HOOKED ON FISHING
By Paul Anthony Arco
Some of Matt McCluskey’s fondest memories growing up in Ashburn involve a fishing pole in his hand and a body of water at his feet.
Like the days he fished along the banks of the Potomac River with his father. Or joining the Broad Run High School bass club, which would meet at coach Ernie Roja’s pond before sunrise, fish all day and celebrate the day’s haul with a cookout at night.
But some of his best times came even earlier, when he spent lazy summer days at his grandfather’s farm in Ohio. As young as age 4, McCluskey would hop into the pickup truck, as his grandfather cruised dirt roads, looking for the perfect pond to fish for bass and blue gills. That’s when he caught the fishing bug.
“I remember one time we found a flooded cornfield,” McCluskey said. “There were some big carp trapped in the field, and we were just wading around and catching them with our nets.”
Today, the 30-year-old McCluskey splits his time between Richmond and his home on Hay Road in Ashburn, working as a technician for a security system company. But when he’s not traveling for work, McCluskey is home on the water, honing his fishing skills as every catch draws him closer to his dream of making a living as a professional angler.
“He’s a solid, down-to-earth guy,” said friend and fishing partner Chris Ciliberti, who lives in the Belmont Country Club neighborhood. “He just happens to be the best fisherman I’ve ever seen.”
In 2017, McCluskey joined the ranks of professional fishing when he qualified to participate in the Major League Fishing (MLF) circuit. But he needed a boat. That’s where Ciliberti comes in.
Ciliberti’s wife knew McCluskey’s mother. Introductions were made, and the two anglers became friends and started fishing together. And good fortune was smiling because Ciliberti happened to be selling his Ranger bass boat.
“The only thing that was separating Matt from earning top 10 finishes was a boat,” Ciliberti said.
“My wife said, ‘Chris, this is the universe speaking.’ That’s when we struck a deal with Matt.”
Professional fishing has different levels – all under the MLF umbrella. The higher levels mean better competition, pricier entry fees and bigger payouts. McCluskey is working his way up the ladder. “I’m in the minor leagues,” he said, “trying to get to the majors.”
McCluskey says he competes in about 40 tournaments a year, including local and weekend regional tournaments.
Last October, McCluskey netted his biggest payday yet. Over two days, he caught 10 bass weighing a total of 34 pounds, 12 ounces on the James River in Richmond to win an MFL Phoenix Bass Fishing League event.
McCluskey earned a prize package worth $50,000. With the win, he also qualified for the 2026 Bass Fishing League All-American in May 2026.
“It was pretty awesome,” said McCluskey, who celebrated his first title with his girlfriend and their parents in attendance. “That win solidified my mentality that I can compete with the best of them.”
McCluskey’s garage shelves are packed with fishing equipment – various rods and more than 100 different artificial lures with whimsical names like the crankbait and the jig-head minnow.
Most of the tournaments McCluskey competes in have a five-fish limit that includes both largemouth and smallmouth bass. McCluskey says in some tournaments he will catch all five in the first spot he finds. Other days, it comes down to the very last cast.
“It’s all about the chase,” he said. “The morning is the thrill. The boats get in line. [There] can be five to 200 boats, depending on the tournament. Everyone races to their spots. You get short spurts of activity and then it can be dead for three hours. There’s always one long lull during the day.”
McCluskey says his strategy is simple – cover as much water as possible. “I don’t like to sit in one spot,” he said. “There will always be fish somewhere else, so I go to them.”
Ciliberti says his friend has what it takes to reach the top of his sport.
“Tournament fishing comes down to making the right decision at the right time. When it comes to intuition and experience, Matt is at a different level,” Ciliberti said. “And he’s calm and centered, even when things aren’t going his way.”
Thomas Arens knows a thing or two about fishing. He hosts an outdoor sports podcast called “Fishing the DMV.” Arens met McCluskey through mutual friends and has had the angler on his show multiple times.
“His brain operates like Chat GPT,” Arens said. “He makes quick decisions and can break down any scenario faster than anyone else. He can read the water and process it quickly.”
With his first professional win under his belt, McCluskey is now working on earning name recognition in the professional ranks.
“With fishing, it’s not all about winning,” Arens said. “You have to grow a brand, be involved with social media and sell product. Matt is a humble guy and that’s a breath of fresh air when it comes to athletes. All he wants to do is fish.”
McCluskey’s goal is to make professional fishing his full-time occupation. But that takes everything from finding corporate sponsors to having a little good luck. In the meantime, he keeps grinding away.
“Competitive bass fishing is all about gambling on yourself,” he said.
Paul Anthony Arco is a longtime journalist and freelance writer who has written for publications around the country.