How to play Fishing Derby online
- Swing the rod: left and right arrow keys
- Lower and raise the line: down and up arrow keys
- Reel in a hooked fish faster: Space bar
- Player 2 (Game 2): T/F/G/H to move the line, A to reel
- Start a new game: F12 (Reset)
- Choose one or two players: F11 (Select)
- Difficulty: F4 (Player 1) and F9 (Player 2)
Gameplay
The fish swim in six rows. The deeper they are, the heavier they are:
| Rows | Weight per fish |
|---|---|
| Top two rows | 2 lbs |
| Middle two rows | 4 lbs |
| Bottom two rows | 6 lbs |
Put your line in front of a fish and wait for a bite. A hooked fish rises slowly by itself, and the fire button reels it in faster. Only one fish can be reeled in at a time: if both players have a bite, whoever hooked first goes first. A shark swims through the lake and moves unpredictably. If it touches the fish on your line, it eats it. That makes the heavy fish at the bottom a gamble, because they take longest to bring up.
Game 1 is against a computer angler, Game 2 is for two players. Each player has a difficulty switch. In position A, a fish bites only if the hook is right under its nose; in position B, it bites when the bait gets near its mouth. Beginners can set the computer to A and themselves to B.
Tips
- Watch the shark, not the fish. Reeling hard while the shark is nearby just feeds it.
- Play the fish. Swing the rod back and forth to keep your catch away from the shark, then reel when the way is clear.
- Get deep first. One 6-pound fish equals three from the top rows, so aim for the bottom before your opponent does.
- Fish on your own side. Fish near your pier are closer, so your next catch comes sooner.
The story behind Fishing Derby
Activision was founded by programmers who had left Atari, and it started in David Craneās garage in 1979, with each founder making a game for the first releases in mid-1980. Crane called Fishing Derby a technical experiment that became a game. The idea came from goldfish in an aquarium, which tend to stay at their own depth. His first version lacked a real challenge, so he added the shark.
Video magazineās Arcade Alley column praised its colourful animation and recommended it for the whole family. Unlike many later Activision games, it had no high-score patch.
