Maryland 1st Youth Master Angler

Lucy Perez with a bluegill. (Photo courtesy of Maryland Department of Natural Resources and Nick Perez)

Lucy Perez of Cecil County has earned a Master Angler Milestone Award under the Maryland Department of Natural Resources’ FishMaryland program. The award recognizes recreational anglers who catch 10 different trophy-sized species of fish in Maryland.

Lucy, 11, is the 10th Master Angler since the program began in 2019, the first female angler, and the youngest by a decade.

“I think this award is such an amazing accomplishment for me – I’m only 11 years old and have been fishing for 10 years and did something so incredible,” Lucy said. “Being able to catch so many cool kinds of fish and to have people excited to see me getting closer to this goal is what kept me trying to get this award – this was really a lot of fun.”

The FishMaryland program includes dozens of species from both salt and freshwater. Lucy submitted entries for all 10 catches and received individual certificates for each catch. She caught her 10th FishMaryland eligible fish, an American shad, on May 6, 2024.

Read more about Lucy’s qualifying catches here.

She regularly fishes with her father Nick.

“Lucy has been an avid angler for as long as she was able to hold a fishing rod,” Nick Perez said. “Her love for the sport is almost unmatched, and her preferred method of fishing is actually on the fly. At 11 years old she has caught fish a lot of people have only dreamed of, from exotic clown knifefish, to wrangling the ‘fish of 10,000 casts,’ the muskellunge – she does it all.”

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