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Damn, I'm still amazed by that fish, I had the TLD drag set at 10lbs at "strike" and had to move the lever past that to about 75% to slow that beast down, didn't stop him for several long violent runs. I've got to admit I had a lot of respect for that scrappy old dude, but after my quad bypass 6 months ago the doc said I should eat more fish. So, basically, it was either him or me...
I remember thinking a couple of things while my rod was bent in half and line was peeling off the reel in big spurts, especially the first couple minutes. Is it knothead the dog? Is something big and angry going to come out of the water and make me its bitch? Do rapalas have a solid wire between the connection ring and the hook? Did I double over the spectra before I tied a uni-knot? At one point I had to put my legs in the water because it was towing me towards the reserve so fast.
It cooked up really well on the bbq. I ended up having Mario at Sportsmen’s Seafoods fillet it. I usually fillet myself but that thing was bigger than my table and I had a busy weekend. I'm having 1/2 a loin jerkied there. A tip from Mario, ice down a larger fish for 18-24 hours so that it gets stiff and makes it easier to fillet, otherwise it's hard to get clean fillets on soft or mushy flesh.
If you've never tried Sportsmen's Seafood near Seaforth you are missing out. They have a restaurant and fresh fish market. They will clean and vacuum seal your catch for $.75 per lb. or turn it into jerky for $1 per lb. Try a sample of their tuna jerky, good stuff.
I've put in 150 hours with bait in the water since my last 8lb yellowtail in September. Time on the water and a lot of luck pays off.
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