QH
Quick Hit Charters
Huntingdon, PA
Fishes Raystown Lake
Reservoir · Central Pennsylvania · Pennsylvania
Raystown Lake Fishing Guides and Conditions, Pennsylvania
The largest lake entirely inside Pennsylvania: a deep, clear, steep-walled Corps reservoir on the Raystown Branch with a landlocked striped bass fishery unlike anything else in the state.
Gauge location. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Guides on the Raystown Lake
Claimed profiles take booking requests. Unclaimed profiles are built from public records so the river is never empty; the guide can claim or remove one any time.
About the Raystown Lake
Raystown is the largest lake lying entirely within Pennsylvania and the only one that fishes like a southern reservoir. The Corps impounded the Raystown Branch of the Juniata in the 1970s, and the result is long, deep, narrow and steep-walled, hemmed in by forested ridges with almost no development on the shoreline.
The signature fishery is landlocked striped bass. They were stocked, they thrive on the alewife forage base, and they are pursued the way stripers are pursued on the big southern lakes: with live bait on planer boards and free lines in the cool months, and on downlines over deep water in summer when the fish are pinned in the cool oxygenated layer. It is not a fishery most Pennsylvania anglers expect to find in their own state.
Smallmouth bass are excellent on the rock and the steep banks, largemouth hold in the coves and around wood, and there are lake trout in the deep water near the dam that are caught mostly by people fishing for something else. Crappie and walleye round it out.
The lake is deep and clear, which means summer fishing happens early and deep, and it means electronics matter here more than shoreline casting skill. It also means a spring day with a bit of colour in the water can be the best day of the year.
The gauge below reports pool elevation. Raystown runs a seasonal drawdown for flood storage and refills in spring. Because the banks are so steep the level change moves fish vertically rather than exposing flats, so its practical effect is mostly on ramps and on where the fish sit on a given contour.
Pool right now
786.52ft
- 24 hours+0.01 ft → steady
- For the dateA little above normal for the date
Reading taken 2h ago at USGS 01563100, Raystown Lake near Huntingdon, PA. Elevation is the surface of the lake above the survey datum, not depth. Source.
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Access
Seven Points Recreation Area: the main Corps ramp, marina and campground.
Snyders Run and Aitch: mid-lake Corps ramps with good parking.
James Creek and Weaver Falls: upper lake access.
Tatman Run: day-use area with beach and bank access.
Dam area near Hesston: the deepest water and winter striper fishing.
Corps land surrounds the lake, so bank access is extensive but often steep.
Note: long and narrow. Plan your launch around the section you want.
Seasons
Winter: stripers shallow and roaming, few boats, cold and quiet.
Spring: the best all-round month, stripers on boards and smallmouth on the rock.
Summer: stripers deep on downlines, early starts, heavy recreational traffic.
Fall: schooling stripers on the surface and excellent smallmouth fishing.
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Questions
What species can you catch on the Raystown Lake?
Anglers target Black Crappie, Channel Catfish, Lake Trout, Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Striped Bass, Walleye on the Raystown Lake in Pennsylvania.
Are there fishing guides on the Raystown Lake?
GuidedFloats lists 1 guide and outfitters on the Raystown Lake. Claimed profiles accept booking requests; unclaimed profiles are built from public records and link to the business.
Where can you access the Raystown Lake?
Seven Points Recreation Area: the main Corps ramp, marina and campground. Snyders Run and Aitch: mid-lake Corps ramps with good parking. James Creek and Weaver Falls: upper lake access. Tatman Run: day-use area with beach and bank access. Dam area near Hesston: the deepest water and winter striper fishing. Corps land surrounds the lake, so bank access is extensive but often steep. Note: long and narrow. Plan your launch around the section you want.
When is the best time to fish the Raystown Lake?
Winter: stripers shallow and roaming, few boats, cold and quiet. Spring: the best all-round month, stripers on boards and smallmouth on the rock. Summer: stripers deep on downlines, early starts, heavy recreational traffic. Fall: schooling stripers on the surface and excellent smallmouth fishing.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Raystown Lake?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Pennsylvania agency site: https://www.pa.gov/agencies/fishandboat/fishing/regulations