Loch Raven Reservoir is located in central Baltimore County, just north of Baltimore City, fed by the Gunpowder River.
There are two dams, one built in 1881 and another built in 1914. The first dam was originally built with a water tunnel to feed Baltimore City’s Lake Montibello. However, after the Great Fire of Baltimore in 1904, the city was in desperate need of increasing its municipal water supply. After much controversy, including law suits, political scandals, and forced relocation of residents, the second dam was constructed. This led to the sacrifice of the mill towns of Warren and Bosley, as well as the estates of John Merryman and Luke Raven. The latter is credited with giving the reservoir its Scottish name, Loch Raven.
The reservoir now boasts a 23 billion gallon capacity and is home to some of the best largemouth bass fishing that Maryland has to offer. It also is home to crappie, perch, smallmouth bass, pickerel, and northern pike. It has an ever changing topography and is plentiful in structure from tree stumps, gravel piles, demolished bridges, and the remnants of the former towns that once stood in its place.
It has a single boat ramp located off of Dulaney Valley Road right next to the Loch Raven Fishing Center. All boats must possess a Loch Raven permit, which has a very limited availability and is very strictly enforced. Don’t own a boat? That’s not a problem! The fishing center offers boat rentals from $19-57 dollars (depending on the boat type). There are also numerous hiking trails surrounding the reservoir that allow shoreline access to several fishing spots. Fishing can also be done off of the Dulaney Valley Road Bridge.
Useful Links:
Bathymetric Data from the Maryland Geological Society (1.68 MB)
Loch Raven Fishing Center