got out fishing again this afternoon.
it was rough going there for a bit they were bighting but i wasn't catching them too good.
on hit me good an I set the hook and immediately got wrapped around something I couldn't budge and ended up losing about 30 yds. of line.
I finally got a decent one and about 20 minutes later I had one playing around and I decided to wait it out.
it was bringing my stuff back in towards me and I caught up with the reel and set the hook.
it took off for the ice shelf I was fishing on the edge of, and I was hanging on.
Jax heard the drag and come running down the shore to help, which I didn't want at the moment.
since I had lost the line and I was casting out about 50 yds I didn't have a whole lot of line left to work with, and this one was trying to get it all.
worked and worked to bring it in being careful to make sure the fish was fighting the pole and not taxing the line too much, I got it in to about 20 yards and it took off again making a run of about 25 yards and heading towards some weeds to my right.
I got it turned around and started working it in towards shore and jax decided it was time to wade out and help me out.
she tried but the fish was too big for her to get ahold of and I made her come back and it took off again on another run.
I knew it was at least 4 lbs. at this point, but it wasn't sluggish and didn't tire as easily as they normally do at that size.
I had to kind of let it go at this point and I clicked the drag out a little looser and raised the tip of the pole to almost vertical to make it work harder.
I finally got it stopped and turned it sideways to the shore and it worked it's way back and forth while I kept the pressure on working line in a little at a time.
this time I directed it towards a little rocky point off to my left that was about 6-7"s deep, but it was having none of that nonsense and shot straight along the edge towards where the first one had got me all wrapped up before so I walked down the shore to my left edging it that direction.
this time it come up on top and done a half jump and head shake and I thought it was for sure going to break the line or throw the hook.
but it kind of a half hearted attempt and I was able to control it's head now and was winning the fight.
Jax decided maybe it was time to help again and got a boot in the ass for her efforts and decided she was now a spectator.
I got it coming in and back over to the shallow point again and it almost swam itself up against the ice along the shoreline and waited for me to get there and hook it under the gills and lift it out of the water.