re: The one that got away...

I know the feeling. I was fishing Rayburn in the Spring tossing a 7 inch pumpkin seed bandit worm into the willows. I make a cast the worm hits the side of the willow and goes straight down. I lift my rod tip to start working the worm and it will not budge, feels like I am hung on a root or something. I pop the rod once does not budge, pop the rod twice still does not budge, I pop the rod hard this time to try and break it loose and it was like I hooked an semi on the interstate. The line started to go out to deep water, I cant budge this toad, drag is ripping of my real and I am hanging on for dear life. She tries to jump but cant, she is so fat that all that would come out of the water was her head and gills. We fight and fight and fight then she comes up one more time,shakes that big head and I see my worm going in one direction and the fish going back down. It was all in slow motion. Was a great experience but a painful one. This fish would have been in the 12+ range easily.