Almost the same story as JohnR in probably the same location. 3 of us on my boat. Me, my buddy and a friend of his. Me and my buddy have been catching fairly regularly for an hour or so and his friend is up on the bow pulling up skate after skate. He stayed up there cuz he wanted to light up a fattie and I told him I didn't want to see it. A few minutes later and we're bustin his b@lls about catching nothing but skates and my line just starts peeling of like no tomorrow. I cup the spool, set the hook, and I can tell it's going to be a while before I can turn this fish. The fish made an about face and headed for the rock piles and like John said, I could feel the line chaffing on every rock and sure enough, it broke off before I could loosen the drag.
I'm sitting there whinning about this cow that just got away, and this guy with red eyes and wasted voice says, "Uhhh.....I might have only caught skates tonight, but at least I don't have to go home with the heartbreak of knowing I lost the big one."
Yeah, thanks buddy. How poetic!
