Pull up to the Loch Raven Fishing Center and you are transported to an oasis. There are no lakeside houses, docks, boat houses or other shore-side “clutter” such as you find on most lakes. But this “lake” is a reservoir; manmade for Baltimore drinking water storage.
Oh yeah, just by chance, it offers some phenomenal fishing.
“There have been three ten-pounders caught here that I?m aware of,” said affable and low-key center manager Kevin McComas. He is referring to bass, the principle quarry of boating anglers. Those are big bass, not that far below the Maryland state record of 11 pounds, two ounces.
“It?s not uncommon to get pike in the 15- to 20-pound range,” he adds.
Largemouth and smallmouth bass, pike, pickerel, walleye, catfish, crappie (black and white), sunfish and white perch are the desired catches. Most anglers practice catch-and-release.
The boat-fishing season starts April 1, continuing seven days a week through Labor Day, then closing Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday through October, open on weekends-only through November, closing the last Sunday of the month. Canoes were allowed starting in 1986 and kayaks added in 2002.
Boat fishermen ply the reservoir waters in one of several ways. They can trailer a boat (there is a ramp), leave it there through the season, or rent a boat with or without a motor. Only motors are allowed, since gasoline engines contaminate drinking water. In addition, private boats must be certified that they are not used elsewhere. Baltimore does not want zebra mussels ? a clogging invasive exotic species ? in water pipes.
Many anglers use large 275-pound thrust Florida-made Ray motors, while others use heavy duty 100-pound-thrust Minn Kotas or MotorGuides, either singly or tandem.
Lots more information is available. Call the Fishing Center at 410-887-7692 or get a city reservoir 34-page 2006 Pocket Guide to Boating & Fishing by calling 410-795-6151.
C. Boyd Pfeiffer is an internationally-known sportsman and award-winning writer on hunting, fishing and the outdoors, and he has more than 20 books to his credit. He can be reached at [email protected].
