperry2011

I am still new to steelhead fishing. The links below come from the 1st page on Steelhead Talk. I've found it helpful. These flow rate levels and below with the flow dropping / decreasing is a good rule of thumb. If the river is up you can always try areas of slower flow (inside bends) or smaller tributaries that feed into the larger ones. I agree with Sniper, take notes on conditions when you visit the river.
I typically have to fish when my schedule allows and do not always get perfect conditions or a long stretches of time on the water. Can't catch fish sitting at home  If the water is up and you do not know the river always put safety and caution first. 
For the Rocky the gauge is in Berea so remember the conditions are likely to be different further downstream. A slight stain to the water is not necessarily a bad thing compared to crystal clear conditions. The Rocky gauge does not include turbidity. Good luck!


CLICK for Fishable Rates

Rocky River < 400 cfs 

Chagrin River < 400 cfs

Grand River < 500

Conny http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?04213000

Vermilion River < 200 cfs 
Thank You


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## dperry2011

This is another map I find helpful. It gives an idea of flows across Ohio. This can give you an idea of the trend and how precipitation is affecting flows. Plus it has links to each river.

https://waterdata.usgs.gov/oh/nwis/rt


smath said:


> What's an ideal turbidity reading for the Rock? What's too high a reading for good fishing?


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## Fishing Jay24

https://v2.wqdatalive.com/public/177
The link above has turbidity gauge for rocky river, for some reason it says site is disabled but if you type in rocky river turbidity it is the first site that shows up, on the side bar click on rocky river and it usually has a reading. Again for some reason it says it is disabled and I havent checked it in awhile so hopefully it is still active but this is the site I use to check turbidity only for the rocky river, if I am checking flow i use the USGS. Some of the rivers I fish have everything including turbidity on the USGS which is nice. I would say a reading of 20 or below is preferable for a turbidity reading, you can fish it at 25-30 but visibility is poor and the water is still stained bad like a few inches of visibility. Obviously the closer the turbidity reading is to 0 the clearer the water is. 0 being gin clear, I like when it hangs around 10-15 because it isnt gin clear so you're not spooking fish and I can get away with alot more as far as presentations (bright colors, heavier line etc.) I will say this the rocky clears up alot sooner than some other rivers I fish, other rivers the turbidity stays dirtier alot longer, but it is what it is. Hope this helps!


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## smath

thanks all for the info


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## FishinMick

Turbidity of the water vs gauge readings can change with the seasons. During the summer when we lack rain silt can build up in the rivers, it takes a good rain or two to flush it out to the lake. So during summer and early fall 300cfs on the Rocky can be pretty muddy but by January 300cfs on the same river can be pretty clear. 

One other thing you might find helpful if you have a smartphone is the Riverflows app. You can save all or your favorite guages and see them listed on one page rather than clicking between multiple USGS pages. Very convenient and it's free


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## smath

Mick, I've been using Riverflows for years, and you're right, it's a terrific app. Does anyone here use an app called BaseMap? I just downloaded the trial version and am just getting familiar with it.


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## FishinMick

smath said:


> Mick, I've been using Riverflows for years, and you're right, it's a terrific app. Does anyone here use an app called BaseMap? I just downloaded the trial version and am just getting familiar with it.


I've dabbled with a few apps like it trying to find a good one for recording backpacking trips. I'm old school and swear by map and compass to navigate but I had seen websites where folks had posted pics of their route overlayed on top of topo maps. I don't know what your intentions are but for my purpose I settled on My Tracks. It's very basic. After recording a trip you can save it and upload it to Google Maps and see your trip, it looks even better when you turn on topo mode. Also you can add markers for interesting spots.


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