Raystown lake

conner_condor · 07-06-2007, 05:45 AM

Anyone from PA. fish raystown lake. We just booked a guide down there and really undecided what to go for. We got choices of muskie, white bass or channels. Just wondering what would be the best chances for the species in august?

JoshKeller · 07-06-2007, 09:18 AM

striped bass, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass.... they are all up there. The lake is DEEP and heavily used by pleasure boats in the summer, so you'll likely either be beating up the waves, or anchored in a cove somewhere. Almost all the coves are no wake.

crazedbowhunter · 07-06-2007, 10:11 AM

try for muskies. fight pretty good and you dont have to sit around along for one ro bite unlike you do with channel cats.

childers · 07-06-2007, 10:21 AM

buy the bull dawg and go for muskie or fish for bass.

WesternMdHardwoods · 07-06-2007, 05:05 PM

I dont fish PA so therefore i have never fished Raystown, but have heard nothing but good things about the Striped Bass there! Just like josh said very heavy populated with people through the warm months! Good Luck!

SamPAhunter · 07-07-2007, 08:40 PM

Raystown lake is awesome. I think there is every freshwater fish you could immagine in there. We are only about 30 minutes from there if that. Lots of pike a musky in there.
Good Luck

mauser06 · 07-07-2007, 10:03 PM

i wouldnt consider channel cats...unless the guide says they will mostly be BIG trophy channel cats...not sure what size they got in there

i hear alot of good about the striped bass fishin there...never caught one of them...but the bigguns look like a blast...i think thats mostly a night fishing game though?? i dont know for sure..

not sure on the musky population either...

id talk to the guide a while and see whats in there and what he has to say and decide on what YOU want to fish for...

alot of guys overlook catfishing...but man you cant beat a big ole catfish....i just dont know how the catfiishin is there...or how it compares to other species...if i went on a guided trip id want numbers and size from whatever i was fishin for..

best of luck....take lots of pics and post em up!!

fatsbucknut · 07-09-2007, 08:47 AM

I've done alot of fishing at Raystown, grew up 15 minutes away. Thats odd that you dont have the option of fishing for Stripers. There are definitly some huge muskies in there but you dont hear about people catching very many. The same goes for the channel cats and white bass. Hopefully the guide takes you fishing throughout the night cause like Josh said, its overrun with pleasure boaters during the day. Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

Zach

conner_condor · 07-09-2007, 02:14 PM

Quote:

ORIGINAL: fatsbucknut

I've done alot of fishing at Raystown, grew up 15 minutes away. Thats odd that you dont have the option of fishing for Stripers. There are definitly some huge muskies in there but you dont hear about people catching very many. The same goes for the channel cats and white bass. Hopefully the guide takes you fishing throughout the night cause like Josh said, its overrun with pleasure boaters during the day. Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

Zach

My bad. Stripers are an option and not white bass. We are booked for the morning. 5 to 11am. I have a lot channel cats hear within a 10 minute drive. Been getting skunked lately on them. But the ones we do catch are in the 15 to 20lb range. The twentys go back in and we keep the smaller ones for eating. Musky or stripers will be the choices. I have never caught a musky but have landed many 35+ inch pike. Stripers seem to grow way bigger so that might be the choice. But then again, musky are mean and ferocious looking fishes..

JoshKeller · 07-09-2007, 02:26 PM

there are 40 lb+ stripers in that lake, and 8 lb smallmouths. thats what I'd go after. Musky are called the fish of 10,000 cast for a reason.