Earlier this season in one of my favorite early season spots. Mid-afternoon throwing pencil poppers for "schoolies".
The bite was non-existant, nothing really happening....tide was coming in closing over these huge boulders that I like to cast towards when the time is right.....well.....I threw my pencil popper right in the sweet spot and all of a sudden, I saw a huge fish shoot out at the popper just after it hit the water! The head was enormous! I set the hooks and fought what I feel was the biggest fish I have ever had on a fishing rod! Area is a boulder field so I knew I had to give as little line as possible or the fish was gonna rub me off! I held my own really well, had the fishes head up and slowly coming towards me through the rocks....all of a sudden the fish bolted.....I saw it heading for a large boulder and all I could do was groan as I knew the fish was going to go down in front of the rock and lose me!
Line broke....fish gone!
I almost had it but it was not to be......I estimate having seen the fishes head and felt it on the line it had to be in the high 30 pound range!
Thats my story of "The One That Got Away!"