Good timing: Illinois’ lake whitefish record falls again, for the sixth time

In further detail, we were on an 11 boat tournament charter trip for local bars in town. I think this was the sixth year. Prize layout for the derby is heaviest fish and heaviest three fish total. I swept the prizes last year and fully intended to do so again so we went for lake trout in an area that’s usually good for them.First fish on of the morning was a big king on the same rod as what caught the whitefish. My guy had the big king to the back of the boat, did everything very well, but it just came unbuttoned. That fish was a high teen low 20 lb fish and would have one biggest fish this morning. Then we had another fish on the same rod but it got away. I left the line out without checking the lure. Then after 20 minutes I thought I better check it and pulled it in to make sure it didn’t break the line. The line was fine but the snap swivel was broken and the spoon was gone. That previous king could have damaged it. But it was that next fish that broke it. So I tied a new snap on and put the same kind of spoon on (magnum carmel dolphin Mich Stinger) and let it out on the 300ft copper. A soon as the line was all out and I re-enmgaged the free spool, the whitefish was on. So, like a lot of things fish, timing was absolutely everything here.