"Hey Alabama"
...I hope you don't mind the nickname.
No doubt, at the right time Alabama John put the wood to that fish. You would of made any long-range deckhand proud with that performance. John fought that fish like a night-bite 80 lb dropper-loop Yellowtail at Cedros, but on straight 30 lb mono. I watched his fish brought to the surface with an old-school reel (2 to 1 gear ratio) in two minutes flat
. I was a little embarrased watching that toad fly to the surface on my sonar, especially after just getting my a$$ kicked during an extended battle.
Big fish and straight mono don't go well with heavy kelp. I'm not sure which fish this week is responsible for my sore arms today, but I know which one started the good kind of pain
.