The cartoon opens with Jerry running with a fishing line tied to his tail, which proceeds to retreat; Jerry is pulled under the radiator and towards Tom, dressed like a fisherman, at the end of the line. When Jerry reaches Tom, the cat makes a face and scares Jerry, causing him to run away again. Tom starts to reel in Jerry again, but the mouse holds onto a bag of jerked beef, forcing Tom to struggle to regain control of the line. As the line returns to Tom, a piece of the bag is on the end, simply stating "JERK".