Liberty Reservoir -
Baltimore County, MD
Directions -
From I 70 take Rt. 32 to Rt. 26 S,
follow to Oakland Mills road, and there are two boat ramps are available off
Oakland Mills Rd
Boating Restrictions -
Boat propulsion is limited to
rowing, paddling, or battery-powered motors.
A seasonal permit issued by the City
of Baltimore Reservoir Natural Resources Office is required prior to launching a
boat in Liberty Reservoir. Shoreline
fishing is permitted.
For boat permits and information
call 410-795-6150.
NOTE:
Due to the potential for zebra mussel infestations, boaters on Liberty,
Loch Raven, and Prettyboy Reservoirs
must sign an affidavit stating their
boat will be used only on these reservoirs.
Live bait is prohibited unless purchased
from a Maryland certified zebra
mussel-free bait store. |
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Resource Links from whaticaught.com
for Liberty Reservoir:
Structure Map - Morgan Run Area
> maps are not for navigational
purposes
Outside Resources for Liberty Dam:
MD DNR info for Liberty Reservoir
Trout Fishing Tips for Liberty Reservoir
Fishing Weather Forceast from weather.com
Summeries of Maryland Fishing Rules - DNR
MD DNR Fishing Reports
Maryland Guide to Hunting & Trapping
- Bowhunting at Liberty,
Prettyboy, and Loch
Raven Reservoirs from the MD DNR
<
Click here for bowhunting permit form > |
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What Can You
Catch Here?
Largemouth and smallmouth bass, striped bass, walleye,
crappie, channel
catfish, yellow perch,white perch, bluegill
sunfish, carp, rainbow and brown
trout. This reservoir has some of the best hybrid
striped bass. Fishermen
can be
seen on the banks with bay rods
and extra-large shiners,
pulling
them in.
Early morning, or dusk...
work the shorelines. This is
prime
feeding time,
so use a structure map to identify feeding channels and
study prior to going.
Shore fishing is year-round, sunrise to sunset. Don't
forget to try fishing
the Nicodemus Rd. Bridge as well.
A favorite local
spot
here in MD.
< Click Here for Our Fish ID Chart >
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Our Note:
Rock bass and crappie are
great catches within this reservoir. Rock
Bass hit during March/April very hard.
Crappie
are strong in spring.
Shorelines - just find the rocks...get a small black/red-eyed jig head...find the color grub
for the day and do "drops" below the ledges. Go in the morning...when it heats up,
go after
the crappie. Pitch towards structure found about 5-8 ft off the shorelines adjacent to where
you're fishing. Use small jigs again, and dot it with a piece of nightcrawler this time. Find one, stay there and fish that area for 5-10 minutes until the bites end.
I've hit 15-20
large-sized Crappie in a normal find during May.
You just have to keep casting until you find where they are.
You'll get them on the move, but this is how you catch multiples within a
short period of time. Works with yellow perch to some extent,
and of course white perch. You'll be pickin' through about
10
small one's to get a nice one. Still fun! |
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 In regards to catching the hybrid stripers in Liberty, here's what we've
come to find after some research
from
other local fisherman that have success, and from reports from the MD DNR:
The main thing to know about the stripers in Liberty is to understand their
movement. They love the cold parts of the reservoir and will sometimes
avoid eating to head to such locations. DNR has tracked them in the deep
water located in the from of the dam during the summer months. They move
very
fast, too. It's normally 15 miles from bottom to top of the dam, and they
can travel that in about 2 days. Summer may be hard to catch them from the banks. Yet not impossible. That's why I mention the surf rods. You
have to really get your
line out there, so it's a challenge to say the
least.
They seem to follow the old river channel that runs 80-100ft deep.
During spring spawning season (now), they actually move in closer...to
depths of 2-4ft. They say the fish normally stay up in the reservoir until
approx.
the first week of June when the water warms up, then they travel back down to the dam. They spawn in the upper areas of the reservoirs, the
tributaries crossing the underpasses of rt 32 and rt 140.
Use good sized shiners, strong terminal tackle. I recommend big lumps of
chicken livers and casting far out! Use a 7ft medium action
quality rod,
strong
reel loaded with 30lb test and at least 300yds. These fish hit hard, dive
the head down and the first run can go many
yards out. The bank rockfish
may
not be as big, but you never know. Be prepared! Always use new hooks, too.
By the way. I've fished Nicodemus bridge for years. There are some big
crappie and bluegill there. Also, try the first bridge off Liberty Rd.
Park on the
road (right side heading towards Westminster), and walk into the cove area.
That's where the crappie spawn, and you can really have a good time there.
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Liberty
Reservoir - Baltimore County, MD
