Kyle Mullenix, 32, of Hagerstown, Maryland caught a 33-pound, 49-inch muskie from the upper Potomac River that is a new state record, according to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Mullenix caught the muskie on March 2 and had it officially weighed and certified by the state. The catch stands as the largest muskellunge caught in the Free State. Mullenix’s muskie is the first state-certified record fish caught in Maryland this year. Mullenix says that he’d spent many years trying to catch a muskie, which is the largest freshwater gamefish species in Maryland. He was fishing with a 7-foot spinning rod and live bait when he hooked into his record catch.
“He put up a good fight, but we didn’t think it was that big until it was on the bank,” says Mullenix. “Things don’t always go as planned, but now life has gotten a lot better.”
DNR reports the fish was weighed on certified scales at Ernst County Market in Clear Spring, and it was verified by a state fisheries biologist. Scales and a bone from the muskie were requested by biologists from the taxidermist who is mounting the fish for Mullenix. They’ll use these samples to learn more about the massive muskie.
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Mullenix’s fish tops the previous state-record muskie, which was caught May 6, 2017 by Tessa Cosens. Her fish weighed 32.5 pounds and was 49-inches long with a 24-inch girth. Cosens’ fish also was caught from the upper Potomac River in Washington County.
