# Raisin questions.



## capper (Sep 3, 2015)

It's been many years since I've been in Monroe county, and since the Raisin has so many great memories for me - I was wondering if anyone on here could please tell me what changes they finally wound up making on the river. Did they actually remove or hole any of the low head dams in Monroe? Did they improve or change the fish ladder at the Vietnam Memorial Park dam?
One of my earliest fishing memories on the Raisin - it was 1947 - I was 9 yrs.old, and walked over to the Roessler st. bridge, and dropped my line down by one of the abutments from up on the roadway, and caught 10 big Rock bass. I was the proudest kid in town - walking home with that stringer of fish. I continued fishing the river all through my growing up years and into adulthood and new it quite well. I would really appreciate any info you could give me.


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## jayjoz (Oct 14, 2013)

Here is some info to get you started... http://www.riverraisinlegacyproject.com/


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## capper (Sep 3, 2015)

jayjoz said:


> Here is some info to get you started... http://www.riverraisinlegacyproject.com/


Thank you for the reply Jay. Just what I was hoping for. Lots of good info. I hope to be able to get back there some day and see it all for myself.


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## jayjoz (Oct 14, 2013)

Caught this right near the bridge you were speaking of recently...


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## capper (Sep 3, 2015)

jayjoz said:


> Caught this right near the bridge you were speaking of recently...
> View attachment 257968


Pretty fish Jayjoz, The river has sure changed for the better. I'm really happy to see this happening, and the river approaching it's true potential.
I heard stories when I was a kid, about the Raisin being one of the primo Smallmouth streams in the country - and folks would travel from all over to fish there.
In the springtime - when the water was a bit high - the Rock bass would school up below the Monroe st. bridge dam and we would catch them by the bucketful. Do they run up the river like that any more?
I would give a lot to be able to fish there one more time - but with my arthritis as bad as it is I seriously doubt if I will make it.


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## jayjoz (Oct 14, 2013)

I'm still pretty new to fishing this river with any regularity. I caught the tail end of the silver bass run at Hellenberg Park and have had some fun finding rock bass, smallmouth, and pike throughout Monroe.


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## capper (Sep 3, 2015)

Good luck to you Jay.
Some of the lures I had good luck with back then, over 50 yrs. ago was a in line spinner called a Shyster don't know if they're even made any more. My favorite though was a medium size floating Rapala just twitched on the surface. They murdered that one. In later years, just before I left, we were using mostly live bait that we seined in the river. Minnows and crawdads. Mostly minnows under a float. Our biggest fish came on live minnows.


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## jstfish48162 (Mar 8, 2003)

I have been fishing the Raisin for 35+ years.
I used to use the Shysters. As well as the Original Rapala in Gold/Black and Silver/Black.
Still use the Rapalas but now use mostly soft plastics.
Zoom Super Fluke Jr. in white and Arkansas shiner are good colors.
I also use 3" Bass Pro Shops Stik-O's in green pumpkin.
Small top water baits are hard for me to put down. Those include Tiny Torpedo's and small original Pop-R's.


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## capper (Sep 3, 2015)

Yeah - Those soft plastics are deadly if you use them right. I had a ball using the old original Sluggos on the Penobscott river up in Maine - also the black tube jigs. But I quit using the tubes because the fish swallowed them too quickly, and I only catch and release Smallies. Don't like to hurt them unnecessarily.
The colors you use on the Raps are the same colors I used, and the bone color Pop-R's are real good some days. I've got several Tiny
Torpedos in my box but for some reason never had any luck with them.
These posts are really making me homesick. I sure wish I could fish that river one more time before I die, but my health just wont let me I'm afraid. I can't stand on my feet long enough to go wading that river now.


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## SL80 (Mar 5, 2012)

A white super fluke jr rigged on a weighted screw in swim bait hook is the best smallmouth bait I've found for the river. It's a lot easier to work without getting snagged in rocks and wood. I used to use jigs with curly tail grubs. I don't catch a ton more fish on the super fluke, but I rarely lose one.


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## jstfish48162 (Mar 8, 2003)

Try that same bait with a 1/0 wide gap hook and work it just below the surface.
Awesome strikes with that method.


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## capper (Sep 3, 2015)

Good stuff guys - thanks a lot!
Another lure that I found works real good where there's not a fast current is a small Zara spook. The fish seem to hate it and try to murder it - The most violent surface strikes I ever had. Just walk the dog with it.
I never tried it in the Raisin - didn't learn about it till years after I left Monroe. It worked awesome on the Maine and New Hampshire Smallies.


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