Quinte Fishing

First soft water fish in at least 5 years for The Bay for me,almost stop on the roadway coming in to Dorland due to heavy rain. Finally get out on the water about 7:30 and start trolling towards Thompson. Stop at the point 2 km west of the church for a little jigging and WHAM!! the tube jig is burning out about 400 MPH from the boat. The fish goes from 5lbs to 10 lbs fairly quickly, reverse is flicked off the spinning reel and the knuckles take a real fast dusting, but no bleeding yet.
Meanwhile my partner has reeled in and is watching with net ready, coaching non-stop, and laughing his butt off due to the bruising from the run this pig took.
After about 6 or 7 minutes of nothing but some serious runs and nothing coming to the top, I have decided this is about a 20 to 30 lb muskie. I knew it had way to much shoulder for a walleye, and it wasn't scrapping like a pike. Well, it came close to the surface for the first time, and lo and behold, I had my tube jig sucked down by one big mo of a CARP!
There was, to say the least, a little bit of laughter from both of us. Fought him/it for another minute or so on the 10lb mono and then said the heck with this and started to horse it as we had other fish to skin.
Got a few pics of it beside the boat first, we figure it at 25-30 lbs before the jig pulled out and off we went for further adventures.
Headed out to Shermans, picked up 1 walleye about 3lbs on an Erie Dearie at about the same time as another boat caught 1 as well, both in about 18 feet of water trolling with the wind. Nothing else for us or any other boats that we saw, and off the water about 1:00.
John

Got to love it, Nothing like catching a big fish on light line.
As long as your drag is set right its amazing, the weight vs line strength that is possible.

No doubt with the newer drag systems you can tinker and set them to almost anything that will work in alot of situations, but not every situation is the same. Especially the difference between 6' of line out and 60',and a stretch factor of 2" or 5' with mono anyways.
I hate to date myself, but I started fishing with the Mitchell 300A, that puppy would work with 4lb test or clothesline, it didn't matter, and with the reverse off you didn't worry about a big pike hitting you at shore and snapping off, the knuckle blood was your drag and a badge of courage.
I do believe I actually saw Izumi on 1 of his shows backreeling as well on a spinning reel, it's just not something you decide to do all of a sudden, it has to be instinct.
To each his own, but after you lose even 1 fish over 10 lbs that hits your lure just feet from shore or the boat and you feel the PING as your favorite lure leaves you forever,and see the flash of silver as the monster glides away, you know that flicking the reverse off would have allowed you to fight that fish just a little longer.
It works for me and has landed me more then 1 fish over 15lbs; if it works for anyone else as well I would be curious to know as I know I can't be the only other person who does this on a regular basis.
John