AngleThis
04-03-2002, 07:08 PM
I hit the river today for a just a few hours, to unwind and get some first sun tan exposure. We visited the punchbowl for about two hours. The bite was slow; I picked up just three shakers. Parnter Nancy, who outfished me three to one last time we were out, never got bit.
Around 5, with the engine warming up for the return trip, we pulled our lines out. As I was reeling, Nancy said "Uh oh, I'm snagged....wait, I'm not snagged, there is something on here, but it's not a fish". I looked over and saw that she had snagged something pretty heavy, but it had broken free from the bottom....I said "bootfish" and kept reeling up. Suddenly, she's screaming like a banchie "It is a fish! It is a fish!..what do I do?"..." The same thing you always do". "No!...but!...wait!......it's too big...I can't I can't!". Sure enough, my peeler rod with 65lb toughline was doubled over and she was leaning back and hard pressed to hold onto the pole. So I loosened ed the drag a bit and said "work it!". A few seconds later, she screams "Help help!..take it take it!". so I did. Right as I did, he went DOWN. I could tell right off this fish was better than 50' as it definitely outfought the 54 incher I took late last year. Didn't feel like a peeler because I could hold it off the bottom except when it ran hard, and it was not running up or down river like every other peeler I've hooked into. I had it about half way back to the boat when it came off!...My second lost biggie of the season....arrrrrr!.
I can't say for sure if it was legal or not, but my educated guess is right around the 60" mark. As one of only 4 fiish hooked, I can safely say, there are still some big fish in the punchbowl. May have to try it again on Friday instead of Chinook, which bulk of which seem to be quite late.
Around 5, with the engine warming up for the return trip, we pulled our lines out. As I was reeling, Nancy said "Uh oh, I'm snagged....wait, I'm not snagged, there is something on here, but it's not a fish". I looked over and saw that she had snagged something pretty heavy, but it had broken free from the bottom....I said "bootfish" and kept reeling up. Suddenly, she's screaming like a banchie "It is a fish! It is a fish!..what do I do?"..." The same thing you always do". "No!...but!...wait!......it's too big...I can't I can't!". Sure enough, my peeler rod with 65lb toughline was doubled over and she was leaning back and hard pressed to hold onto the pole. So I loosened ed the drag a bit and said "work it!". A few seconds later, she screams "Help help!..take it take it!". so I did. Right as I did, he went DOWN. I could tell right off this fish was better than 50' as it definitely outfought the 54 incher I took late last year. Didn't feel like a peeler because I could hold it off the bottom except when it ran hard, and it was not running up or down river like every other peeler I've hooked into. I had it about half way back to the boat when it came off!...My second lost biggie of the season....arrrrrr!.
I can't say for sure if it was legal or not, but my educated guess is right around the 60" mark. As one of only 4 fiish hooked, I can safely say, there are still some big fish in the punchbowl. May have to try it again on Friday instead of Chinook, which bulk of which seem to be quite late.