{"id":42943,"date":"2024-10-16T12:55:57","date_gmt":"2024-10-16T16:55:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/?p=42943"},"modified":"2024-10-16T12:55:57","modified_gmt":"2024-10-16T16:55:57","slug":"caroline-county-angler-named-14th-fishmaryland-master-angler","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/2024\/10\/16\/caroline-county-angler-named-14th-fishmaryland-master-angler\/","title":{"rendered":"Caroline County Angler Named 14th FishMaryland Master Angler"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jeremy Elmore\u2019s quest to qualify began with an accidental catch, and ended in a small pond<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\"Photo

Master Angler Jeremy Elmore. Photo courtesy of Jeremy Elmore, used with permission by Maryland DNR<\/p><\/div>\n

Jeremy Elmore of Preston has earned a Master Angler Milestone Award under the Maryland Department of Natural Resources\u2019 FishMaryland program.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Elmore is the 14th Master Angler since the program began in 2019. The award recognizes recreational anglers who catch ten trophy-sized fish of different species in Maryland.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Elmore, 36, is a lifelong Maryland resident who lives on the Eastern Shore but fishes across Maryland.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI started fishing at a young age and was introduced to it by my father,\u201d Elmore said. \u201cI grew up fishing near Baltimore and also down near Cape Charles, Va. on vacations. Needless to say, I was hooked. Fishing runs through my mind constantly and is literally my personality.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Elmore caught his first qualifying fish \u201cby accident\u201d \u2013 he was casting to breaking striped bass near the mouth of the Choptank River and hooked a large Spanish mackerel. It was the largest he had seen in person, so he pulled his phone out and started researching trophy-size fish in Maryland. He saw that it met the minimum size for a FishMaryland certificate, and submitted his catch. Learning that ten different species of trophy size are needed for a Master Angler Award, he challenged himself to reach the milestone.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt became almost an obsession and I would not stop until I got it,\u201d Elmore said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Elmore\u2019s qualifying catches, in order, were:<\/span><\/p>\n