Let's start off with your casting upstream in a big pool.
You decide to use a caddis as you can see a couple floating around in the light breeze. You start casting, and casting, no risers in sight.
All of a sudden you hear a big splash behind you. You turn around and there is ripples 10ft downstream. You move downstream of the ripples and wait. 20 seconds later you see a snout rise and you lay your caddis 5ft upstream. One second later all hell breaks loose.
A big splash, and the line starts ripping through your fingers. You try to get a hook set but can't because the beast is already peeling line out. The beast heads straight out for the middle of the water. You watch your reel as you get closer and closer to the backing. Using your palm, you slow the beasts run to a halt and try to gain some ground back. You manage a few feet back before another run. This run is short and downstream. The fish now lies close to the bank, in a fast current. You decide to run down the bank, in near blackness to gain ground. You manage to gain almost all your line back before the beast takes off again.
After a few more minutes of running down the bank, and the beast running, you finally get a glimpse at it. All you see is a bigggg flash of white and the beast takes another run to the middle. Still unsure as to which species it is, you try desperately to land it.
You finally get the beast tired and as it gets closer to you, your rod tip flies up, and line goes slack.
The beast popped off. Now you are angry, real angry. You mutter a few choice words and sit down a ponder what went wrong. The fly is still on your line and the hook is straight. After a few minutes you still don't know what went wrong and just continue to fish.
That was my story tonight. The one that got away. I'm still mad about it since it looked 23"+
It peeled line and fought so much harder than my PB rainbow at 20.5"
Oh well I'll catch him tomorrow.