Raystown

Keep heading northwest till you get to Erie.

I used to fish Raystown a bit in college. Caught many up above Weaver Fall's in the spring time when they made they're waste of time spawning run. Caught some giant walleye there while fishing for them. Never really fished for them in the main lake, caught some as accidentals to fishing for smallies. If you know how to use a cast net, catching some alewives or shad and live lining them in 20-30 ft of water, or as has been mentioned before buying rainbow trout is the easiest option. My old college buddy hates live bait and will troll for them using a downrigger and trolling a variety of spoons and plugs. Again, a good fishfinder will help you find baitfish schools and you should see some stripers hanging out around them. I'll be making a couple trips up there myself this year, but I avoid weekends there in the warmer months at all costs. It is a zoo on that lake! Depends on the time of year when you're going, stripers and walleye use different parts of the lake at different times of the year. My opion is April/May are good months. Not warm enough for the water sport nuts and warm enough to not freeze to death. I'll be making at least one trip in early May.

Travis

Kyler,

    Atlantic Salmon? ? ?  I've heard of quite a few species in Raystown but never Atlantic Salmon.   Atlantics' need to run to the sea like steelhead need to run to the lake.  There just happens to be a series of dams and locks on the Susky and Juniata that they can't get over, and the dam at raystown is about 400 feet high with no ladder.  Or, did someone develop a strain of Land locked Atlantics and stock them in Raystown? 

Raystown branch of the juniata is the main trib. There is also a trib where they talk about walleye running up it but right this minute i can't think of the name. Several years ago they busted some poachers hittting it during the spawning run for walleyes. Probably quite a few small tribs on a lake that big.

Yes, the walleyes run up Trough Creek to spawn in the early spring. The PFBC does studies there every few years to see how well their natural reproduction is and you can see some pics of the monster walleye they electroshocked up on their web site. Fishing is closed for walleye there during the spawn but if you shine a spotlight at the water it glows with all their eyes at night. The PFBC stopped stocking atlantic salmon in Raystown in 1994 when they stocked 105,000 fingerlings. So it would be very unlikely there are many left and those that were would be rather large. The state record was caught in the late 90's and was over 18 lbs. They apparently stopped stocking them because of a low return to creel rate. There are however some large brown trout in Raystown. Several over 10 lbs are caught each year. The PFBC stocked 260,207 fingerling brown trout into the lake in 1992. That was 16 years ago so few are left from that stocking. That was the only year the PFBC stocked browns into the lake. Most of the big browns that get caught are ones stocked into Trough Creek or the Raystown Branch that wash into the lake itself. These browns then go nuts eating all the alewife and smelt in the lake and grow huge. I am sure there are some nice rainbows in the lake also, but I personally have not see any caught in Raystown. Raystown is 183 feet at its deepest and is an excellent two story fishery. Trout do quite well in there. Lake Trout which require even colder water than brown or rainbow trout have done well. Personally I think they should stock brown trout and rainbow trout into the lake on a consistent basis. Lake Moomaw in Virginia is not as large as Raystown but has a great fishery for brown and rainbow trout. The VDGIF stocks McConaughy and Eagle Lake strain rainbows and I think the PFBC could do the same and add a unique component to Raystown. Stocking more browns into the Lake would increase the number of trophy 10 plus pound brown trout being caught in the lake and a rainbrow trout fishery similar to stealhead fishing on Lake Erie. If they removed the **** on Trough Creek they could even see runs of trout into it that could possibly naturally reproduce. Trout naturally reproduce in Trough Creek now but the **** blocks all upstream movement.

Not sure of the current conditions, but from past experience... The water clarity tends to be clearest near the dam and when I say clear, I mean clear. In the spring with increased flow the southern end of the lake away from the **** can get pretty muddy. Smallmouth fishing is top notch. I have personally caught several smallmouth over 5 lbs and 2 over 6 and I have heard of ones up to 8 lbs being caught. Largemouths are not as common as smallies but the best locations are the coves mid lake and the shallows in the south end of the lake. My best is 4.5 lbs but I've heard of largemouths over 6 lbs. I've had some great days on the lake for bass. Can't beat a stringer that includes both large and smallmouths averaging 3-4 pounds. Don't get to fish the lake as much as I used to now that I live 3 hours away. I'll be up to the lake at least 2 or 3 times this year though...

Travis

Alot of locals refer to Raystown as the "Dead Sea", It is a hard lake to fish because of it's depth and primarily the large abundance of Alewife and Shad.  Once you figure this lake out, which I haven't, there is some awesome fish to be caught. We will start chasing the Lakers in the shallows about the second week of April and then depending on the water temperature and flow levels the Stripers will be coming to Saxton, which is at the south end of the lake and where the Raystown branch of the juniata starts the lake. I know of Stripers being caught as far up as Hopewell which is atleast eight miles up the river. I done well last year in May on the smallies just outside to inlets on small topwaters.  I am new to this forum but will try to keep everyone posted as to what I am hearing or experiencing on the lake.  God Bless 

Someone told me today that the striper run into the raystown branch has been nonexistent over the past couple years because of the bridge work that was done near weavers boat launch. I hear the stripers have been running into the trough creek area instead. This came from a pretty reliable source. I hear loads of walleyes go there too.

No fish in Raystown? Don't know what lake you've been to but its not the Raystown I know. I'd kill to live close to it. It is a fine fishing lake!

I climbed up on that rock once.  Not real bright to do so.

Don't be castin' at those logeyes there Brandon.  The WCO will be in the woods, waiting.