Fishing Party

Fishing Party Rulebook

Table of Contents

Goal

Put your strategy and skill to the test to become the first player to catch all six kinds of fish in the lake. With a little patience, and a lot of luck, you could reel in the big one and win the game!

1 rule booklet
1 six-sided die
110 standard size playing cards: Largemouth Bass(6), Northern Pike(6), Walleye(6), Brook Trout(6), Rainbow Trout(6), Brown Trout(6), Wobbler(5), Spinning Spoon(5), Jig(5), Crank Bait(5), Popper(5), Spinner Bait(5), Magic Lure(4), Fishing Rod(12), First Aid Kit(6), Snap(5), Broken Line(4), Goggles(4), Tire(3), Ouch(3), Spray Bottle(1), GPS(1), Glove(1).

Setup

Take out as many FISHING ROD cards from the deck as there are players. Have each player place their FISHING ROD card in front of them, face up. Combine the remaining cards from both decks and shuffle well.
Going clockwise, have each player roll the die to determine who will be the first to cast their line into the lake. The highest roll starts.
Place a FISHING ROD card in front of each player, face up.
Deal a hand of six cards to each player.
Place six cards face up in the middle of the table.
Put the rest of the deck, face down, beside the six cards. This is the draw pile.
Take the top card off and place it beside the deck, face down. This is the discard pile.

Players are allowed to make one move per turn. (See "Possible Moves" for what constitutes a "move.")

Possible Moves

When it is your turn, you can do ONE of the following:

Place up to three cards from your hand in the discard pile and take the equivalent number of cards from the draw pile (you must always have a total of six cards in your hand).
Swap up to three cards from your hand with the six face-up cards on the table.
Play a SPECIAL card (see "Playing the SPECIAL Cards" below for more information).
Play a FISH card and throw the die to try to "catch" it.

Playing or swapping a LURE card does not count as a move, but it must be done at the beginning of your turn, unless your move is to play a FISHING ROD card. In this case, you need to lay both down on the table at the same time.

At the end of your turn, take as many cards from the draw pile as you need to keep six cards in your hand.

Catching Fish

Before you can catch a fish, you need to have a FISHING ROD and a LURE card face up in front of you.
Place a FISH card to the right of your LURE card. Throw the die and try to get one of the rolls shown on the LURE card that matches the rolls indicated on your selected FISH card.
If you do not roll the right number, put the FISH card back in your hand.
If you do roll the right number, you've caught your FISH! Put the card in your FISH POND pile, to the left of your FISHING ROD card.
Your FISH POND pile cannot contain more than one fish of the same kind (two largemouth bass, for example). But you can try to land a bigger fish from the same species if you like. If you succeed, remove the smaller of the two and place it in the discard pile.

How to Read the LURE Cards

Each LURE card shows:

Lure: the lure itself.
Types of fish that can be caught by this lure: the two fish pictured on the card.
Die roll: the two rolls shown on the card (for example, 5 and 5). The die roll you need to match is printed on the card.

How to Read the FISH Cards

Each FISH card shows two weights:

Weight of fish for a "Family" game: the value printed in the top-right corner (for example, 8 lb).
Weight of fish in "Tournament" play: the value printed in the bottom-left corner (for example, 15 lb).

Family and Tournament Play

In "Family" play, the respective weights (points) of each fish do not vary greatly. This makes it easier for players who are behind in the point count to catch up.
"Tournament" play works the opposite way. The differences between the weights are considerable, thereby increasing the level of difficulty and making the game more challenging for advanced players.
In a tournament, simply keep track of the points earned in each game and set a time limit or a target point count to determine the winner.

Playing the SPECIAL (Lucky) Cards

FISHING ROD (12 cards): Players must have a FISHING ROD on the table in front of them before they can start to fish. This card can be played with a LURE card as part of the same move.
FIRST AID KIT (6 cards): Use this to cancel out an OUCH card played against you. Once played, both cards are to be placed immediately in the discard pile.
GOGGLES (4 cards): Playing a GOGGLES card lets you clear the six face-up cards in the middle of the table, replace them with new cards from the draw pile and continue with your turn. Playing the GOGGLES card does not count as a move, but it must be done at the beginning of your turn.

Playing the SPECIAL (Unlucky) Cards

OUCH (3 cards): If you give an OUCH card to another player, they cannot fish until they play a FIRST AID KIT card, although they can still make other moves. A player with a face-up GLOVE card is protected and cannot be given an OUCH card.
TIRE (3 cards): If you give a TIRE card to another player, it will take away their face-up LURE card. A player who receives a TIRE card must immediately place their LURE card into the discard pile.
SNAP (5 cards): A SNAP card will "break" another player's FISHING ROD. When a player is given a SNAP card, they must immediately discard their FISHING ROD card and put their face-up LURE card back in their hand (they will have seven cards in their hand until the next turn).
BROKEN LINE (4 cards): You can give another player a BROKEN LINE card during their turn. This will cause them to lose the fish they are trying to catch. A player who receives a BROKEN LINE card must discard their FISH and LURE cards immediately. Using this card does not count as a "move" since it is used during another player's turn.

Playing the SPECIAL (Permanent) Cards

These cards do not count as a "move," although they must be played before you take your regular turn. They stay face up and in play throughout the game.

GPS (1 card): This card entitles a player to play with seven cards in their hand rather than six. Place the GPS card face up in front of you and draw an additional card.
GLOVE (1 card): Players who have a GLOVE card face up in front of them are immune to the OUCH card. However, if the GLOVE is still in your hand, it is powerless against an OUCH card (you need a FIRST AID KIT card instead).
SPRAY BOTTLE (1 card): This card lets you add or subtract 1 from a die roll (in other words, if you roll a 4, it would count as 3, 4 or 5), unless you roll a 1, which cannot be changed.

Placing Your Cards in Front of You

The rulebook illustrates this section with a layout diagram only (no printed text). The diagram shows the FISH POND pile at the top, with the FISHING ROD card, the LURE card and the FISH card being fished for placed below it, and the permanent SPECIAL card placed face up in front of the player.

End of the Game

The game is over when one player catches all six kinds of fish or when the allotted time is up.

Winner

The winner is the player who has the most points at the end of the game.

Scoring

Keep all the FISH cards that you have "caught" in your FISH POND. Discard all the others. The player with the most FISH cards gets 2 points.
Calculate the total weight for all the FISH cards caught by each player. The player with the highest total weight gets 2 points.
Then, for each of the six kinds of fish, determine which player has the biggest catch. Give 1 point for the biggest fish in each category.
Add all the points together for each player (combined total for all players = 10 points). The highest number of points wins.

NOTE: If two or more players tie in their point count, have them roll the die. High roll wins.

Variants

Two-Player Game

Remove all the FISHING ROD cards from the deck. Give one to each player to start the game.
Remove all the SNAP and BROKEN LINE cards from the deck.

Three-Player Game

Remove all the FISHING ROD cards from the deck. Give one to each player to start the game.
Remove all the SNAP cards from the deck.

Quick-Play Rules

For a faster version of Fishing Party:

Allow each player to make two moves per turn. (Note that two UNLUCKY cards cannot be played in the same turn.)

Types of Fish

Largemouth Bass

Family: Centrarchidae
Average length: 10–15 inches
Water temperatures: 68°–78°F (northern climates); 79°–81.9°F (southern climates)
World record: 22 lb 4 oz (IGFA 2013)

Northern Pike

Family: Esocidae
Average length: 20–28 inches
Water temperatures: 65°–70°F
World record: 55 lb 1 oz (IGFA 2013)

Walleye

Family: Percidae
Average length: 12–16 inches
Water temperatures: 65°–75°F
World record: 25 lb (IGFA 2013)

Brook Trout

Family: Salmonidae
Average length: 10–12 inches
Water temperatures: 52°–56°F
World record: 14 lb 8 oz (IGFA 2013)

Rainbow Trout

Family: Salmonidae
Average length: 12–18 inches
Water temperatures: 55°–64°F
World record: 48 lb (IGFA 2013)

Brown Trout

Family: Salmonidae
Average length: 14–18 inches
Water temperatures: 60°–65°F
World record: 41 lb 8 oz (IGFA 2013)

Types of Lures

Spinner Bait — Category: Weedless lure. Catches: Largemouth Bass and Northern Pike.
Popper — Category: Surface lure. Catches: Northern Pike and Largemouth Bass.
Jig — Category: Soft lure. Catches: Walleye and Largemouth Bass.
Spinning Spoon — Category: Spinning lure. Catches: Brook Trout and Rainbow Trout.
Crank Bait — Category: Deep diving lure. Catches: Rainbow Trout and Walleye.
Wobbler — Category: Plug lure. Catches: Brown Trout and Brook Trout.

Magic Lure

MAGIC LURE: This card is played like a regular LURE card, only it can be used to catch all six kinds of fish. If you roll a 3, 4, 5 or 6, the selected fish is yours! But a 1 or a 2 means your fish got away. Playing a MAGIC LURE card does not count as a "move."

Fishing Party Poker

Determine who will be the first dealer and take turns dealing after that, going clockwise around the table.
Have players ante up before each hand begins.
Deal five cards to each player.
Place five cards, face down, in the middle of the table (community cards).
Betting begins with the player to the dealer's left. Each successive player can then call, fold or raise the bet.
Once the first round of betting is complete, the dealer turns the five community cards face up. Players can then swap one card in their hand with one of the community cards, if they so choose, starting with the player to the dealer's left.
This is followed by a second round of betting and a second (and final) card swap.
After the final round of betting, players show their hands, one by one, starting with the player who made the highest bet.
The winning hand "nets" the pot.

Hand Rankings from Weakest to Strongest

High Card
Pair
Two Pair
Three of a Kind (e.g., 6 + 6 + 6)
Straight (five cards in a sequence, but not in the same suit)
Flush (five cards of the same suit, but not in a sequence)
Full House: Three of a Kind + Pair (e.g., 8 + 8 + 8 + 4 + 4)
Four of a Kind (e.g., 7 + 7 + 7 + 7)
Straight Flush (five-card sequence in the same suit)
Royal Flush (A + K + Q + J + 10, all of the same suit)