Sometimes we do lose them because of the pilings.

Catching them is a coordinated tangle. We usually do pretty good. The first 10 minutes the fish runs away from the pier, the next ten weare reeling in the 300-400 yards of line it took on the initial run. The last 10 minutes is the hardest part...fighting right next to the pier. It isn't too bad, except for when it gets near a piling or goes under the pier. We strain our lines to the breaking point trying to lift the head and turn the beast. Eventually we hang a gaff from a rope it get it!