Prettyboy Reservoir is a reservoir in Maryland, near Baltimore County.
Prettyboy Reservoir is a 1,500-acre Baltimore water-supply reservoir on Gunpowder Falls. It reaches about 128.6 feet and stores roughly 60,100 acre-feet. Largemouth and smallmouth bass, crappie, channel catfish, yellow perch and bluegill make up the core fishery.
Prettyboy Dam was completed in 1932, but the reservoir does not send drinking water directly to Baltimore. Its water flows downstream through Gunpowder Falls into Loch Raven Reservoir, then continues through Baltimore's water-supply system. That makes Prettyboy the upstream half of a connected reservoir chain.
Prettyboy consistently ranks among Maryland's better impoundments for quality smallmouth bass. Rocky banks, points and steep structure fit jerkbaits, tubes, Ned rigs, jigs and crawfish crankbaits. Clearer water and depth often reward longer casts.
Largemouth bass are better targets around protected coves, wood and softer shoreline cover. Prettyboy crappie respond to minnows and small jigs around brush, suspended cover and deeper shoreline breaks. Yellow perch can be caught with small minnows and jigs, particularly in cooler water.
Below Prettyboy Dam, cold releases create the upper end of Maryland's famous Gunpowder Falls trout fishery. That does not turn Prettyboy itself into a trout lake, but it makes dam operations and coldwater release management a major part of the reservoir's broader identity.
I would start with rock and points for smallmouth, then move to protected coves for largemouth or crappie. The reservoir is deep enough that bright conditions can push fish well off the bank, so electronics and careful boat positioning matter.
Explore nearby waters, including local Featured destinations. Check each page for access and fishing restrictions.
Distances are straight-line estimates between mapped water locations.
Source dates describe the evidence, not a live catch forecast. Check the managing authority before planning access or keeping fish.
The linked source supports this fish’s presence or stocking in this water.
Source checked:
This is not a record catch or a measure of how many fish are there today. The source may describe an earlier period.
The linked source supports this fish’s presence or stocking in this water.
Source checked:
This is not a record catch or a measure of how many fish are there today. The source may describe an earlier period.
The linked source supports this fish’s presence or stocking in this water.
Source checked:
This is not a record catch or a measure of how many fish are there today. The source may describe an earlier period.
The linked source supports this fish’s presence or stocking in this water.
Source checked:
This is not a record catch or a measure of how many fish are there today. The source may describe an earlier period.
The linked source supports this fish’s presence or stocking in this water.
Source checked:
This is not a record catch or a measure of how many fish are there today. The source may describe an earlier period.
The linked source supports this fish’s presence or stocking in this water.
Source checked:
This is not a record catch or a measure of how many fish are there today. The source may describe an earlier period.
The linked source supports this fish’s presence or stocking in this water.
Source checked:
This is not a record catch or a measure of how many fish are there today. The source may describe an earlier period.
The linked source supports this fish’s presence or stocking in this water.
Source checked:
This is not a record catch or a measure of how many fish are there today. The source may describe an earlier period.