Great Fight! Biggest fish of my life!

[frugalfisher]

Beautiful day, 2" surf, smooth water, light breeze, dirty green water.
I launched @ 11am, paddled to the pier for bait- nothing there, went to ~30ft and caught 3 8-10" blueback macs, trolled one w/4oz lead, and one cd14 rapala, stopped to switch the rapala for a flyline mac when I was approaching the bouy at 74'. I just got situated when I noticed the weighted mac pole tip bend but not enough to take line off a light drag. I picked it up and then I started losing line and the more I tightened then more I lost until I couldn't believe it! I had just put on 40lb BigGame an hour before and I put it to the test with this one. A half hour later and a tired beautiful BSB appeared. The biggest non-shark fish of my life! eyeballed at ~5' 90-100lbs
Release went well. I checked inside the mouth carefully ~2" ridge of tiny grasping teeth and a very powerful jaw. The hook was in the throat so I cut the line short as possible. I then pulled the fish to give it oxygen and gently pushed it down with my paddle and watched as it swam into the darkness.
I'm very happy that the swim bladder didn't embolize out the stomach and that the fish had enough energy to swim away.
Two more releases later and I had to leave at 3pm for my lab meeting @SDSU.
I couldn't believe that the Sand Dab bit the hook on the iron- he would have needed to been aiming for the point to get it in.