Somewhere in the Chesapeake Bay, a fish worth $10,000 is swimming around.

"Diamond Jim" was set loose Thursday for the sixth annual statewide fishing contest sponsored by the Department of Natural Resources.

Fisheries officials hope the chance to win 10 large will lure more anglers to wet a line in Maryland this summer.

Fishing license sales have not been spectacular in recent years, and the fishing contest is one way of trying to get people to discover - or rediscover - a love of fishing.

In 2009, Maryland had an uptick in license sales after several years of decline.

"We're trying to remind Marylanders they've got some of the best fishing," said Don Cosden, assistant director of fisheries at the DNR.

Cosden was out on the bay yesterday aboard the charter fishing boat Canvasback, reeling in striped bass and affixing neon green "Diamond Jim" tags on them.

Up to 200 stripers have the green tags, and one of them is "Diamond Jim," worth $10,000 if caught in the month of June.

Additional batches of fish will be tagged in July and August. If June's Diamond Jim isn't caught, then a new, $25,000 Diamond Jim will go swimming in the bay in July. And if he's not caught, August's Diamond Jim will be worth $35,000.

In addition to the Diamond Jim, tagged fish that aren't Diamond Jim are worth $500.

Anglers also can win prizes by catching any fish that is large enough to merit a state citation.

A full list is posted on DNR's website, but some examples include a Chesapeake Bay striped bass of 40 inches or greater, a 34-inch or greater bluefish from the bay or a freshwater largemouth bass that's 21 inches or longer.

All citation-winning anglers will be entered into a prize drawing that will take place at the Maryland Seafood Festival at Sandy Point State Park in September.

The prizes have been donated by businesses including, Bass Pro Outdoor World, Under Armour, Tracker Boats, Bill's Outdoor Center and the World Fishing Network.

Larry Coburn, manager of the fly-fishing shop at Bass Pro in Hanover, said the fishing contest generates some buzz around the store.

Bass Pro donated a boat with a motor and trailer worth $10,000.

Coburn said that when more people fish it benefits not only his business, but also the environment as a whole.

"Getting people involved, they end up buying fishing licenses, which supports conservation," he said.

Cosden of the DNR said that most of his agencies fish studies and fisheries management activities are paid for by fishing license fees. The DNR also gets money from taxes on sporting goods and fuel sales.

"That's almost entirely what we use ... We don't get a lot of general fund money," he said

For information, visit www.dnr.state.md.us/fisheries/challenge.