whiskers in raystown.

I've heard they have some big catfish in raystown has anyone ever targeted them?

That I do, but they smell! And they bite back! Keep the boards professional jerminator or I will report you to the forum police! ...... and DoDO!

There are brown and yellow bullheads in Raystown as well as channel cats. The biggest I've heard ever being caught out of Raystown is 18 lbs for channels. I have not fished for them in several years but when I was living in PA near Raystown I used to fish for them a good bit. My personal best out of Raystown was 11 lbs 4 oz. I think the best tactic is to use a fish finder and locate schools of shad, then fish cut shad on the bottom. I like a good fish finder rig. Depending on the depth, a 1 to 4 oz weight above a barrel swivel. A 2-3 foot leader to a 2/0 to 6/0 hook. I used to target flats in the flooded timber areas, particularly prespawn and post spawn. Once the heat of summer sets in, some of the deeper structure works. I really liked the boulders in Beer Barrel Bay. Caught some nice stripers every now and then on the cut shad also. If you go to 7 points, often you'll see some decent catfish mixed in with the carp as the people feed them. I am wondering when someone is gonna sneak some flathead catfish into Raystown. Then there will be some real bruiser cats in the lake. I fish for flatheads in a lake down here in VA and have caught several over 30 lbs and one over 40. Flatheads are strictly predatory unlike channels. Live sunfish or crayfish are the ticket for them. Channels will take live bait but not like flatheads. Raystown has the baitfish to support a flathead fishery. I just guess the Fish Commission doesn't want another non-native escaping the lake and populating the whole Susquehanna River drainage. Hope that helps...

Travis

Raystown has some very good channel cat fishing in it.  I have caught cats on crank baits and even plastics in the lake.  I like to fish the outer edges of the weed beds with good ole nightcrawlers.  You will catch alot of small cats, but there are some real hogs in the lake.  The Raystown branch of the Juniata is great for Channels also.  I like to use large crayfish in the evenings for them.  I suggest a large crayfish to keep the rockbass and smallies off the hook.

ORIGINAL: CATMAN610

when you say raystown branch, you mean from the outflow down or above the lake on the bedford county side?
I wade fish an area around Mt. Union and heard some guys there talking about softshells at night for cats and carp but haven't tried it myself.

Ive been fishing that area since I was a kid, theres some nice cats in there, drop me a line and we'll talk, not gonna spill the beans here. I waded it until this year, FINALLY i have a river boat :)