I run 30 pound braid (Powerpro) to 20 pound flurocarbon (Seaguar). Excellent combination, althought even some of these fish are able to spool or break the line.

I have kept my fair share of fish this year, although I give a large majority of the meat away. I keep them because I need the eggs to fish with. I assure you, none of the meat ever goes to waste. A majority of the fish pictured I released, although there were plenty no pictured that went in the cooler.

This year has been a spectacular run of fish size-wise. The largest fish we put in the boat this fall was 27 lbs, and a few pictured there are easily in the low to mid 20s. The fish with the very large, thick shoulders really put on the pounds. It has been a trip attempting to land a majority of these fish, and fortunately I have done extreme well this fall.