ANNAPOLIS, MD—Earlier this month, Maryland angler Garrett Davis achieved what many muskie hunters only dream of: catching a specific, long-tracked legend of the non-tidal Potomac River. Davis, a Clear Spring resident, landed a 16-year-old female muskellunge known to scientists as Fish 691—marking the first time the elusive predator has been caught by an angler in her long history.
Fish 691 has been a subject of study for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) since 2013. While biologists had captured her four times during scientific surveys over the last 13 years, she had never once been reported as caught by a recreational angler until Davis reeled her in on January 4.
A decade of data
The story of Fish 691 provides a rare glimpse into the life of an apex predator in a high-pressure environment. Her timeline with the DNR includes:
- March 2013: First captured during a routine survey at 30.25 inches long.
- March 2015: Recaptured in the same area, having grown to 36.5 inches.
- March 2017: Fitted with a radio transmitter. At age seven, she weighed 15.5 pounds.
- March 2021: Recaptured again at age 11, weighing 20.75 pounds and measuring 43.75 inches.
Tracking data revealed that Fish 691 was surprisingly sedentary, rarely leaving her preferred pool habitat despite living in a stretch of the river with some of the highest angling pressure in the state.
The fish of 10,000 casts
Muskies are famously difficult to catch, earning the nickname the fish of 10,000 casts. In the Potomac, they exist in low densities—estimated at only 7 to 11 adult fish per river mile. Fish 691’s ability to avoid angler hooks for 16 years, despite staying in a popular fishing spot, underscores the species’ legendary evasiveness.
When Davis finally landed the trophy fish, he recorded her tag number and took photos before releasing her back into the river…