A Stubborn Tangle

My fingers were trembling as I unclipped the reel—*gasp!* A terrible snarl of clear nylon line had jammed completely under the spool flange! I dropped down onto the rough wooden deck, planted my heels firmly against the bottom of a heavy tackle box, and seized the stubborn loop with my bare thumb and forefinger. It refused to budge. *Hah—gasp!* I gritted my teeth, leaned all my weight backward, and pried at the tiny plastic ratchet gear until—*click!*—the tension gave way. One clean tug, and the trapped line slid free into a neat, smooth coil across my lap.