Each angler is given a choice of fish to catch.

•  Five are referred to as “Local Fish”: Smallmouth bass, Largemouth  bass, Trout, Walleye, and Salmon.
  
  
•  The other three “Exotic” or saltwater fish are: Tarpon, Marlin, and  Sailfish.

Each fishing sequence presents only the type of fish chosen. (When two players are fishing simultaneously they both view the same sequence but are individually scored on their technique.)

Each kind of fish requires its own special touch to get a high score and land successfully.

Back reeling (reeling in a counterclockwise direction to play out line and reduce line tension) is especially important with the local fish, where close control of the line tension is an essential issue. With such fish as Smallmouth bass and Trout, they dart around and change direction so rapidly that the angler must respond instinctively to the feel of what the fish is doing - any outside instruction is always too late!

With the exotic fish (i.e., saltwater fish), and also Salmon, freewheeling comes more into play- the best technique when the fish is running hard is simply to allow the line to play out, while avoiding having it run out completely by applying some slight manual drag (slowing the reel down a little by putting some pressure on the rim.)

I will demonstrate and explain these techniques as needed during the event.