Lost Lunker

It happened two weeks ago, but I can only now start to talk about it. I didn't sleep at all the night it happened. And it continues to haunt me to this day. I'm talking about losing the lunker of a lifetime ... a career best, double-digit Largemouth Bass!
My personal best have been a pair of 7.5 pounders pulled out of Lake Cachuma near Santa Barbara a number of years ago. But, I knew my shot at a 10+ pound Bucketmouth was coming that day. I had envisioned hooking into that fish the night before I headed to Lake Sherwood, CA with some friends. Call it weird, spooky, supernatural, or coincidence, but I KNEW it was coming.
We'd been fishing for a while when the bite really started in earnest just before sunset. I threw on a big fat 7" Senko worm in Watermelon/Black Flake. The bigger the bait the bigger the fish, right?!?
I made a perfect cast to the edge of the weedline. Worked the worm twice, when suddenly there was a quick, light tap on the line. I waited and worked it again ... tap, tap. Then nothing. I quickly casted to the same spot and after two quick lifts of the rod tip I got the same light tap. But, this time instead of working the worm I began to just slowly reel the worm along the bottom. About one and a half turns in, BAM. He slammed that Senko and the fight was on.
I have never had a Bass double my rod over like that before. I instantly knew that I had a BIG fish on. At one point he made a run toward the surface then did a rollover just beneath it. All I could see was his tail - about the size of my hand completely spread out. The wake he left was about 4 feet in diameter. I indeed had my career best Bass on the line!
I called MikeyB over because I knew I would need help landing this beast. When he saw how far over my pole was bent his eyes got as big as silver dollars. Just then, the fish headed under the dock we were fishing from, which just happened to have a swim ladder extending into the water directly in front of where I was standing. Figuring it reached a foot or two into the water and I put my rod tip down to the water appropriately.
Unfortunately, the ladder actually extended about four feet down. That big, strong, beautiful, SMART Largemouth wrapped me around the ladder and easily snapped my 8# test. Jubilation instantly went to that "sinking feeling". We used to have a term for this on the So Cal party boats: Premature Jackpot Elation. I was crushed.
I caught a couple more fish that evening. But, it didn't matter. All I could think about was "the one that got away". That's all I have thought about since. But, I know that there is at least one HUGE fish in that lake. And, I'll be back there soon. VERY soon!

Nice story!