Man o man I tied into a brute today! Had some time this morning, went to the closest hole to the house. One of the creek tailouts, top has big rocks, bottom end is soft and slow.
Worked the whole stretch above the creek with spoons. I have been throwing spinners as I did best with them last year, but the last two weeks...nada. So today was back to the spoon drift!
By the time I lost my second spoon to the boulder demons I was nearing the middle of the current seam. A place that my eye tells me fish will hold even though it is fairly swift. I don't know, I'm not a very talented fisherman. Frustrated and down ten bucks, I tie on a snap and put on a single hook vibrax. Big cast, slow drift, SLAM! Had to be ten pounds, all the usual misconceptions... I'm snagged, oh wait that's a fish! yeah, fish on! It was so strong, I was sure it was foul hooked and had full strength and the river current to use against me. No, nice solid right in the beak! He went upriver, my line slicing through the water, back down again, then I was able to work him closer as he headed back upriver practically right in front of me. I started backing out of the water, stumbling and slipping over the rocks. Got a little closer to shore and he went berserk again. Still kept him on through the chaotic splashing and as I did the final head turn and tried to glide him up in between the rocks closer to shore, THE KNOT FAILED AT MY SNAP AND THE BRUISER SWAM OFF WITH MY SPINNER IN HIS MOUTH. Not the biggest fish I have (almost) caught this year, but the best fight hands down. Adrenaline moment, only thing better would have been popping his gills. My neighbor from a few places down was just packing up and leaving and saw the whole thing. I'm expecting some knot tutorials next time I run into him.
Good Luck out there!

---