You Might Not Have to Pretend to Lose at the Let’s Go Fishing Game

I remember playing a smaller version of this game with magnets when I was little. It’s the same idea: a wheel spins while holding a collection of little plastic fish whose mouths open and shut as they go around. Players have fishing poles that they use to catch the fish with, and the winner is the person who has caught the most fish by the end.

Let me just say that I remember the smaller version with the magnets and strings to be much, much easier. This version is larger (about eight inches in diameter, I’d guess), and the fishing pole lines are made of plastic, not string like they were in the games from the 80s and 90s.

There are no magnets here; the fish have “teeth” that catch on the line and you pull them out that way. I feel like the wheel moves much too quickly, and by the time the fish you’re trying to grab finally opens its mouth, someone else’s line is in the way, so you miss way more often than in previous versions.

My daughter always beats me at this game. I don’t know if it’s because as an adult, my skills for that type of game have gone downhill or what, but I never have to consciously lose the game to make her feel better about her skills. She legitimately beats me every time.

The game says it’s for players ages four and up, but it’s enjoyable well past age four. I enjoy it, even though I’m embarrassed by my lack of skill. I also like that this is a quick game we can play (mostly because she’s so good at it) in the morning before school when we have 10 minutes to kill, or right before bedtime if I promised to play a game but we’re pressed for time because dinner took too long to cook and eat.

The description on Amazon says there’s music, but I’ve never found a way to play it, and it also says you need two AA batteries. You actually need one C battery instead.

All in all, this is a fun game, though it could be slightly frustrating for parents who played the older version.

Photo credit: Amazon