Raystown Lake

[times two]

Looking at a possible trip for stripers in the fall....anyone ever been there?

If so, how was it and where did you stay?

John

[G-Daddy]

I've been there several times - I live about an hour away. Never stayed there, so can't make any recommendations. If you are planning to go with a guide, I can recommend Striper Guide Service. Tim Grace and his guys are great and will work really hard to put you on fish.

If you are trolling on your own, they use a couple of techniques. First is slow trolling - about 1 mph using live bait. Live bait is usually shad, alewifes or live rainbow trout. You have to have a state license to net shad and alewifes and they are not sold in bait shops. I use one flat line off the starboard corner, one weighted line down about 15-18 feet off the port corner. I also use four lines on planers - offshore brand in lines - with 3/4 oz sliding sinkers and 8 - 12 foot leaders.

The other method is to pull lures and spoons at about 2 - 2.5 mph using downriggers and planers. This lake is long and narrow and it is never difficult to see where the trollers are. The launch areas are free and there is plenty of parking - especially in the fall when the skiers and partiers thin out.

Good fishing starts out close to the dam in the spring, moves up lake during summer and back down again towards fall. There can be a lot of grass to foul your presentations in the late summer and fall.

Oh, by the way, no trip to Raystown is complete until you pull your bait or lures over the hump in Beer Barrel Bay.

[bigweenies]

PM a guy on this site goes by Polar bear. Mark is a good guy and fishs it all the time, BW

[times two]

Thanks guys...

G-daddy....that is the service we are looking at using....

BW, thanks....I shoot him a pm....

I've down striper similar to what you described a couple of years ago on Kerr Lake in

VA. My brother is setting this all up, but we're trying to set it up to include my son (9)

and a friends daughter (11) too, so we figured it might be cool to hang out the day

before and stay over somewhere.....

John

[G-Daddy]

Tim might not tell you, but they do not usually carry PFDs for kids, so make sure you take yours along.

[PolarBear]

Hey ....I shot you a PM with my phone number ....you can call me

[ifishy]

as a suggestion anyone looking for a good striper trip go to the hudson in the spring I did it for the first time this year what a blast. I took my 14' starcraft and managed to get on good fishing without paying for a guide but there are pleanty of charters available if your looking