I might not be the best one to comment (as I don't catch a lot of monsters), but the biggest fish that I ever had on, I landed. Now, let it be said that this was on a boat, but it took me and my crew by surprise, and I caught it on a rod built for schoolies (on a 40 year old boat). The fish took 180 yards of line off a 965 on a 7 foot gloomis, and my buddies couldn't figure out how to pull the anchor or start the engine, so I was stuck.
Kept my wits about me, was patient, and didn't choke by tightening the drag when I was almost out of line.
Hard to say what I would have done on a rock at night (probably would have never believed that there was that much line out), but be patient, keep an eye out for what's going on around you, AND DON'T SCREW UP WHEN THE FISH IS IN CLOSE.
That's my best advice, but then again, it's been a while since I have had a big fish on, sooooo.
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