Decided to drive down to Startup-Sky hole last evening for a total of about an hr to fish. When I got there, lots of people ~30 cars- but plenty of room for me to try for some smoker-filling chum. I grabbed the wrong leader-spool/ended up tying a Marabou hot orange jig on below bobber. Nothing for 20min- nobody around had anything for over couple hours. My bobber went down so fast, before even setting hook, out jumped an enormous buck clear across Sky current. My first thought, “There goes a new jig lost!” My mainline is 20LB Braided, but the 6LB CXX Pline leader on end. I had also only brought my lightweight 6’6” rod making for an even better fight of over 20min to finesse him in to boulders and avoid all logs too…left my net in rig, naturally. He had INHALED jig and NO damage to 6LB CXX leader. He was a bit over 25LB at ~37” long and 26” girth. Needless to say, I am stoked to have so much meat in brine to make use of chum oily meat! Enjoy these guys! Hope you all do too…. Darn good smokers. Actually was hungry last night after filleting and slow-baked up a LB w/ the usual just adding a little brown sugar.

---