Forest Hill Teen Lands 10 Whoppers To Earn 16th Fish Maryland Master Angler Title

HARFORD COUNTY, MD — A Forest Hill teen has been named the 16th Fish Maryland Master Angler.

Luca Tucciarella, 15, has become the third youth angler to receive this honor since the program began in 2019. The award recognizes recreational anglers who catch 10 trophy-sized fish of different species in Maryland.

Tucciarella started fishing with his father at a local neighborhood pond when he was three or four years old, according to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

“After the first time he took me fishing, I realized it was something that I would enjoy for a very long time,” Tucciarella said. “My dad told me about the Master Angler program in early spring of 2024 and I thought it would be a cool challenge to pursue. I wanted to pursue it because it’s an award that recognizes a passion that I’ve had my whole life.”

Tucciarella’s qualifying catches, in order, were:

• Carp – 36 inches
• Brook trout – 12 inches
• Flathead catfish – 34.5 inches
• Sand tiger shark – 79 inches
• Bullhead catfish – 15.25 inches
• Rock bass – 11 inches
• Blue catfish – 44 inches
• Largemouth bass – 22 inches
• Northern pike – 38.25 inches
• Chain pickerel – 25.75 inches

He has a particular interest in fishing for the invasive Chesapeake Channa (northern snakehead).

“Snakehead fishing has always interested me because of where they live, the different techniques used to catch them and how hard you have to set the hook,” Tucciarella said. “My most recent snakehead was 29.5 inches long, and I hope to catch one that is 30 inches or larger for my next FishMaryland species award.”

The second largest fish out of the newest Master Angler’s 10 qualifying catches was an invasive blue catfish that was 44 inches in length. The exact weight of the fish was unknown because Tucciarella’s scale maxed out at 50 pounds, according to the Maryland DNR.

“It was an awesome fight that lasted over 10 minutes and I caught it on 20-pound test braided line,” Tucciarella told the Maryland DNR.

His final qualifying fish was a 25.75-inch chain pickerel.

“The coolest thing about my last fish is that I actually caught two trophy pickerel over 24 inches that same day,” he said.

Tucciarella told the Maryland DNR that the hardest fish to catch was the northern pike.

“My dad said he didn’t think I would catch a pike, let alone one that was over 38 inches long. I’ve been trying to catch a pike for the last four years," he said.