Riverwoods, Illinois

New pb, I need better line

Yesterday while fishing, my rod holder & Ugly Stik Rod and Reel combo got ripped out of the ground & into the river. The Drag was set really loosely too- I sprinted to it as the fish took it but it literally flew out of the ground off the bank. First rod I bought last July when I was getting into fishing. Wasn't sure if I was more upset about losing the rod/reel or the fish 😫 I said farewell- "so long sweet Prince, you've served your family well" 👋⚰️💀😐🥀 About 15 minutes later...I thought I saw the bobber from that rod! I got excited, grabbed my casting rod with a Husky Jerk tied on, went full send & snagged my line on the 2nd cast! As I felt one end of the line, I noticed a fish was still on! So I hand pulled in the line, and hand landed a 5-6 lb catfish! Then, I hauled my rod in! 🤣 And not kidding...the day got weirder. I saw another bobber down 20 min later...start hauling it in...thought it was some weird eel... nope, giant snake, whose head I had to grab like a circus performer to unhook because he snagged himself 🤦‍♂️. Other than that, just one little Smallmouth Bass. What a session 😜