RISING SUN, MD—A Rising Sun man has caught 10 different trophy-sized fish in Maryland, earning him the prestigious FishMaryland Master Angler Award.

Jason Michalski, 30, caught his tenth fish on Sunday, March 24, a 30.25-inch carp. Michalski was one of eight anglers who have caught at least 10 species of fish in Maryland since the FishMaryland Master Angler Award program began in 2019.

The FishMaryland program includes dozens of species from both salt and freshwater, and anglers can submit entries for all ten catches.  After getting a quick picture and confirming the length, Michalski was able to release the carp “to become bigger for next time, for someone else to catch!”

Michalski’s catches include: Northern snakehead (33.5 inches), Smallmouth bass (21 inches), Crappie (16.25 inches), Rainbow trout (27 inches), Striped bass (45 inches), Pumpkinseed (10 inches), Yellow perch (14 inches), Bluegill (11 inches), and Hickory shad (20 inches).

His love for fishing started when his grandmother took him to a small pond in Harford County when he was just three years old. He has been hooked on fishing ever since.

“Fishing gives me relaxation and I really just love the time out there,” Michalski said. “I took this as a challenge and did it for my grandmother. Thanks to Maryland DNR for this awesome program, it was a lot of fun!”

Michalski has caught a number of different species of fish throughout his career, including bass, crappie, northern snakehead, rainbow trout, striped bass, pumpkinseed, yellow perch, blue gill, and hickory shad. His favorite fish to hunt is the northern snakehead, but he enjoys fishing for all species.

This article was written with the assistance of AI and reviewed by a human editor.

Photo courtesy of Jason Michalski & MDDNR