Ye Yaodong cursed as he tugged and hauled, then loosened the line again after a little while.
"Trying to play a fish with nothing but this line is a fucking pain. Good thing I'm wearing gloves. At least that takes some of the strain off. Dad, hold this wooden spool for me so I can free up my other hand."
Pulling and letting out line with one hand felt awkward, especially with the line winding around his arm before he released it again.
Father Ye eagerly stepped forward to take the wooden spool and squeezed his way to the front.
With his other hand free, Ye Yaodong pulled with both hands. The fishing line had already wound its way up to his upper right arm, and he could feel that the fish below was no longer struggling as hard as it had at first.
It had been downright ferocious at the start, taking the hook and shooting straight off. Caught off guard, he had not just lost hold of the wooden stick-half his body had been dragged over the gunwale.
More and more line wound around his arm. Every so often, he turned his right wrist to loosen it, and the fish below was clearly being hauled up little by little.
"Dad, how much line did you let out? I've been pulling forever, and it's wrapped around my arm over and over. How come there's still so much down there?"
"A longer line catches bigger fish, doesn't it? There hadn't been any movement for ages, so I thought I'd try letting out some more."
"Fair point. It really is a big one, but it's hell on the hands!"
"Can you manage? If not, let me."
"How could I not? This fish feels pretty much worn out now. Just wait. I'll