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Rating depth structure for largemouth bass.
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8,300-acre reservoir near Hesston. The largest lake entirely within Pennsylvania, a deep, clear USACE reservoir nationally known for landlocked striped bass and smallmouth. The lake tops out around 185 ft. These contours are modeled — built from the real shoreline and the water's maximum depth — so read them as a guide, never as navigation. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Traced from the shoreline, Raystown Lake runs 8,138 acres with 120.5 miles of edge, with 5 islands in the mix. That shoreline is heavily fingered (development index 9.5) — bays, points and pockets everywhere, which multiplies the fishable edge. About 51% of the surface sits shallower than 15 ft on the modeled chart — that's the weed-and-bait zone. The basin spans about 18.8 mi end to end and 4.7 mi across at its widest. You'll find it in Huntingdon County. Closest neighbour on DepthScout: Juniata River, 45 mi east of here.
Early season striped bass use the shallows, holding in 5 to 20 ft. Summer is a 25 to 60 ft game here, winter a 20 to 50 ft one. The chart's best answer is Creek inflow — inflow / creek mouth, 8 ft, prime for spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a topwater walker at low light or a paddletail on a light jig and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Creek inflow (8 ft) | 3-5 inch baitfish swimbait, Suspending minnow plug |
| Summer | 25 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | Sharp break (51 ft) | Topwater walker at low light, Paddletail on a light jig |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Shoreline point (30 ft) | Baitfish swimbait, Metal jig |
| Winter | 20 to 50 ft | midday | Sharp break (40 ft) | Slow paddletail, Bucktail near bottom |
In spring, smallmouth bass run shallow here, mostly 3 to 12 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 10 to 30 ft before dropping to 20 to 45 ft for winter. Spring smallmouth bass concentrate at Rock reef, a prime-rated rock pile around 4 ft. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. You won't need more than a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Rock reef (4 ft) | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Shoreline point (30 ft) | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Shoreline point (5 ft) | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 20 to 45 ft | midday | Sharp break (40 ft) | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Spring puts largemouth bass in skinny water — 2 to 10 ft is the zone. Warm water sends them out to 8 to 20 ft; cold water stacks them in 15 to 35 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 6 ft, rated prime for spring largemouth bass. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Shoreline point (5 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Sharp break (40 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: lake trout in 10 to 40 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 50 to 120 ft before dropping to 20 to 80 ft for winter. The spot to know is Shoreline point, a point in about 30 ft of water that rates prime for lake trout in spring. Plan around early morning in the warm months. Summer baits: a white tube jig (deep) or a magnum spoon on downrigger gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 10 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Shoreline point (30 ft) | Casting spoon over shoals, Jerkbait (shallow) |
| Summer | 50 to 120 ft | dawn | Sharp break (51 ft) | White tube jig (deep), Magnum spoon on downrigger |
| Fall | 10 to 50 ft | dusk & dawn | Main-lake point (46 ft) | Heavy casting spoon, Jigging rap over reefs |
| Winter | 20 to 80 ft | dawn | Sharp break (51 ft) | White tube jig, Airplane jig |
Spring walleye on Raystown Lake hold shallow, usually 4 to 15 ft. By summer they slide out to 15 to 35 ft, and by winter most fish are in 20 to 40 ft. The chart's best answer is Creek inflow — inflow / creek mouth, 8 ft, prime for spring. Prime time lands in the evening and early morning. The summer box starts with a crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled).
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | Creek inflow (8 ft) | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 15 to 35 ft | dusk & dawn | Shoreline point (30 ft) | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 12 to 40 ft | dusk & night | Sharp break (40 ft) | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | dusk & dawn | Sharp break (40 ft) | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
In spring, crappie run shallow here, mostly 2 to 8 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 10 to 25 ft before dropping to 15 to 35 ft for winter. Spring crappie concentrate at Shallow bay flat, a prime-rated weed flat around 6 ft. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. You won't need more than a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Dock / pier line (8 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Dock / pier line (8 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Deep basin (157 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Raystown Lake also holds channel catfish (8 to 25 ft in summer), muskellunge (8 to 25 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Raystown Lake carries 27 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Deep basin, about 157 ft down.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Pennsylvania waters are set by the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission — and special regulations can apply to Raystown Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Pennsylvania fishing regulations →
Raystown Lake is about 185 ft (56 m) deep at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.
Anglers target striped bass, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, lake trout, walleye, crappie, channel catfish, muskellunge on Raystown Lake.
Creek inflow is the top-rated area: an inflow / creek mouth in about 8 ft of water that rates prime for striped bass in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
For striped bass, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Fishing on Raystown Lake is regulated by the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission. Check the official Pennsylvania regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
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See how Raystown Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Pennsylvania · best smallmouth bass lakes in Pennsylvania · best walleye lakes in Pennsylvania · best crappie lakes in Pennsylvania
Browse all Pennsylvania fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.