I have a little experience with Raystown Lake. I've lived in Huntingdon all my life, fished the "Lake" since about 1972 (before it was a lake). It's extremely hard to fish sucessfully but it can be done. This time of year most of the bass are going to be along the Terrace Mountain side of the lake where they can get in the shade of the steep sides or submerged at about 30 feet in the weed beds. In the Snyders Run area (H1/H2) I usually fish the coves coming out of the launch, directly across the no wake bouys in the open cove (Peachys Orchard area), and an area out where the main lake is (just off to your left as you're coming into the main lake area, cliffs to your left, is a point with a small detached island off of it. Between the island and point, and all around that area, is a large area of deep water with tall weed beds. Jigs or plastic worms along the bottom here usually produces something). Best sucess with jigs seems to be dark green/black, Texas rigged grape plastic worms work best for me.
In the last few years I've caught 4 bass over 17" out there but all of them were in the Entriken area. We fish (as a family) at Tatman Run during the summer. Kids can swim, wife and I fish. We catch a lot of nice size catfish there on nightcrawlers and I've caught my big bass on silver spoons or DareDevils. This was the last big one caught Sept '09. Most of the hits are in the late evening, just before dark when the bass come in closer to shore to feed on the shad (hence why the silver spoons work so well).
The Aitch area is loaded with crappie if you're into that. Just launch at the boat ramp and head left on your way out. Huge weed bed over there just loaded with them (I've had sucess both with white and black jigs) or fish off the fishing pier with red worms in the weed beds to the right.
But my most favorite fishing in this area is the rivers
I've walked/waded all of the Raystown Branch, and all of the Juniata River from the Huntingdon/Smithfield area down past Mount Union. Get out there in the thigh high, cool water with a 1/4 oz. KastMaster lure (usually silver or gold during the summer) or a Thompson Torpedo in the fall and boy can you have some fun! Last Saturday I went out to the Raystown branch just below the dam and did some wading. In the water at 1330, back at my truch at 1830. Walked about 1/2 mile down river and hooked 30 fish! 10 Rock Bass, 8 Small mouth (including a 14" I brought home), 8 sunfish, 1 fallfish, and 3 fish that I fought with but didn't get to land (2 I saw were SMB).
Get here in late April / Early May and they stock trout just below the dam. The longest it took to get my 5 fish limit this spring was 3 hours. We should hook up and I'll take you for some fun
