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Raystown Lake, Pennsylvania
Raystown Lake Pennsylvania

Raystown Lake is a 29,000-acre project with 12 public access areas, an 8,300-acre lake, picnic areas, beaches, boat launches, campgrounds, trails, hunting, fishing, marina concession stands. It is operated and maintained by the Army Corps of Engineers.

Raystown Lake is best known as the largest lake that is entirely within Pennsylvania state borders.

The Simpson family of Huntingdon built the original lake as a hydroelectric project in the early 1900s, but the current Raystown Lake was completed in 1973 by the Army Corps of Engineers.

And much of the surrounding land is owned by the Army Corps of Engineers too, and is not available for residential waterfront development. This makes boating at Raystown Lake very different from many other lakes as the hills on this winding lake's shores are blanketed by trees right down to the water.

 

Along with recreational boating, the lake lets you test your fishing skills as you try to catch walleye; largemouth, striped, rock or smallmouth bass; carp; muskellunge; perch; smelt; Atlantic salmon; bluegill, and brown, lake or rainbow trout. The lake's striped bass often reaches 50 pounds and usually is the fish that anglers pursue with zeal.

Raystown lake is relatively deep, so you will not have to worry about grounding your boat when fishing. The lake rarely dips below 80 feet. In some parts of the lake, the depth will exceed 200 feet.

With such a diverse bottom, you may wish to take a fish finder with you to help you see where the fish have gathered. Knowing the depth where the fish are will help you decide how deep to fish.

To learn more, visit raystown.org.