Tense fisherman leaving river with end of rod twisted (7)
I believe the answer is:
tangled
'twisted' is the definition.
(tangling is a kind of twisting)
'tense fisherman leaving river with end of rod' is the wordplay.
'tense' becomes 't' (abbreviation used in many dictionaries).
'fisherman' becomes 'angler' (angler is a kind of fisherman).
'leaving' suggests deleting specific letters.
'river' becomes 'r'.
'with end of rod' becomes 'd' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should believe this answer much more).
'angler' with 'r' taken out is 'angle'.
't'+'angle'+'d'='TANGLED'
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for tangled that I've seen before include "''Oh what a ... web we weave / when first we practise to deceive'' (Walter Scott)" , "Twisted into confused mass" , "Caught" , "Entwined" , "Muddled together, complicated" .)