Mike Z's posting on "afraid of the dark" reminded me of an incident I experienced last month. While dragging an unfortunate shad out of Weekapaug breachway, I made the mistake of lifting the 1/4 lb. monster with my rod (just like those neat pictures of trout fisherman with their rods bent to the cork), causing the clouser to tear out of its soft mouth and whistle by my ear. Lessons learned: I was really glad to be wearing my glasses, and I recommend never putting the line under excessive strain when landing a fish (easier said than done without a net); there will always be that last minute struggle by the fish, but no need to take a cavalier attitude like I did and risk injury. Good Luck!--Tim