Minnesota Angler Tops His Own Bowfin Record

Ben Erb of Bemidji, Minnesota, already held his state’s catch-and-release record for bowfin. On July 3, he beat it with a fish caught just a half inch longer than the one he landed the summer before.

A Backwater He Knew Well

Erb, a 31-year-old graduate fisheries biologist researcher at Bemidji State University, launched his kayak into a Mississippi River backwater around 1 p.m. on a warm, sunny afternoon, according to Outdoor Life. He fished a spot he’d targeted before for its size potential.

“I went to a place I know that attracts some big ones,” Erb told Outdoor Life. “The area is about three feet deep, with bulrushes on one side and cattails on the other side. Bowfin cruise between them looking for food.”

Twenty minutes in, he caught and released a decent bowfin. Then he spotted another one, a mudfish holding just a few feet from his kayak in the clear, shallow water.

The Take

Bowfin behavior worked in his favor. “They’re very curious fish and often swim right up to my kayak – and that’s what this one did,” Erb said. He dropped a five-inch creek chub minnow right under his rod tip.

The fish grabbed the bait by the tail, then sat motionless next to the kayak for about ten seconds. With his 1/0 hook set at the bait’s nose, Erb had to wait for the bowfin to take the whole minnow and turn before setting.

When it felt the hook, the roughly 12-pound fish jumped twice and pulled hard against baitcasting tackle and 60-pound braided line. It then tangled in the bulrushes, forcing Erb to paddle over to it.

“There was no place for the fish to run, so it burrowed into the grass,” he said. “When I got to it, I thought it was longer than the one I caught last August. I measured it in my kayak and knew then it was another Minnesota catch-and-release record for bowfin.”

Certifying the Record

The fish taped out at 31.5 inches, a half inch longer than the 31-inch bowfin that earned Erb the record in 2025.

Minnesota requires a witness to see the fish and verify its length before certifying a catch-and-release state record. Erb called his friend Matt Lavrenz, who drove to a nearby boat launch to watch the measurement. The two then released the fish back into the Mississippi River. Erb submitted the catch to the Minnesota DNR, which recently certified the record.

Erb believes the same water holds even bigger bowfin that will eventually produce another record. He remains a vocal advocate for a native species he says most American anglers overlook.

The celebration was low-key. “Matt and I quit fishing then and went to a nearby Mexican restaurant,” Erb said. “We celebrated with burritos and margaritas.”

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