Lake · Columbia, Howard, Maryland
Centennial Lake
Current Lake Rating
Point-in-time lake rating — separate from the trip recommendation below.
Fair
This condition rating is estimated because current on-water monitoring is not available.
Estimated Conditions
Estimated from available current readings, weather, seasonal patterns, destination characteristics, and historical conditions. Some important on-water measurements may be unavailable.
Rating confidence: Low
Should I Go?
Consider
Fishing guidance for this destination based on available lake conditions, weather, and seasonal context. It is not a boating, swimming, ice, or access-safety rating.
Recommendation confidence: Low
Why
- Current water-level and water-temperature observations are not available.
- StrikeTracks is showing a provisional Estimated Conditions rating from accepted secondary evidence.
- Available atmospheric evidence is favorable for provisional Estimated fishing suitability; the public rating is capped by the accepted Estimated evidence path and confidence policy.
Current Readings
Live monitoring not available.
Better Nearby Options
Checking nearby StrikeTracks waters…
Weather Near Lake
Current Weather
Clear
Temperature
73°F
Feels like
77°F
Wind
7 mph W
Wind gust
15 mph
Current precipitation
0.00 in
Updated
Sep 5, 2026, 3:45 AM
Recent Rainfall
Estimated precipitation near this lake
Last 6 hours
0.00 in
Last 24 hours
0.00 in
Last 48 hours
0.07 in
Little recent rainfall near this lake.
Next 24 Hours
Sat 4 AM
Clear
Temp 73°F
Chance 0%
Precip 0.00 in
Wind 7 mph
Sat 8 AM
Clear
Temp 73°F
Chance 0%
Precip 0.00 in
Wind 7 mph
Sat 12 PM
Overcast
Temp 79°F
Chance 0%
Precip 0.00 in
Wind 5 mph
Sat 4 PM
Overcast
Temp 83°F
Chance 3%
Precip 0.00 in
Wind 7 mph
Sat 8 PM
Clear
Temp 75°F
Chance 1%
Precip 0.00 in
Wind 5 mph
Sun 12 AM
Clear
Temp 70°F
Chance 0%
Precip 0.00 in
Wind 5 mph
Four-Day Forecast
Sat, Sep 5
Overcast
High 83°F / Low 71°F
Chance 11%
Precip 0.00 in
Max gust 17 mph
Sun, Sep 6
Overcast
High 79°F / Low 62°F
Chance 2%
Precip 0.00 in
Max gust 16 mph
Mon, Sep 7
Drizzle
High 84°F / Low 64°F
Chance 3%
Precip 0.02 in
Max gust 9 mph
Tue, Sep 8
Overcast
High 85°F / Low 66°F
Chance 0%
Precip 0.00 in
Max gust 16 mph
Weather and rainfall are estimated for this lake's coordinates. Local conditions can vary, especially in mountainous terrain and during isolated storms.
Recent rainfall can influence lake level and access, but the timing and magnitude depend on watershed size, soil conditions, and reservoir operations where applicable.
Weather data: Open-Meteo
Fishery Profile
Documented species you may encounter at Centennial Lake.
Species images are AI-generated illustrations for visual reference and may simplify natural variation. Fishery records are based on the cited agency sources. About fish illustrations
Fishery overview
Centennial Lake is a heavily used central Maryland public park lake. Live lake water temperature is not assigned; customer conditions use the accepted ordinary inland Estimated path with mandatory disclosure when MODEL-2 evidence qualifies.
Target species
Largemouth Bass
Micropterus nigricans
- Expectation
- Primary
- Population
- Established
- Native status
- introduced
- Confidence
- Medium confidence
Primary warmwater recreational target from accepted research.
Black Crappie
Pomoxis nigromaculatus
- Expectation
- Common
- Population
- Established
- Native status
- unknown
- Confidence
- Low confidence
Panfish community context; confirm current regulations.
Bluegill
Lepomis macrochirus
- Expectation
- Common
- Population
- Established
- Native status
- unknown
- Confidence
- Low confidence
Panfish community context; not treated as evaluator evidence.
Fishery characteristics
- Composition
- Mixed wild and stocked
Ordinary inland park-lake warmwater habitat. Depth/morphology fields are not asserted beyond accepted research limits.
Best seasons
- Spring
- Summer
- Fall
Common techniques
- Boat fishing
- Shore fishing
- Spinning
Access and Public Fishing Rights
Public park access; confirm current Howard County Parks boat-launch and shore-access postings. Catalog coordinates are a lake reference point, not a verified put-in pin.
Stocking information
Confirm any current Maryland DNR stockings on official schedules. Descriptive urban-fishery context is not thermal evidence.
Official sources
Regulations can change. Verify current Maryland DNR freshwater rules before fishing.
Location and Access
Cataloged lake location
Columbia, Howard, Maryland
The map marker represents the cataloged waterbody or monitoring location and may not indicate legal parking or public access. Confirm access through the official information before visiting.
Lake Details
Town
Columbia
County
Howard
Management Category
Warmwater public park lake
Regulation Scope
Centennial Lake
Regulation Summary
Maryland inland fishing regulations apply on Centennial Lake; confirm current DNR seasons and limits.
Target Species
Largemouth Bass, Panfish
Public Access
Public
Boat Launch
Available
Shore Fishing
Available
Description
Howard County public park lake near Columbia/Ellicott City. Accepted research classifies it as an ordinary inland kind=lake urban/youth warmwater fishery, not a Baltimore or WSSC water-supply reservoir. No USGS same-lake water-temperature station is assigned. Morphology fields are intentionally unset so generic ordinary inland L-D Estimated coverage applies. Coordinates are a public lake reference point, not a verified launch pin.
