Loch Raven Reservoir

Loch Raven Reservoir, a 971 hectare (2400 acre) impoundment, is located in the Piedmont region of central Maryland. The reservoir is owned and maintained by the City of Baltimore Department of Public Works. A variety of sportfish species provide fishing opportunities. Fishing is permitted from the shoreline and boats that possess a seasonal Baltimore City Reservoir boat permit. Boat propulsion is limited to rowing, paddling, or battery powered motors. The reservoir has one boat ramp/rental facility operated by Baltimore County Recreation Department located on Dulaney Valley Road.

Largemouth bass are the dominant predators in Loch Raven Reservoir. Results from recent electrofishing surveys suggest that the population continues to maintain a size structure that is desirable to anglers, with high numbers of quality size bass. While smallmouth bass are generally not collected in large numbers during surveys, they are a nice bonus fish and are targeted by anglers.

The sunfish community is dominated by bluegill sunfish in Loch Raven Reservoir. Bluegills are providing a desirable fishery for recreational anglers based on data collected in recent surveys. The first northern snakeheads encountered in Loch Raven Reservoir were collected during the 2020 electrofishing survey. Anglers are strongly encouraged to remove any northern snakeheads encountered while fishing in Loch Raven Reservoir. Fishing statistics summarized by gamefish species from recent Maryland DNR Freshwater Fisheries surveys can be found in the Impoundment Fishing Stats tool below.