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Raystown: Hot Friday Storm Edge, Cool Dry Saturday & Soft Sunday Showers
Raystown Lake · Fri Oct 2 – Sun Oct 4, 2026 · bank / kayak / boat · times ET
October opens with a summer leftover Friday high near the mid-80s and a late-day shower chance — fish the cool dawn hard, treat the storm edge as a Bonus Round if it stays light, then ride Saturday’s crisp dry cool-down when Raystown’s shad and alewife finally feel like fall.
WEEKEND OUTLOOK
NWS Mount Holly (PHI) grid for the southern Pennsylvania corridor covering Raystown this Cast window (PHI 17,94), pulled Friday morning, sets up an early-October flip: one sticky warm day, then a clean cool-down. Friday runs partly sunny with a high near 84°F, west wind 0–15 mph, and a ~50% chance of rain showers after about 2 PM ET (under a tenth of an inch if they fire). Overnight low near 54°F with a lingering shower chance before 10 PM. Saturday turns mostly sunny and fall-like — high near 71°F / overnight low near 52°F, light north wind around 5 mph, and dry. Sunday cools to near 66°F under mostly cloudy skies, east wind 5–10 mph, and another ~50% shower chance after 8 AM (light). No active NWS watches or warnings at the Friday-morning pull. Nearby METARs around 7:00 AM ET Friday: KAOO ~29.99, KJST ~30.02, KUNV ~29.95, and KRDG ~29.96 inHg — a firm high.
For black bass: protect Friday’s first light before the heat and afternoon shower risk, then lean into Saturday’s cool, dry morning when nights in the low 50s should pull bait and fish shallower on points, creek mouths, and rock transitions. Sunday’s cooler, showery look favors a slower presentation and cloud-cover topwater or spinnerbait if rain stays light. Soft weekend recreational pressure expected at Seven Points — no named trail tournament pulled for Fri–Sun on Raystown.
Friday Oct 2
- Partly sunny, then late shower chance
- Sunrise 7:08 AM · Sunset 6:54 PM ET
- Best bite: first light–~9:30 AM ET; midday shade/wood; watch the afternoon shower edge
Saturday Oct 3
- Mostly sunny · clean cool-down day
- Sunrise 7:09 AM · Sunset 6:52 PM ET
- Best bite: dawn through mid-morning on points and creek mouths; midday rock transitions 8–18 ft
Sunday Oct 4
- Mostly cloudy with soft shower chances
- Sunrise 7:10 AM · Sunset 6:50 PM ET
- Best bite: cloudy low-light windows; slow down if rain light; protect any clear dawn pocket
Bite tie-in
Cool nights into the low 50s plus Saturday’s dry high = morning bass on rock points and creek-mouth edges where bait marks, then a midday slide as the sun climbs. Friday’s heat compresses the dawn window; Sunday’s clouds can stretch a spinnerbait or walking bait if showers stay soft. Keep a shad-profile swimbait ready when birds tip alewife schools — stripers and hybrids share those bait piles.
DAM & CURRENT / GENERATOR SCHEDULE CHEAT SHEET
Raystown is a USACE Baltimore District flood-control lake with a stable conservation pool near 786.0 ft (normal band roughly 786 ± 1 ft). Hydropower at the dam is Allegheny Electric Cooperative’s William F. Matson plant in run-of-release mode — USACE sets the release; the plant passes what is available. There is no public hour-by-hour unit board for anglers. Numbers below are USGS instantaneous values from the Friday-morning pull where available; releases can change without notice.
| Source | Live pull (Fri Oct 2 morning ET) | What it means this weekend |
|---|---|---|
| Pool elevation USGS 01563100 Raystown Lake near Huntingdon |
786.46 ft Last print ~2:00 PM ET Sep 30 (board quiet overnight into Friday) |
Sitting on the conservation mark — docks, ramps, and shoreline structure fish “normal pool.” No flood-pool story this window. Confirm the live USGS/USACE print before launch if levels matter to your ramp. |
| Outflow / tailwater USGS 01563200 Rays Br Juniata R bl Rays Dam |
~499 cfs · gage ~4.11 ft ~6:30 AM ET Oct 2 |
Above the warm-season minimum (~200 cfs May 15–Nov 15), but quieter than last week’s heavier push. Mild current in the dam/tailwater reach and softer seams on lower-lake points — confirm outflow before you bank on a dead-still morning. |
| Inflow context USGS 01564500 Aughwick Creek nr Three Springs |
~48 cfs · gage ~2.65 ft ~7:00 AM ET Oct 2 |
Side-creek contribution is light — main-lake rock should fish relatively clear; creek arms may stain only if Friday/Sunday showers dump locally. |
Failover before launch: USACE Raystown water page (water.usace.army.mil · NAB / Raystown) · USGS 01563100 / 01563200 · USACE Raystown Lake recreation info. Dam restricted zones stay off-limits. Soft current→bite only — modest outflow still washes bait along breaks; quieter periods push fish tighter to wood, docks, and creek-channel swings.
Lower lake / dam end
With ~499 cfs leaving the project, fish current seams, secondary points, and the first major creek mouths upstream of the dam face. Keep a safe buffer from restricted water. Smallmouth and hybrid/striper traffic often show where bait stacks — especially Saturday morning after the cool night.
Creek arms & mid-lake
James Creek, Tatman Run, Shy Beaver, and the Seven Points / Snyder’s Run neighborhood fish a classic early-fall pattern: bait in the backs early, then sliding toward channel swings as the sun climbs. Friday’s heat favors shade wood after 10 AM; Saturday’s sun favors rock transitions; Sunday’s clouds can keep fish shallower longer.
HOW TO FISH IT — BANK / KAYAK / BOAT
Bank
Shared: Friday’s warm dawn still wants a light shell for the first hour; PFDs on any wet rock after showers; dam restricted zones stay off-limits. Start on the Seven Points day-use shoreline before picnic traffic, then rotate to Tatman Run and Susquehannock bank stretches where rock and wood meet walking water. Saturday’s cool, dry morning is the banker’s best window — walk a shadowed bank with a walking bait or buzzbait at first light, then slow a green-pumpkin creature or Ned along rock and dock edges once the sun climbs. Sunday’s soft shower risk favors a spinnerbait along stained pockets if rain stays light.
Kayak
Launch James Creek or Aitch / Baker’s Hollow for short paddles to creek-channel swings and secondary points without a long open-water crossing. On calm Saturday mornings, work the lee side of the arm with a ⅜-oz chatterbait or squarebill, then slide a small swimbait through bait showers if stripers boil. Friday’s west wind and Sunday’s east breeze can chop the main lake — hug protected creek banks and give big boats the Seven Points lanes after late morning.
Boat
Seven Points and Snyder’s Run put you closest to classic fall transitions: main-lake points, humps, and creek mouths where shad and alewife pull bass and stripers. Idle the first hour on a topwater or waking bait along shad slicks — especially Saturday after the cool night — then slide to 8–18 ft on rock with a jerkbait or football jig as the sun climbs. Confirm USGS outflow if you plan the extreme lower lake; ~499 cfs still moves bait on those last points. Weekend recreational traffic builds by late morning at Seven Points even without a trail blast-off, so protect the dawn idle.
LURE BOX
Top
- Walking bait (bone / chrome) over shad
- Buzzbait or plopper on shaded banks
- Popper at first light in slick pockets
Mid
- Suspending jerkbait (clear rock water)
- ⅜–½ oz chatterbait (wind / stain)
- 3–4" swimbait on a jighead for bait schools
- Spinnerbait (white/chart) under Sunday clouds
Bottom
- Football or hybrid jig (green pumpkin / brown)
- Ned / tube on rock transitions
- Texas-rig creature in wood and docks
- Dropshot when fish suspend off points
Stain / clear match: Darker profiles in creek mud after local showers; translucent smoke, shad, and green-pumpkin on clearer main-lake rock. Tie colors to alewife/shad and crawfish first.
BASS LIFE STAGE
Early-fall transition on Raystown. Cooler nights into the low 50s and Saturday’s dry cool-down should pull smallmouth onto rock points and channel swings and keep largemouth honest around wood, docks, and creek-mouth grass edges. Fish are not on a winter deep stack yet — treat this as morning-shallow, midday-slide, with Friday’s heat compressing dawn and Sunday’s clouds stretching shallow activity. Skip the spawn talk; that chapter is closed.
What’s on the menu: Dated hatch reports for this exact window are thin. Most-likely forage this week is alewife and shad-class baitfish wherever birds and surface showers tip you off, with crawfish on rock and points once the sun climbs, and bluegill / panfish still around shallow wood and docks. Start on shad imitators; keep a craw-colored jig ready for rock transitions midday.
ALSO HOT / ALSO IN SEASON
Raystown’s calling card when bait balls tighten — keep a swimbait or spoon ready on main-lake points and creek mouths. Soft language only; confirm seasons and creel on the live PFBC page before you keep fish.
Walleye and panfish matter on rock and brush for mixed bags, especially low light Saturday dawn and Sunday’s cloudy first hour. Same access rules as bass — legal bank and ramp water only.
No named Tri-State Bass Circuit, PA B.A.S.S. Nation, or PSBA trail event pulled for Fri Oct 2 – Sun Oct 4 on Raystown (Tri-State Classic was Sep 13 at Aitch). Expect normal weekend recreational and camping traffic at Seven Points — earlier launch still beats the picnic crowd by late morning Saturday.
Looking ahead (next 1–3 weeks): After Sunday’s soft showers, NWS leans cooler and clearer early week (Monday high near the upper 60s, night in the low 40s) — classic October mornings if nights stay crisp. Heavy Traffic ahead: PA B.A.S.S. Nation still lists Raystown at Seven Points Oct 10–11, 2026 (state + team) — confirm live before you plan that weekend. Next Cast: Monday window Mon–Wed.
Pure-Gas.org E0 · this water
Ethanol-free stations near the Huntingdon / Raystown corridor (no pump prices).
- James Creek Market — 17533 Raystown Rd, James Creek, PA (90 octane on Pure-Gas.org; seasonal closure notes exist — call ahead)
- Sheetz #215 — 9681 William Penn Hwy, Huntingdon, PA (90 octane E0 Plus; Pure-Gas: look for the red handles)
- Sheetz #577 — 9894 Shaner Blvd, Huntingdon, PA (90 octane on Pure-Gas.org — verify grade)
- Giant — 7673 Lake Raystown Shopping Center, Huntingdon, PA (90 octane on Pure-Gas.org; listing town spelled “Huntington” — verify)
Stations reused from Pure-Gas.org PA list for this water. Listings move — verify literal E0 / ethanol-free grade at the pump. No pump prices in this Cast.