Love/Hate Relationship with Raystown Lake, PA

I sometimes wonder why I leave the fantastic fishing opportunities so close to home in NW PA to occasionally travel to a mid-state lake that has a reputation of being very stingy in giving up fish.  Well, it's because I recall the Raystown Lake of the mid 1970s through the mid 1980s - a newly impounded 8,000-acre mountain lake that was producing awesome largemouth bass and striper fishing.  Marilyn and I made routine trips to Raystown to participate in bass tournaments, often staying for days at a time.  It was an exciting and productive fishery.  However by the 1990s, fishing had become very tough on this exceptionally deep, clearwater, weedless reservoir.  Sure, the locals who were able to fish every day would hit the brief seasonal bites for a particular species, but for someone traveling to the lake for a couple days, pickings were slim.  On some trips I fished with a bass pro or guide - but the story was always the same: You should have been here yesterday, or last week, or next week...  Yes, big fish were in the lake, but my timing was never right. 

I figured sooner or later my luck would have to change.  So when Raystown resident Mark McQuown, Garmin Marine Electronics Sales Rep for the region, called to say this week would be a good time to stop by to fish, I decided to go for it after talking Gamma Line president Dale Black into making the long drive with me.

Mark said there was no need for a sunrise start - thanks goodness - and the bite should get better as the day progressed.  We were fishing jerkbaits and weighted Flukes for smallmouth bass on abbreviated flats along steep shorelines.  The initial fish, a small lagemouth, didn't give me much hope that this day would be different than other trips.  I took Mark's picture with the catch in case it was the only fish!

But my mid-morning, the tide turned.  When we hit Mark's favorite smallmouth bank, strikes came as if a switch had been turned on.  There were hook-ups with nice smallmouths and largemouths on the first two passes.  Giving it a rest, we returned a short time later to find lake trout had moved onto the bank, and the action was so hectic we lost count of the lakers landed.  We fished another spot, providing my very first Raystown walleye and a huge yellow perch that would be envy of every Lake Erie anglers.  Returning to the magic bank, some stripers (which were suppose to be up the river) had now moved in!  When we quit, seven different species of fish had come to the net - according to Mark, a single day record for boat, including his first ever Raystown pickerel.

"We should make this an annual event in April," suggested Mark.  All I could do was shake my head yes, and smile!  I'm loving Raystown now!