BizkFishBizkFish

Raystown Lake fishing conditions

Pennsylvania · Central Pennsylvania · 8,300 acres · max 200 ft

Pennsylvania's deepest lake: stripers, smallmouth and clear water

Sample dataUpdated October 19, 2026 — 3:04 AM
8.4out of 10

Current conditions

Excellent

Fishing score 84/100

How this score is calculated

Water temperature18.8 / 20

61°F and falling (-0.6°F / 3 days) against a 55–72°F active band.

Barometric pressure9.0 / 15

30.00 inHg and rising (+0.07 / 24 h).

Wind10.0 / 10

5 mph out of the NW. Ideal chop on wind-blown structure.

Water clarity8.2 / 10

9.5 ft of visibility. Very clear — downsize line and lengthen casts.

Water level7.3 / 10

-2.4 ft from normal pool and stable (+0.2 ft / 7 days).

Moon & solunar5.2 / 10

56% illumination. Quarter moon — weaker feeding periods, rely on light change.

Seasonal pattern10.0 / 10

Fall pattern is fully established, with light flow on a current-driven fishery.

Sky & rain15.0 / 15

19% cloud, 75°F air, 0 in of rain in 24 h.

What should I do today?

The single highest-percentage pattern for the conditions right now.

TargetStriped Bass
Depth12–41 ft
LocationOpen-water bait schools, river channels, dam tailraces and long points
TechniqueLive bait planer boards / vertical jigging
Lure1 oz flutter spoon or 5 in swimbait
ColorChrome / pearl white
RetrieveVertical lift-drop or steady mid-column pull
Best window6:10 AM – 8:55 AM
WhyWater temperature is holding near 61°F, so the fall pattern is stable, bright sun keeps fish on shade lines and the deep side of structure.

Backup pattern

Jerkbait on wind-blown rock for smallmouth bass — Rocky points and bluff transitions in 10–30 ft.

Right now

Current conditions

Water temp

61°F

▼ -0.6°F / 3 days

Air temp

75°F

19% cloud cover

Wind

5 mph

Out of the NW

Pressure

30.00"

▲ Rising pressure — clearing behind a front

Water level

-2.4 ft

▲ +0.2 ft / 7 days

Clarity

9.5 ft

Light flow

Rain (24 h)

0"

No meaningful runoff

Moon

56%

First Quarter · solunar 12/100

Sunrise

6:35 AM

Low-light window opens 25 min earlier

Sunset

5:18 PM

Evening window runs the last 2 hours

Season

Fall

Pattern driving today's plan

Best window

6:10 AM

Through 8:55 AM

Timing

Today's fishing windows

12 AM6 AM12 PM6 PM11 PM
  • Solunar minor 212:24 AM – 1:24 AM
  • Solunar major 25:54 AM – 7:54 AM
  • Morning prime window6:10 AM – 8:55 AM
  • Sunrise6:35 AM
  • Solunar minor 112:24 PM – 1:24 PM
  • Evening window3:18 PM – 5:53 PM
  • Sunset5:18 PM
  • Solunar major 15:54 PM – 7:54 PM

Structure

Lake structure and depth zones

Today: 12–41 ft — Striped Bass0 ft30 ft60 ft90 ft120 ftShoreline / bankShallow flatDrop-offOffshore humpLedgeMain channelSecondary point
Typical structure profile for Raystown Lake: bluff walls and steep points, submerged raystown branch channel, rock slides and boulder banks, standing timber in the upper end. Average depth 60 ft, maximum 200 ft.
  • Bluff walls and steep points
  • Submerged Raystown Branch channel
  • Rock slides and boulder banks
  • Standing timber in the upper end
  • Coves off the main channel

Substrate

Bottom composition and why it matters

  • Rock 36%

    Holds heat in spring and crayfish year-round — the first place smallmouth and staging bass set up.

  • Gravel 22%

    Primary spawning substrate. Fish stack on gravel transitions when water hits the 58–66°F band.

  • Sand 12%

    Clean bottom for bait schools and sight-feeding fish, but little cover — look for the edge where sand meets something else.

  • Clay 10%

    Holds hard bottom in stained water and dumps the most colour after rain. Crankbait banks.

  • Mud 10%

    Warms fastest in late winter and holds wintering bait, but goes dead in the summer heat.

  • Timber 5%

    Vertical cover fish use to change depth without leaving structure — key on standing timber during frontal swings.

  • Vegetation 4%

    Oxygen, shade and ambush cover. The outside grass edge is the highest-percentage line on most lakes.

  • Brush / artificial 1%

    Man-made brush piles and docks concentrate crappie and bass, especially where they sit on a depth change.

Depth

Depth guide for today

Depth bands for today — adjusted for the fall pattern, current water temperature, cloud cover and wind.
SpeciesDepth todayActivityWhere they are here
Striped Bass12–41 ftHighLandlocked stripers suspended over the channel; downlines with live bait or trolled swimbaits at 25–50 ft.
Smallmouth Bass12–30 ftHighRocky points and bluff transitions in 10–30 ft.
Largemouth Bass5–17 ftHighCoves and the shallower upper end.
Lake Trout24–71 ftLowDeep water near the dam in summer.

Targets

Target species at this water

Striped Bass

Landlocked stripers suspended over the channel; downlines with live bait or trolled swimbaits at 25–50 ft.

Active temp
55–72°F
Structure
Open-water bait schools, river channels, dam tailraces and long points
Technique
Live bait planer boards / vertical jigging
Bait
Live gizzard shad or herring
Lure
1 oz flutter spoon or 5 in swimbait (4"–7")
Color
Chrome / pearl white
Retrieve
Vertical lift-drop or steady mid-column pull
Best time
Dawn and the hour either side of dark

Runs up major tributaries in spring at 55–65°F, suspends over the thermocline through summer, and schools on the surface chasing shad once water falls under 70°F.

Smallmouth Bass

Rocky points and bluff transitions in 10–30 ft.

Active temp
52–74°F
Structure
Rock transitions, gravel flats, current seams and offshore humps
Technique
Ned rig / drop shot
Bait
Crayfish, leeches
Lure
2.75 in Ned-rig finesse worm (2.5"–4")
Color
Green pumpkin / smoke purple
Retrieve
Drag and pause, 3–5 second pauses
Best time
Mid-morning on cold fronts, low light in summer

Holds deep rock until water hits 48°F, moves to gravel spawning flats at 58–64°F, then splits between shallow current and 20–30 ft humps through summer.

Largemouth Bass

Coves and the shallower upper end.

Active temp
58–82°F
Structure
Submerged grass edges, main-lake points, laydowns and dock lines
Technique
Texas rig / swimbait
Bait
Live shiners
Lure
4.5 in paddle-tail swimbait (3.5"–5")
Color
Green pumpkin / natural shad
Retrieve
Slow to moderate, bottom contact every few feet
Best time
First 3 hours after sunrise and the last 2 before dark

Stages from wintering creek channels to secondary points at 52–58°F, spawns on hard bottom at 62–68°F, then slides to grass edges and ledges once surface water passes 78°F.

Lake Trout

Deep water near the dam in summer.

Active temp
39–52°F
Structure
Deep rock humps, steep breaks and mid-lake basins
Technique
Vertical jigging tubes / downrigger trolling
Bait
Cisco or sucker meat on a jig
Lure
3/4–1.5 oz tube jig (4"–6")
Color
White / smoke
Retrieve
Aggressive lift, let it fall on slack line
Best time
Mid-morning; depth matters more than light

Shallow rock right after ice-out, deeper each week as the surface warms, and back onto 20–40 ft reefs to spawn in October.

Patterns

Season-by-season patterns

Winter

38–42°F

Stripers hold deep in the channel; jigging spoons and slow-trolled bait. The lake rarely freezes.

Spring

48–64°F

Stripers move up the lake following bait; smallmouth spawn on gravel at 58–64°F.

Summer

74–78°F

Stripers on the thermocline at 25–45 ft; smallmouth deep on the points at first light.

Fall

50–68°F

Surface schooling stripers in the coves; the best topwater window of the year.

Outlook

7-day fishing forecast

DayScoreWaterWindPressureLevelClarityBest speciesTechniqueBest window
Today84Excellent61°F5 mph NW30.00"-2.4 ft9.5 ftStriped BassLive bait planer boards / vertical jigging6:10 AM – 8:55 AM
Tue78Very Good58°F2 mph N29.98"+2.1 ft10.5 ftStriped BassLive bait planer boards / vertical jigging6:11 AM – 8:56 AM
Wed80Very Good60°F18 mph SE30.11"+3 ft10.5 ftStriped BassLive bait planer boards / vertical jigging6:12 AM – 8:57 AM
Thu89Excellent59°F13 mph W30.31"+0.9 ft8.3 ftStriped BassLive bait planer boards / vertical jigging6:13 AM – 8:58 AM
Fri84Excellent57°F16 mph W30.27"+2.3 ft12.6 ftStriped BassLive bait planer boards / vertical jigging6:14 AM – 8:59 AM
Sat85Excellent60°F11 mph S30.14"-1.7 ft9.5 ftStriped BassLive bait planer boards / vertical jigging6:15 AM – 9:00 AM
Sun85Excellent58°F18 mph NW29.82"-3.5 ft8.9 ftStriped BassLive bait planer boards / vertical jigging6:17 AM – 9:02 AM

The water

About Raystown Lake

Raystown is a long, narrow, deep Corps reservoir in the Juniata valley. Its clear water and steep, forested banks make it a structure fishery: bluff ends, submerged points and the old river channel. It holds Pennsylvania's best landlocked striped bass population.

Surface area
8,300 acres
Max depth
200 ft
Average depth
60 ft
Elevation
786 ft
Typical clarity
12 ft
Annual level swing
12 ft
Coordinates
40.350, -78.050
Region
Central Pennsylvania

Local knowledge

Expert notes

  • Raystown stripers relate to bait balls, not bottom. Idle the channel until you mark suspended bait at 30–40 ft, then set lines right above it.
  • The lake's clarity means a night bite. From July through August, most of the quality striper fishing happens between dusk and 2 AM.

Logistics

Access, ramps and boating

marina

Seven Points Marina

Main access with fuel, rentals and a big ramp.

boat ramp

James Creek ramp

Upper-lake access.

shore

Tatman Run

Shore access and a swimming area with adjacent bank fishing.

Rules

Regulations

  • Pennsylvania fishing license required.
  • Striped bass: 2 per day, 20 in minimum on Raystown (verify current rule).
  • Black bass: seasonal rules including a spring catch-and-release period.
  • Corps of Engineers boating and horsepower rules apply.

Always verify current regulations with the relevant state wildlife agency before fishing. Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission

Transparency

Data sources

Where this data comes from

Conditions are modelled from each water's documented climate, structure and seasonal patterns. Modules marked “Live data integration pending” are not yet pulling from their API, so those values are clearly labelled as sample data rather than presented as real-time readings.

  • Weather API

    Pending

    NOAA / National Weather Service — Air temperature, wind, cloud cover, rainfall and barometric pressure with a 7-day forecast.

  • Water Level & Flow API

    Pending

    USGS Water Services — Reservoir stage, discharge and 7-day level trend from the nearest gauge.

  • Water Temperature

    Pending

    USGS / NOAA buoys — Surface water temperature and its multi-day trend.

  • Tide & Current API

    Pending

    NOAA CO-OPS — Tide predictions, current direction and speed for coastal zones.

  • Moon & Solunar

    Live

    Computed on-site — Moon phase, illumination and solunar major/minor periods are calculated from date and coordinates.

  • Water Clarity

    Pending

    Satellite imagery + angler reports — Visibility estimates by lake arm, refined by submitted fishing reports.

  • Fishing Regulations

    Pending

    State wildlife agencies — License, size and creel rules, linked to the official agency page for verification.

  • Map Data

    Pending

    Bathymetry + access point database — Depth zones, structure locations and boat ramps for the lake infographic.