Chapter 145: Absolutely No Blue
It was a rare sight—a truly massive fish—and the battle between man and fish was nothing short of spectacular.
Haley quickly lifted her camera with one hand and captured the scene: the catfish breaking the surface, the nearly doubled-over fishing rod, the taut fishing line, and Leon, who stood like a rock, refusing to yield an inch.
While Haley was taking photos, Leon wasn’t idle. He leaned back, half his body tilted, and began to haul up the heavy rod with all his strength. Feeling the catfish’s struggles start to weaken, he gritted his teeth and sped up his movements.
As he reeled in frantically, he took two steps back, then exerted one last burst of strength, ripping the giant catfish out of the water.
Crack!
With a sharp snap, Willy’s old bamboo fishing rod—faithful for many years—finally gave way. In this duel between Leon and the massive catfish, it was the first casualty, breaking cleanly in two.
But the catfish was already out of the water. Carried by momentum, even without the rod’s pull, it arced through the air in a twisted parabola and crashed onto the riverbank.
Leon tossed aside the half rod still in his hand, stepped on the thrashing fish, grabbed it by the mouth, and dragged it away from the water’s edge.
Phew.