# Rocky river fishing 2/5?



## Anthony Cruz (Jan 2, 2017)

Hello is anyone planning on fishing the rocky tomorrow? We drove from west of Toledo Friday and fished the chagrin all day today and two weeks ago we fished 15 hrs in Michigan. We still have yet to catch a steelhead. We flat out just have no clue what we are doing. We have the basics down but fine tunning the set up is where we are stuck. We are planning on heading to the rocky about noon tomorrow it's my fiancé and I. We would love the opportunity to fish along with someone that knows what to do. We are FlyFishing also. Hope someone is willing to go out Tomorrow!! 

Thanks 
Anthony


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## EyeCatchEm (Jan 6, 2014)

Get rid of the fly rods and get a centerpin


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## Anthony Cruz (Jan 2, 2017)

I have been seeing a big difference in center pin and fly rod fishermen but due to money we already invested in our fly rods


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## EyeCatchEm (Jan 6, 2014)

Do you have spinning rods?


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## Anthony Cruz (Jan 2, 2017)

Not with us.


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## EyeCatchEm (Jan 6, 2014)

Honestly fly fishing can be a lot Harder to catch steelies, I've had 30 fish days where I watched a fly fisher catch 2 or 3. Your best bet is to swing streamers through the slower holes. Just look for guys fishing and chances are you'll find fish, there aren't many secrets on rocky


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## Anthony Cruz (Jan 2, 2017)

Yea I'm learning quick how much harder it is. We would be happy to catch 1 fish at this point. Hoping someone won't be watching the game and will want some company on the river lol


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## ker4799 (Aug 21, 2011)

Fly fishing is MUCH harder. I would drift egg sacks with a pin or a spinning reel through any of the deeper seams. The amount of water you cover is greatly increased and your odds are much better. I fished chagrin twice in the last week with a lot of success and will be back on it tomorrow. Good luck to you. It will be special when it happens!


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## DuncanCharles (Sep 17, 2016)

I strictly fly fish and it kind of depends what you're looking for and your skill/knowledge of reading water. The past 3 weeks I've been out 7 times and only got skunked once when the river really wasn't fishable. To be honest I'd rather work for a 4 fish day (amazing day for fly fishing IMO) than just drift eggs with a centerpin and land 10 but that just is my opinion. There are definitely moments where I've came up to a stretch that some bait fisherman have gone fishless for an hour and within 20 minutes I'm hooked into one. If you're reading water right and you're using the right flies you are going to hook fish with a fly rod I promise.


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## DuncanCharles (Sep 17, 2016)

I haven't been on the rocky since wednesday but I'm guessing a lot of it is locked up today even with the warmer temps .... I'm waiting to go out tomorrow and wednesday but I know everyone has different schedules


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## Anthony Cruz (Jan 2, 2017)

Well this was the 4th time out now. Still no steelhead for us. What a bummer. I did catch a small 6" carp on a white wholly bugger but nothing else today. We lost prob 30$ worth of flies tho which wouldn't be so bad if we was catching them. Guess in two more weeks we will try again. Lot deeper water then the chagrin.


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## DuncanCharles (Sep 17, 2016)

Peach egg patterns with red blood dots are deadly this time of the year FYI. Or tie a peach sucker spawn and on your middle yarn use red or orange. Good luck!


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## Anthony Cruz (Jan 2, 2017)




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## Anthony Cruz (Jan 2, 2017)

No fish but we love exploring beautiful new places.


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## Bassbully 52 (Feb 25, 2014)

I used to fly fish up there for SH quite a bit and it takes time to just learn what holds a fish and what does not. I learned by watching others seeing and spooking fish..wading up on them. If you spook a few wait a while then go back.
Once you find a good hole or run use egg patterns its the only pattern my buddy and I caught fish on. Pink, red dots and orange was best. We used a billion other flies but only a few on a streamer all the rest on eggs a few on sucker spawn.
Once you get the fly the tough part is getting the right weight to get the fly the fish and the right drift.
It took me two seasons up there to figure it out. Once you do the trick is finding water without 100 fisherman already ahead of you. I finally gave up on peaceful fishing on NE Ohio tribs.


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## OnTheFly (Jul 30, 2010)

Float eggs patterns under strike indicators and you will get them. Chuck on enough split shot to get it down pretty quick. I tie my own sucker spawn and other eggs.... way cheaper than buying them and takes about a minute to tie one. You want to be tapping bottom every now and then when drifting. If you are getting caught up too much move the indicator shallower, never getting caught up then move it deeper. Look for water that is about the speed of a walking person as a starting point and look for protected pockets in faster stuff.


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## GrandRiverBassman (Mar 26, 2016)

I mean it's crazy you haven't hooked up if your fishing the spot pictured above. I know it isn't "right" but i would just. Rig up your fly rod like a pin or spin and drift jig/maggots and eggs under an indicator in slower moving water until you get a hit. 15hrs w/o a fish is no fun. 

And BTW you've got a keeper if she keeps going with you and you've got no action. My old lady complains after 20min without a fish.


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## GrandRiverBassman (Mar 26, 2016)

Roll casting will allow you to make a bunch of drifts without losing your bait.


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## GrandRiverBassman (Mar 26, 2016)

Also, get deeper with your presentation. Probably the #1 reason for not getting a bite.


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## Anthony Cruz (Jan 2, 2017)

Well another weekend is coming upon us. I will be at it again. Haley can't make it due to her bachelorette party but I will be up there around 10 am. I'm about to put a dang minnow on that dang fly rod. I like a challenge but dang lol. Yeah 15 hrs x2 of us and not a single fish. 3 rivers 2 states also. And 16 hr drive time total. I will catch my first steelhead this winter!! Haley will be back at it with me in 2.5 weeks she loves it as much as I do and is getting good with her fly rod finally. In Michigan she was tangling her tippet every cast. Hope to see you guys out there this weekend


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## GrandRiverBassman (Mar 26, 2016)

Looking like it could be the best weekend of 2017


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## c. j. stone (Sep 24, 2006)

Hey, it's not about catching fish-more about "Looking Good" trying!(And you guys are "looking good"-well, one of you anyway! You might want to try a guided trip at least once to reduce the learning curve w/someone who specializes in fly trips, or just keep at it. It will come!! Google Stansberry Sportfishing and contact them. They catch everything, incl. walleye!, on flyrods!


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## ejsell (May 3, 2012)

Just give it time and follow the advice everyone has given you. I started a few years ago on a trip to Michigan with a guy who had been doing it for years. I lost a great fish on my first day and didn't land one until the 4th or 5th day of the trip. Then went the next year and didn't get a single steelhead hit. I always use a fly rod, my fishing partner goes back and forth. Some days he does better than me when using bait/eggs but I've done better than him a few times and now he's moved to mostly fishing with a fly rod after 30 years of strictly using bait. With murky heavily stained water it is definitely harder on the fly but worth it the first time you hear your reel taking off and feel how strong they are. As mentioned above, sucker spawn is easy, cheap and fast to tie. My lucky pattern in the fall was white crystal meth. I've only made it out twice so far this year. Skunked one day, 1 for 1 the second day when I finally broke out the white crystal again. Hoping to get out this Sunday.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk


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## Anthony Cruz (Jan 2, 2017)

My buddy and I caught our first steelhead thanks to everyone that helped me on here and dan for showing me the ropes. Met some awesome people down there today... along with some not so awesome. One fish from a all day trip isn't good for some but I was beyond happy with the one. Now to learn to catch them in better numbers.


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## zimmerj (Oct 17, 2014)

Anthony Cruz said:


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> My buddy and I caught our first steelhead thanks to everyone that helped me on here and dan for showing me the ropes. Met some awesome people down there today... along with some not so awesome. One fish from a all day trip isn't good for some but I was beyond happy with the one. Now to learn to catch them in better numbers.


Good job. Steelhead season brings out the worst in some people. Best thing is to move and find some other water to fish. Fishing is supposed to be fun.


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## HappySnag (Dec 20, 2007)

Anthony Cruz said:


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> My buddy and I caught our first steelhead thanks to everyone that helped me on here and dan for showing me the ropes. Met some awesome people down there today... along with some not so awesome. One fish from a all day trip isn't good for some but I was beyond happy with the one. Now to learn to catch them in better numbers.


few years back,i fished shagrin,january,february 30 trips I got 1 fish with noodle rod,i did not give up,than in march I was getting every trip from 5 to 15 fish,in same spot same bait.


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## CaptainFishpond (Nov 28, 2016)

Got my first one as well on the Rocky yesterday. Felt awesome! Congrats on your fish!


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## CaptainFishpond (Nov 28, 2016)

Caught on a tiny orange hair jig. First freaking cast!


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## FISHAHOLIC85 (Apr 22, 2011)

Anthony Cruz said:


> View attachment 229997
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> 
> My buddy and I caught our first steelhead thanks to everyone that helped me on here and dan for showing me the ropes. Met some awesome people down there today... along with some not so awesome. One fish from a all day trip isn't good for some but I was beyond happy with the one. Now to learn to catch them in better numbers.


Nice meeting you Anthony. I told you you'd at least hook up! Glad y'all landed a few in the process. You went 1 for 2 and that ain't bad, especially for a rookie! Let me know next time you're heading this way and maybe we can fish again. Tight lines buddy


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## c. j. stone (Sep 24, 2006)

Anthony Cruz said:


> View attachment 229997
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> 
> My buddy and I caught our first steelhead thanks to everyone that helped me on here and dan for showing me the ropes. Met some awesome people down there today... along with some not so awesome. One fish from a all day trip isn't good for some but I was beyond happy with the one. Now to learn to catch them in better numbers.


Good going! Now for some really big ones!


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## trekker (Feb 18, 2013)

EyeCatchEm said:


> Get rid of the fly rods and get a centerpin


Center Pins are for Canadians.


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## CaptainFishpond (Nov 28, 2016)

Fly rods are for guys in erectile dysfunction commercials.


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## ejsell (May 3, 2012)

CaptainFishpond said:


> Fly rods are for guys in erectile dysfunction commercials.


If you have fish on for more than 4 hours seek medical attention? 

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## Robert Unversaw (Feb 21, 2017)

Lovely couple!
So there is a number of things you have to get right when it comes to fly fishing. To that I'd say Youtube is your friend.
You've already spent the money on over head rods and line so I'm assuming you're spooled with weight forward floating line. You will catch fish with what you have. In the future save your money for a single or double spey and long belly scandi/skagit fly lines designed for salmon/steelhead. You might even consider getting a scaled down Skagit fly line in the mean time to make your roll casts a little more manageable. If you're doing a lot of over head casting that will only compound your issues of not catching fish because the fly is out of the water considerably longer and therefore a lot of time is wasted. Make sure your leaders are 6-8 lbs test.
I'm not of the plunking crowd. I'd assume just tie a sinker and fly on a spinning combo rather than have a fly rod for the sake of appearences. Instead i suggest getting sink tips or weighted flies. Indecator fish. Flashy speys, eggs, whooly buggers, caddis nymphs, stone flies, etc are all going to be standard issue. I'm also never without some small natural pattern Clouser minnows and a couple of pink worm flies.


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## CaptainFishpond (Nov 28, 2016)

Flip bails and snag snails.

Spinning reel for life!


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## nooffseason (Nov 15, 2008)

CaptainFishpond said:


> Fly rods are for guys in erectile dysfunction commercials.


I own multiple fly rods and fish every all sorts of styles, but this was hilarious!!


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## Jay bird (Feb 27, 2017)

You have to get your fly in the zone, small shots spaced 6 inches apart, strike indicator , fish down stream , flies work better than bait if you get them in the zone , with the right amount of flash and colour ! There are egg patterns which work just as well as spawn bags, the persay " zone" is about 6 to 12 inches off the bottom and that's the trick . Use floating line with a strike indicator down stream, when the water is super clear and you can see fish then they could be targeted traditionally


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## Jay bird (Feb 27, 2017)

Try any small creek between Huron and conneaut Ohio the creeks have been goin off this year , especially in urban areas ! Between these areas Any creek or ditch that flows into Lake Erie or one of it tribs has steelhead


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## CaptainFishpond (Nov 28, 2016)

nooffseason said:


> I own multiple fly rods and fish every all sorts of styles, but this was hilarious!!


Lol, all in good fun.


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