Frank Hubert Jr. caught a record-breaking bowfin at 12 lbs 10 oz in December of 2024 while kayak fishing in New Jersey. The catch came after a local warming trend left the backwater sloughs of southern New Jersey ice-free and ready to fish. While this bowfin catch is a state record, Hubert claims it wasn’t even his personal best. Two years prior, he caught a bowfin about a pound bigger than the record.
“I just took some pictures, weighed it on some scales and let her go. And then found out that in New Jersey you don’t actually have to kill the fish for a record,” Hubert told Kayak Angler. Hubert’s first bowfin catch weighed in at 13 lbs 12 oz.
Following his realization of the flexible rule, Hubert knew it was a matter of time before he’d get another record-breaking bowfin.
How a love for snakehead lead to a record bowfin catch
Hubert’s record bowfin is the result of a quest initiated ten years ago, when northern snakehead invaded the Mid-Atlantic fishing scene.
“We started really falling in love with these fish,” Hubert explained. “You had all these stories and all this publicity about how bad they were and [how] they take over and they’re invasive, and what we were seeing is that the local fish— the native fish that we’re used to catching, like largemouth bass, they weren’t being effected… we noticed that the bass were eating a lot of the snakehead babies.”
Hubert noted that snakehead have the ability to survive in waters that aren’t traditionally good to fish in, like the swampy backwaters connected to tidal tributaries of the Delaware River.
“The snakeheads were doing good because they can breathe atmospheric air, so they can live in these marginal waters,” Hubert shared. “That’s how we came about finding bowfin.”
Bowfin are rare in New Jersey, Hubert explained. The bowfin, of the order Amiiformes, dates back to the Jurassic period more than 70 million years ago, and is sometimes called a “living fossil.” The species is distantly related to gar, and sometimes confused with the invasive northern snakehead though bowfin are native to the region. Much like the snakehead, the bowfin are also able to breathe and intake oxygen from both the water and the air.
Custom lure made by Hubert’s nephew that secured the record bowfin catch. Image courtesy Frank Hubert Jr.
Through fishing for snakehead, often with his nephew who went on to create the Snakehead Outlawz Facebook group, Hubert set his sights on the New Jersey bowfin record, and after his initial big bowfin catch, Hubert came prepared.
“I had a big cooler in my car to put it in and keep it alive and was able to go get it certified, weighed, and released alive. Which is what I was hoping for,” explained Hubert. He went on to share that his record bowfin in December 2024 was caught on a custom lure made by his nephew.
Why a fishing kayak is “the right tool for the job” for New Jersey bowfin record holder
Hubert got his start in kayak fishing in his twenties, working at a canoe and kayak outfitter in Wilmington, Delaware.
“It was right when kayaks started coming on to the scene— affordable, plastic kayaks, mainly by Old Town,” shared Hubert. “I think the Old Town Otter was the first one I had ever seen. We had those in our rental fleet.”
Beginning with canoe fishing, Hubert dove into the world of fishing from a watercraft, setting out on fishing trips all over the eastern seaboard, from Maine to Florida. More and more, Hubert became interested in fishing places that were difficult to reach on foot. Enter the fishing kayak; in mostly swampy waters you can’t bring a bass boat and it’s much more difficult to access these areas on foot than by kayak.
“I got my first kayak, a lightweight one, and I would drop this thing, slide it down a super steep hill and when I was done fishing I’d tie a rope to it and literally pull it up hand over hand to get it back,” Hubert explained. “About five years ago I bought an Old Town Topwater, much more stable than my original kayak.”
The one thing that Hubert really enjoys when it comes to kayak fishing is a challenge:
“I love challenges and getting into hard to reach places. I’ve had many expeditions where we’ve been stuck in storms— we had a muskrat jump into our canoe one time in the middle of nowhere and had to get this thing out,” Hubert shared. “I sent some pictures and got some opinions and later found out that it was a nutria, which is a South American animal. They had escaped, I believe, from a fur farm somewhere in Maryland. We were in Southern Delaware.”
“Canoes and kayaks are the absolute best craft to get back into these waters and target these fish,” explained Hubert.
What’s next for this New Jersey kayak angler?
When it comes to bowfin, Hubert isn’t done.
“My goal is to push the record up a little bit higher, I’m pretty certain there’s some bigger ones out there since I’ve already caught one that was a pound bigger than the record,” said Hubert, adding that his nephew, of Snakehead Outlawz, remains his main fishing buddy, often either together in a canoe or in separate Old Town Topwater fishing kayaks.
For anglers looking to access backwaters, swamps and sloughs or just expand their fishing across the board, Hubert recommends taking the time to get a fishing kayak suited to your own needs and body type.
“Get a kayak made for fishing because it’s going to be much more stable than a recreational kayak,” shared Hubert. “That will give you the ability to stand up, which is key. When you’re starting out the ability to stand, cast, set the hook, you can see so much more. I would say get a good kayak, don’t just get a cheap kayak that’s gonna float you… get the right tool for the job.”
