Liberty Reservoir

Liberty Reservoir is Baltimore City's 3,100-acre water-supply reservoir on the Carroll–Baltimore county line, a deep, winding lake (averaging 59 feet and dropping to 144) with some 80 miles of wooded shoreline and no gas motors. DNR manages it for warm-, cool- and coldwater fish, and it's the Baltimore area's best bet for landlocked striped bass, which have reproduced naturally since the 1980s and include some very big fish. It also has a naturally reproducing walleye population, trophy-size white crappie and bass, and plenty of white perch around 10 inches.

When to fish

• Spring: DNR surveys have found several year classes of stripers, some large; walleye and smallmouth are active once boats are allowed back on the water in March.
• Summer: stripers stay deep; bass feed early and late.
• Fall: DNR calls it one of the best times for landlocked stripers, which move shallower as the water cools, and a very good season for smallmouth.
• Winter: banks stay open to fishing, but ice fishing is prohibited.

Where to fish

• Deep edges: where anglers slow-troll for striped bass.
• The fishing platform beside the Nicodemus (Deer Park) Road bridge: DNR says it's an excellent place for crappie around the bridge piers, and it's the only bridge you may fish from.
• The shoreline: open from designated shore areas; stay off steep banks and cliffs, out of refuge areas, and away from the stretch between Liberty Road and the dam.

How to fish it

For stripers, DNR says experienced anglers slow-troll deep-diving crankbaits and jerkbaits along deep edges from kayaks and canoes, or use bucktails dressed with soft plastic shad bodies. For smallmouth, it suggests tubes, soft plastic craw jigs and crankbaits in fall. Landlocked stripers have their own size rules, so check the guide.

Getting there

Launching a boat requires a seasonal permit from Baltimore City's Reservoir Natural Resources Section; boats must be rowed, paddled or battery-powered, and a permitted boat may not be used on any other water. Boats are allowed from March 1 through December 31, and the Liberty ramp was open to permitted boats in September 2026 despite drought. All fishing is from sunrise to sunset. You need a Maryland nontidal fishing license, plus a trout stamp if you fish for trout.