# Secret Raisin River stuff



## Bms (Aug 18, 2015)

Great thanks


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## HuronBrowns (Apr 26, 2016)

raisinrat said:


> I never ran anything over 6 ft


Interesting hmm


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## raisinrat (Feb 9, 2006)

HuronBrowns said:


> Interesting hmm


Might I add I also only ran straight taper leaders also. If there was a lot of pike in the area I would use Power pro has a leader in 40 to 65lb depending on their sizes.


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## HuronBrowns (Apr 26, 2016)

@raisinrat I usually run 7 ft flour leaders not tapered but blood knotted from 25 20 to 12lb of rio flouro. Recently I have been changing from 20 to 12 to 8 but have not found a difference yet. I know there are numbers of smallies in the area but I really dont understand what their triggers are. I have been putting 3 weeks into a hole recently with limited results. As the days progress it is getting clearer and clearer, therefore, harder to hookup. Using all types of streamers and poppers with small results. Its frustrating haha


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## raisinrat (Feb 9, 2006)

Throw out everything you read about chasing smallies in rivers .... Learn where the minnow live and focus on the minnows not the smallies. Best advice I can give you. Look for minnows 1st and always.


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## brownitsdown84 (Jan 19, 2009)

I make my own leaders.. 25, 15, 10lb floro. Maybe 5 ft.. All crayfish patterns are great. Black red eye leach, any shiny minnow pattern. The Swingin d kills the smallies on the raisin as well. I have caught my largest bass on really shiny baby brown trout flies when the water is high.



















Depending on the stretch of river basically any topwater frogs are awesome.
Theirs some big fish in the raisin I have caught a few over 20 in the past few years and I hope to catch more!


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## HuronBrowns (Apr 26, 2016)

Try carp on the fly


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## Hpwood (Jun 29, 2021)

HuronBrowns said:


> So I talked to one of the southeast Michigan dnr biologists a week ago at an event and he shared some good info. I've fished the raisin before with good success but what he told me makes me a little excited. They did a shocking not too long ago on this little stretch that I won't reveal, but they had collected impressive smallie numbers in the thousands but the thing about this is they averaged pretty big. Needless to say 16 was about the average and there were some bruisers even bigger in good numbers. Now this interests me but I'm curious to what fly patterns would produce the best because I'm sure they feast heavily on crays for the most part as the river is extremely rocky, but if anyone has had good success with any other bait fish patterns I'd like to pick your knowledge


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## Hpwood (Jun 29, 2021)

You have to share what stretch of river that is bro, it’s about sharing. Especially since your soliciting info yourself.


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## Fishndude (Feb 22, 2003)

He was soliciting information 5 years ago. lol. He probably got it, or gave up since.


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