Heartbreaker

I'm in my kayak this evening doing my thing. Went 5 for 6 on wacky senkos in PB&J, with several fish over 3lbs. I make a cast up against a standing cypress tree in 6' of water...I felt the bump, dropped the tip, and set the hook. The fish takes off like a rocket, and I quickly get her right next to my kayak. I think we may have made eye contact for a brief moment. Then she went back down and started running like a d**n tuna. She made a very hard and fast run, not like any other bass I've caught. My drag went completely slack, and my spool was spinning freely creating a disgusting birds nest. I dropped the rod and started hand lining it. She continued to run, and the line got wrapped around my hand in the mayhem. The the line parted, and away she went. I screamed every single word in the bad-word dictionary (glad nobody else was around).  I am estimating the fish around 26", and very round. I have never seen LMB that big before. It was an absolute stud of a fish. I have NEVER bought cheap gear before, but now that I have kids to feed, I have no choice but to buy inexpensive gear. That was definitely the last cheap piece of gear I ever buy. It was a Daiwa Revos 2500....now it's an ornament on the bottom of the reservoir.