“Got him,” he gasped as he regained his balance.
“And a big one,” Jack shouted. “Let him run. You can’t pull him in yet.”
Rex let the line run out until the reel was three quarters empty.
“Now put on the brake but not too hard.”
“He’s going to take it all,” Rex cried as the brake failed to stop the fish.
“If he does the only thing to do is to cling on and hope the line will hold.”
The reel stopped clicking as the final layer of line ran out and Rex braced his feet for the tug.
“He’s a big one all right,” Jack shouted as the fish broke water far out near the middle of the stream.
“If only this line doesn’t break,” Rex gasped.
“It’s a brand new silk line and ought to hold if he isn’t over eight pounds,” Jack assured him.