Ray,

Just being able to feel the power of such a fish is a real experience, I would imagine your wife was really thrilled to have hooked such a monster. At the price of a reel?, well that is a little harder to swallow, but her memory of how that fish felt will stay with her a long time, just like your memory of having seen the fish, just adds to the fun and excitement. Good luck in the future when stalking this fish.

Larry