Westminster, MD, Monday, January 13, 2025 – In Open Session on Thursday, January 9, 2025, Director of Recreation and Parks Bob Hicks announced the winner of Piney Run Park’s annual Big Fish Contest.  Each year, the Carroll County Department of Recreation and Parks hosts this nine-month-long contest, where anglers compete to catch the largest fish, with the winner taking home a $1,000 prize. This year’s winner, Jeffrey Goodale of Eldersburg, caught a 39-inch striped bass weighing over 18 pounds at Piney Run Park on September 23, 2024.

Piney Run Park’s reservoir is home to many species of fish eligible for the $1,000 prize, including largemouth bass, bluegill, sunfish, crappie, yellow perch, striped bass, catfish, and trout. The fish must be caught at Piney Run Park during open season and open hours, March 1-November 30, legal in size and in-season, alive, and measured in and recorded with staff at Piney Run Park.

Mr. Goodale could not attend this Open Session but did meet with Commissioners Kiler and Rothstein the following week to be presented a plaque and the $1,000 big fish check.  Richard Neuwiller holds the all-time record for the largest fish (45” striped bass, 36.6 lbs, caught on October 8, 2014).

Recreation and Parks will kick off the 2025 fishing season on March 1, 2025, with the start of the 2025 Piney Run Park Big Fish Contest. The largest catch of the 2025 season, running from March 1–November 30, 2025, will again win a $1,000 prize. Additionally, any angler who beats the current record for the largest catch will earn an additional $500.

For more information about recreational programs and parks, please visit ccrecpark.org or call 410-386-2103.