Late one November night, when the whitefish were running, I went fishing near the mouth of Lake Illiamna just to see what I might catch. I tried a variety of flies and lures when suddenly something took my offering. Something big. Something really big. Now, I've caught 50 pound kings, a 250 pound halibut and numerous salmon sharks that weighed over 500 pounds so I know what a big fish feels like. What took my lure felt much bigger. It might have been a seal, but it was dark and I couldn't see past my rod tip, though I don't think so. It was bigger than that. I had it on just long enough for it to break my line.