Fish Tales from Tucker Lake

“I got one! I got one!” Sidney shouted. “Holy crow, it’s taking out line.” Sidney played the fish just like his dad had taught him. He let it take some line, and then he reeled in. He’d let it take more line and reel in again. After doing that three times he tightened the drag on his reel. That made it harder for the jackfish to swim away from him. Eventually the jackfish was too tired to fight any more. Sidney eased the fish up to the dock where Jared’s dad netted the fish and took a quick measurement. The fish was 73 centimetres long. Sidney held the fish across his body.
“Seeing is believing, boys.” Sidney lowered the fish back into the water and twisted the hook from its lip. The jackfish flipped its tail, splashing water in Sidney’s face. “I guess I deserved that,” Sidney said smiling.
Steve cast again. “There’s still 20 minutes left. One of us could still win.” The other boys cast too and hoped to catch a bigger fish.
“Fish on!” Jared reeled in his line.
“I got one too!” Steve’s rod was bent in half under the strain of a big fish.
As Jared’s fish got closer to the dock, he could tell it was smaller than Sidney’s.
“Mine is big.” Steve kept playing the fish until it tired. He reeled it in toward the dock. Sidney’s heart sank when he saw Steve’s fish. It was big. The boys crowded around while Sidney’s dad measured the fish. He slowly pulled the measuring tape from the fork of the fish’s tail toward the tip of its nose. Sidney’s dad counted centimetres as he went—50, 60, 65, 70…,
Sidney held his breath and Steve leaned in closer.
“…71, 71.5”
“Sorry, Steve. It’s close, but it’s only 71.5 centimetres.”
“Time!” said Jared’s dad.
Sidney won the contest, but he had mixed feelings about it. He’d proven himself as a fisherman, but winning his friends’ trust back was what he really wanted. He couldn’t afford to give them another reason to doubt him. He decided he’d go easy on the loser, Jared; after all, he wasn’t the one who lied and prompted the contest.
“Hey, Jared. Pack up my fishing gear and I’ll get us a snack.”
“Yes, Boss.”
Steve and Landon rolled their eyes. The boys packed up their gear, had a doughnut and headed home.
“Me and Jared challenge you to a game of Raging Warriors,” Sidney said.
The boys could hardly wait to get home for their next competition.