Hi :The fastest way to tire a fish is by turning him.Every time he turns to the side pressure of your rod you immediately turn him the opposite way. The only way this can be done is with a low rod and side pressure. If the fish gets some distance from you you can`t exert meaningful side pressure so its important to keep him as close as possible.
With babless hooks if the fish gets upstream of you and moves to the far bank he can more easily shake the hook .Keep him below you if possible.
When he starts to head shake I like to ease the pressure but if he starts to swim in a straight line try to turn him with side pressure.
If a fish gets too far below you, try to walk him upstream with steady pressure. They tow easier than they can be pulled with reeling. As soon as he has been towed 20 yards you can start to pump and retrieve line.
The steadier you can keep pressure on the fish the more easy he is to handle.
Occasionally a fish will try to get behind a rock and bury his head.I always carry several loose leaf binder rings .Snap a ring onto your line ,lift your rod tip and slide the ring down it will bang on the rock or on his nose and get him out of that hole.
Oh yes pray a little while your at it I wont help get the fish but it may help to reduce your anziety.
A friend of mine has a neat trick; he has a good sense of sound pitch, so he guages the breaking point of his line by the pitch of the sound emitted by the vibrating line. The higher the pitch the closer to the breaking point. It works for him. It should work for anyone with a good ear.
coot