Edited by Shannon Rogers
David Neuwiller was recognized Thursday during the Carroll County Board of Commissioners’ open session as the winner of Piney Run Park’s 2025 Big Fish Contest after catching a 40-inch striped bass weighing more than 29 pounds last spring.
Mr. Neuwiller landed the fish on May 1, 2025, at Piney Run Park’s reservoir, which hosts the county’s annual nine-month fishing competition. The contest, run by the Carroll County Department of Recreation and Parks, awards $1,000 to the individual who catches the largest qualifying fish of the season.
Director of Recreation and Parks Bob Hicks announced Neuwiller’s win during the meeting, where he received a plaque and the $1,000 prize and shared details of the catch.
The Piney Run Park Big Fish Contest runs annually from March 1 through November 30 and includes several eligible species, including largemouth bass, bluegill, sunfish, crappie, yellow perch, striped bass, catfish, and trout. To qualify, fish must be legally caught during the open season and park hours, be of legal size and in season, and be measured and recorded by park staff while still alive.
Fishing appears to run in the Neuwiller family, David’s father, Richard Neuwiller, still holds the park’s all-time record for the largest fish ever caught at Piney Run — a 45-inch striped bass weighing 36.6 pounds, landed on October 8, 2014.
Looking ahead, the Department of Recreation and Parks will launch the 2026 Big Fish Contest when the fishing season opens on March 1. The fisherman who lands the biggest qualifying fish between March 1 and November 30, 2026, will win $1,000, with an additional $500 awarded if the catch breaks Piney Run Park’s standing size record.
