F40 yamaha cannot remove lower unit

I've got the lower unit about 4 inches down but it seems to be caught. Most people tell me one need not loosen any bolts on the shift rod to get the lower unit off. It seems to be held up by the driveshaft after sliding down four inches. It is an f40tlr four stroke yamaha outboard.
Very frustrating. please help if you've done this before.

[boats.net]

You do have to unscrew coupler nut on shift shaft to separate upper and lower shift shaft.