G-Daddy

8'-6"

I've got a Garmin 478. In marine mode, it comes preloaded with charts for all North American coastal waters and the Great Lakes. It also accepts special SD cards for inland lakes. In auto mode, it is preloaded with street and road maps for North America. When the power cord with the speaker adapter is connected it also gives turn by turn directions. I've had it for about four years and it's a great unit.

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

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.

Name: Larry Carnahan

Location: Southcentral PA

Home Port: Chincoteague, VA

Boat Name/Type: 17' center console "Schedule Sea" and Sportcraft 252 "Lil Bit"

I fish for: Flounder, Stripers, Salmon and most other fish that swim

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My son and I have been chartering and fishing on head boats for a number of years on lots of water - from Lake O to Chesapeake Bay to Raystown Lake to the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico. Most recently we fished with Yankee Troller/Billy V out of Oak Orchard last August and with Billy V this May out of Wilson. We are definitely hooked. We brought home our first big water boat this past weekend and have a couple of trips planned with it. Our first trip on our own to Lake O will be over labor day weekend in the Pulaski area. We hope to put some of what we have learned to use and are starting to gear up. So, when you see us out there, please be patient with the greenhorns.