08-07-2018, 12:35 PM
Sounds great Pat, always fun to tangle with a big kitty.
Last Friday I made it out for a morning trip and hooked into a fish that was by far the strongest and hardest pulling thing that I've tangled with since a barn door halibut in Alaska. First off this one was on my heaviest set up it has 30 or 40 pound powerpro braid with my heavy rod and strongest reel. Solid 5/0 hook and I can basically horse most anything in on this setup. Well it wasn't happening this fish was peeling line and going wherever it wanted to and I couldn't do much to change that. I figured I had that 36"er. Well after 10-12 minutes of struggling with this monster, I started to use the halibut lift up reel down method to try and gain ground on it and get it off the bottom. I'd cranked my drag down as tight as I dared and I finally started to gain some ground on the fish. Well I ended up getting it to the surface and then the disappointment set in. It was a 25.5" cat foul hooked in the bottom fin just in front of the tail. Still don't know how it pulled so hard, talk about punching above its weight, this one was 6 or 7 times its weight. Sure was fun but one heck of a disappointment.
Anyway I'll get that one of yours entered as soon as I can today if you get it posted. Thanks J
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Last Friday I made it out for a morning trip and hooked into a fish that was by far the strongest and hardest pulling thing that I've tangled with since a barn door halibut in Alaska. First off this one was on my heaviest set up it has 30 or 40 pound powerpro braid with my heavy rod and strongest reel. Solid 5/0 hook and I can basically horse most anything in on this setup. Well it wasn't happening this fish was peeling line and going wherever it wanted to and I couldn't do much to change that. I figured I had that 36"er. Well after 10-12 minutes of struggling with this monster, I started to use the halibut lift up reel down method to try and gain ground on it and get it off the bottom. I'd cranked my drag down as tight as I dared and I finally started to gain some ground on the fish. Well I ended up getting it to the surface and then the disappointment set in. It was a 25.5" cat foul hooked in the bottom fin just in front of the tail. Still don't know how it pulled so hard, talk about punching above its weight, this one was 6 or 7 times its weight. Sure was fun but one heck of a disappointment.
Anyway I'll get that one of yours entered as soon as I can today if you get it posted. Thanks J
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