Jeff Hubbard of Bluefield, Virginia, reeled in the catch of a lifetime this spring at Tennessee’s Cherokee Lake — but the real story isn’t just about the fish he caught. It’s about the choice he made afterward.
Fishing on March 27, Hubbard spent the day working the waters around a steep underwater ledge, where the depth dropped quickly from 15 to 45 feet. The action had been slow until Hubbard spotted baitfish rising on the sonar. Within moments, the surface erupted as stripers launched into a full feeding frenzy.
“I figured they were about to turn on when I saw the bait come up to 20 feet, then 15,” Hubbard explained during a recent interview on West Virginia Outdoors. Ready for the shift, Hubbard switched tactics, tying on an old Rapala topwater lure he found tucked away in his tackle box — a move that would prove pivotal.
“I don’t throw artificials much, but something told me to give it a shot,” he said. His first cast drew an explosive strike that didn’t stick. But his second cast into the same spot hooked something huge.
At first, Hubbard couldn’t tell what he was battling. Unlike a typical striper, this fish stayed deep, making multiple hard dives each time it neared the boat. After a grueling 30-minute fight, Hubbard finally wrestled the giant into his net — and immediately realized he had landed an exceptional hybrid striper.
“She was just massive,” he said. “The bottom of her belly was about seven inches across. Her girth was bigger than her length.”
Adding to the amazement, Hubbard noticed a large shad tail still sticking out of the fish’s throat. The hybrid was clearly feeding heavily and full of eggs — a sign of a healthy, active fish in the prime of spawning season.
Wanting to document the moment without harming the fish, Hubbard quickly measured her girth and length and snapped a few photos, intending to have a replica mount made. When he weighed the hybrid on two sets of scales — one digital, one analog — she consistently registered around 23 pounds 5 ounces. A third set of scales from a nearby angler pegged her at 23 pounds 6 ounces.
That weight edged past the standing Tennessee state record for a hybrid striper, which sits at 23 pounds 3 ounces.
Faced with a decision, Hubbard could either keep the fish and pursue official certification, or release her back into Cherokee Lake to continue the spawn. After a moment’s thought, he chose conservation over recognition.
“Something in my gut just told me to let her go,” Hubbard said. “Maybe you get more respect for putting her back.”
So, with one final kiss on the head for good luck, Hubbard released the record-size hybrid. The fish smacked the water with a powerful tail slap, soaking Hubbard and swimming off strong — a fitting end to a memorable encounter.
For Jeff Hubbard, it wasn’t about a name in the record books. It was about the story, the respect, and giving a remarkable fish another chance to thrive.
And sometimes, that’s the biggest win of all.
Image/Source: wvmetronews
