You're not going to land every big fish you hook--especially in current, in water with a lot of nasty structure. I get my ass kicked by a fish that just doesn't want to be caught almost every year, in the Canal. When I'm fishing near one of the bridges, I use an All Star rod rated to 12 oz, heavy braid and a winch of a reel that holds 15# of drag all night--and there are fish that I just can't turn trying every trick in my book.
Bridge fishing is tough. You lose a lot, but you usually are talking quality fish when you hook up---and after all, 3/4ths of the fun is the fight. Landing them is just gravy
