BALTIMORE, MD—A Baltimore County man has caught ten different trophy-sized species of fish in Maryland, and has been awarded the Master Angler Milestone Award from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

The award is given to recreational anglers who catch ten different species of fish. Adam Krauss, 21, is the ninth Master Angler to receive the award since it began in 2019.

Krauss submitted entries for all ten catches and received individual certificates for each catch. He caught his tenth fish, a 31.5-inch carp, on April 17. Krauss said that he caught the fish on a solo session, but that he knew it was worth a try because he had previously noticed a lot of big carp jumping in the area.

He took a quick picture next to the measuring tape and then back into the water.

Krauss’ qualifying catches, in order, were:

• Largemouth bass, 21 inches
• Northern snakehead, 31 inches
• White perch, 13 inches
• Rainbow trout, 24 inches
• Sand tiger shark, 84 inches
• Striped bass, 48 inches
• Hickory shad, 18 inches
• Yellow perch, 14 inches
• Chain pickerel, 24 inches
• Carp, 31.5 inches

Krauss’s love for fishing started when he was five years old. He would go fishing at Nicodemus Road in Baltimore County, where he has lived his entire life. He is a multi-species angler who mainly fishes non-tidal and tidal freshwater locations, but he is also occasionally venturing into saltwater. Northern Snakehead are his favorite fish, because of their unique appearance and the way that they strike so violently. He also records his many fishing adventures on a YouTube channel.

“My goal is to catch as many new species and personal bests as possible,” Krauss said. “I will continue to teach people about fishing and how to respect nature along the way.”

FishMaryland is Maryland’s recreational fishing award program and is a fun way to explore year-round recreational fishing and enjoy affordable, accessible, diverse, and high-quality fishing opportunities. More information on the Master Angler Milestone Award and the FishMaryland program is available on the program’s website.

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

Photo: Adam Krauss of Baltimore County holds a northern snakehead. Photo courtesy of Adam Krauss & DNR.