; Phantoms and Monsters: Pulse of the Paranormal

Friday, May 12, 2023

Does Pennsylvania's Lake Monster 'RAYSTOWN RAY' Actually Exist?

About a dozen years ago sightings of 'Raystown Ray' had been known throughout the cryptid world. Since that time, there have been very few, if any, reports. Is 'Raystown Ray' real?

"I was referred to you by a friend. Can you advise or direct me to someone who can explain what I witnessed?

On August 29, 2009, I was fishing from a boat with my son on Raystown Lake, Pa. It was around 6:45 pm and we were making our way back to the landing. We were near the Snydertown portion of the lake where there is a point of land.

As we were heading south, I looked toward the west shore after my son started to point at something. I really have NO idea what this thing was but it looked like a large, thick black snake with a huge head that bobbed in and out of the water. I moved a little bit closer but my son was getting scared, so I cut the motor and looked through my binoculars. The body was moving in coils or humps up and down in the water. The creature had no fins like a fish and the head was diamond-shaped. The weirdest feature was that the eyes (which were dark, somewhat small, and slanted) were not set on the side of the head, but placed forward. I got an excellent look through the binoculars (I'd say it was about 50 yards from us) when it raised up, its head moved side to side. It made no sound. I'd say it was at least 20 feet long.

I have lived in Altoona, Pa for only a few years and this is only the second time I have fished this lake. I'm from Wisconsin and have fished many large lakes and rivers but I have never seen anything this big.

We watched for about 2-3 minutes until it slipped under the surface. My son's description was very similar to mine but he said he noticed lighter-colored 'whiskers' or rays on the chin and face while looking through the binoculars. I had tried to take a photo with my cell phone but it just blended in with the water and was not discernible.

This is nuts! My friends think we saw a large fish or mammal, but there is no way it's either. Please give me some guidance or resources to help identify this. I am skeptical of monsters, ghosts, UFOs, etc., and don't buy into much of what people describe on TV. But, now that I have seen something that I can't explain. let's say I'm confused and frustrated." Thanks, Bill

A 2017 TOURIST PHOTO OF THE ALLEGED LAKE MONSTER
'RAYSTOWN RAY'

NOTE: I had fished this very lake years ago (excellent striped bass fishing!). I knew that there were some reports of a 'monster' sighted there a while back but have not heard anything lately.

Raystown Lake is a very deep water man-made lake located in Huntingdon County, Pa., east of Altoona, Pa., and south of State College, Pa. I emailed back to the witness 'Bill.' He seems to be very sincere about this sighting. He stated that he reported it to another paranormal site but didn't get a response. I had a few questions for 'Bill' so I sent him an email asking him to attach the photos he took with his cellphone. I wanted to see for myself what he meant by 'but it just blended in with the water and was not discernible.'

He forwarded 2 photos that I examined. Since he and his son were on the same level as the creature there was a dark background of the trees as well as some glare coming off the water. I tried to enhance the photos, but there was just nothing with any definition though I could make out some disturbance on the surface of the water. There wasn't much more information that he could offer, but I certainly believe he and his son witnessed something unusual. Lon

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Welcome to Phantoms & Monsters 'Personal Reports' - cryptid & unexplained accounts directly from the archives of Phantoms & Monsters, and the Phantoms & Monster Fortean Research team. Narrated by Lon Strickler. Join us in the chat, discuss, and ask me questions about the accounts.

Featured in this edition:

Beginning in early 2019, the wing humanoid phenomenon was entering into a wider scope. Indiana has always had a knack for providing interesting cryptid reports, and we were about to learn about a history of remarkable winged humanoid encounters throughout the state. One of these accounts involves a home entry and child kidnapping! This presentation will examine each of these reports.

The winged humanoid was first dubbed the 'Chicago Phantom,' but the media and the internet preferred the moniker 'Chicago Mothman.'

I will describe these incidents and others in detail and answer all questions from the chat room.

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Have you had a sighting or encounter?
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