Fishing Review: Cast Your Net and Fill Your Boat with Fish

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You and other fishermen are out at sea competing for fish. Catching them earns points, while failing forces you farther out into the ocean. The key is finding the balance between a good catch and heading into the open sea. And remember to use the buoy if you need it: it could save you!

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The Innovation Behind Fishing

Fishing was designed by the renowned Friedemann Friese, famous for creating games with ingenious rules and, often, titles that begin with the letter “F” (Funkenschlag, Fabled Fruit, Friday).

Fishing continues that tradition and bears his trademark: turning classic mechanics into fresh and surprising experiences. For this game in particular, he has created an innovative mechanic: combining trick-taking with deck-building, something rarely seen in this genre.

As a result, captured cards do more than just score points: they also fill your hand for future rounds, which creates a sense of progression and strategic planning. This game also features special cards that grant you unique powers, such as stealing the lead or forcing opponents to lose points. Because of this, you can expect lots of surprises and dramatic turnarounds.

In Fishing, fishing means capturing cards from an ocean of possible strategies. In this game, every round is an intense, creative contest, and the real prize is building your hand as best as you can.

Let’s explore Fishing!

Game Information

Fishing is a game for 3 to 5 players aged 8 and up, designed by the acclaimed “green-haired” designer Friedemann Friese. The artwork was created by Maren Rache.

Game box.
Game box.

Fishing was released in 2024 by 2F-Spiele. Its main mechanics are deck-building and trick-taking.

Game components.
Game components.

In 2024, it was nominated for Light Game of the Year and Innovative Board Game by the Golden Geek, and in 2025, it was recommended by Mensa.

Let’s see it!

The Game

Set up your board and get your net, because in Fishing, the sea is not just about fish. It is for strategists who know how to read the tides. Each player takes on the role of a fisherman on an 8-round journey across the vast ocean, where every captured card is a valuable trophy.

However, if you can't catch much and your supply runs out, you will need to cast your line into the depths of the ocean to hook “fresh cards” that are more powerful. This is the main dilemma in this game: should you capture as many cards as possible to score points or search the seafloor for rare star cards so that you can improve your hand?

Finding the balance between scoring points immediately and replenishing your supply is what separates a simple sailor from the ultimate winner!

That will be your setting!

Before going over the setup, you must become familiar with:

- starting cards.

- star cards.

- trump, zero, and buoy cards.

- reference card.

- round card and round control card.

- fisherman card and boat card.

The starting cards come in 4 colors, one for each suit in a deck. They're numbered from 1 to 10. You'll start out the game with these cards.

Starting cards.
Starting cards.

The star cards also come in 4 colors, which also represent suits, but the major difference is that they're numbered from 11 to 18, so they're stronger. The stars go from 1 to 5. The more stars, the stronger the cards.

Star cards.
Star cards.

These are also other types of star cards, and all the star cards form the ocean deck.

These other star cards are the trump, zero, and buoy cards. Trump cards feature a fish and, as their name suggests, are trump: they beat any other card. Zero cards cannot win you the trick, but they still allow you to steal a card from the trick. Finally, buoy cards have effects that can genuinely change the game. You can use them at the end of a trick or during the next trick.

Trump, zero, and buoy cards.
Trump, zero, and buoy cards.

Remember that because these cards have stars, they will be available in the ocean deck.

The reference card explains all the icons found on zero cards and buoy cards. Depending on the card, as mentioned above, you'll use them at the end of a trick or during the next trick. This is quite helpful during the game.

Reference card.
Reference card.

The round card shows the number of players. The back shows the starting cards you need for that number of players, while the front gives you an overview of the round and the number of cards you should draw. You must place the round control card on top of the round card so that you can see how the current round will go.

Round cards and round control card.
Round cards and round control card.

Finally, let's go over fisherman cards and boat cards. Place the tricks you have won over the fisherman card and, at the end of the round, score them and place your personal draw deck over the boat card.

Boat and fisherman cards.
Boat and fisherman cards.

Now that you know all this information, it is time for the setup:

- each player gets 1 reference card, 1 fisherman card, and 1 boat card.

- check the round card with the number of players currently playing to see whether you need to remove any cards from the game.

- place the round card on the table, then place the round control card on top of it so that you can see how turn 1 will go.

- separate the star cards by star value (from 1 to 5), shuffle each group individually, and create the ocean deck by placing the 5-star cards facedown first, followed by the 4-star cards, then the 3-star cards, and so on.

- shuffle the starting cards and deal them to the players according to the instructions on the round card.

- finally, decide who gets to start.

Setup from one player’s perspective.
Setup from one player’s perspective.

It is time to learn how a trick works:

- play a card.

- have the other players play a card as well.

- see who won the trick.

The 1st player starts the trick by playing a card from their hand. They may play any card from their hand to start the first trick, which determines the color (or suit) for the round.

After that, the other players also play a card from their hands clockwise. The key to a trick-taking game is that if they have at least one card in that certain color, they must play one of them. In other words, they must follow suit. If they do not have a card in that color, they may play any other card.

Finally, it is time to see who won the trick. The player who played the most valuable card in that color wins the trick. All cards of a given color have different values, so every trick has a clear winner.

Whoever won the trick places the captured cards facedown on their fisherman card, then plays a new card from their hand to start the next trick, as they won the previous one.

Trick example.
Trick example.

The 1st round ends after all the tricks in that round have been played. Count the cards on your fisherman card: each one is worth 1 point. Then shuffle and place them facedown on your boat card to create your draw deck.

Calculating the score at the end of the 1st round.
Calculating the score at the end of the 1st round.

To prepare for the next rounds, from the 2nd through the 8th, move the round control card down one line on the round card. Draw the number of cards shown on the round card from your draw deck on your boat card and add them to your hand. Two things can happen:

- if you have more cards than you need to draw, keep the remaining cards for the next round.

- if there are not enough cards on your boat card, draw the rest from the ocean deck. The player who needs the most cards draws first, followed by the other players in order of need.

Here is an example: everyone drew 9 cards at the start of the 2nd round in a 4-player game. Angelica draws 9 of her 16 cards available on her boat card. Rafael and Nicole only have 8 cards, while Paulo only has 4, so each of them draws all of their cards. Paulo is short 5 cards, which he draws from the ocean deck, followed by Rafael and then Nicole, who each draw 1 card from the ocean deck.

The player with fewer points starts the trick in that round. If several players are tied for the fewest points, the player who played a card first in the previous trick starts this trick.

Note that as soon as some players draw cards from the ocean, star cards start showing up in tricks. That is, cards that can impact the end of this trick or the beginning of the next one. The tricks are now even more strategic.

One of the cards that appears from this point on is the buoy card, and it is special: it is the only card you can always play, even if you have cards in your hand in a certain color or a trump card. In other words, it lets you ignore one of the rules of the game.

If a player starts a trick with a buoy card, the next card in a certain color or the next trump card determines what the other players must follow. If there are only buoy cards in the trick, you win the trick with the first buoy card played. The buoy card really changes the game!

At the end of the 2nd through the 8th rounds, score 1 point as usual for each card on your fisherman card, just as at the end of the 1st round. The difference now is that after you score them, you must shuffle and place them facedown underneath the old cards already on your boat card. In other words, you will only draw these cards after the old ones.

That is how a trick and a round of Fishing work.

End of the Game

The game of Fishing can end in 2 ways:

- at the end of the 8th round.

- when the ocean deck runs out of cards.

If the game goes to the end of the 8th round, the player with more points wins! If several players have the most points, they share the win.

If the ocean deck runs out of cards (so not all players can fill their hands with cards at the start of a round), the game ends immediately. In this case, the player with more points still wins, and if several players have the most points, they share the win.

Strategic Tips

Fishing involves a lot of strategy, and one of the secrets lies in the balance between scoring points immediately and preparing your hand for the next rounds. That know-how will certainly make a difference.

In that sense, I personally prefer winning tricks and scoring in the first round. That way, my opponents will need ocean cards, take 1-star cards from the ocean, and, consequently, win more tricks in turn 2. I will obviously lose those tricks, but by the time I need to draw ocean cards, I will already have 2-star cards, stronger cards, at my disposal.

But that is not the only strategy in Fishing. Always remember that the cards you capture will be in your hand in the next round, so capturing many low-value cards may give you points now but will leave you vulnerable and without much room to react in the future.

Another bolder strategy is to deliberately lose tricks, run out of cards, and intentionally have to draw cards from the ocean. Ocean cards are more powerful - that's a fact. Use this strategy when your hand is weak. Deliberately losing tricks so you're forced to fish for better resources in the ocean can pay off.

Look for buoy cards. Buoys are exceptional because you can play them at any time, even if you have a particular color or trumps in your hand. Use them to disrupt the trick, such as with the buoy that makes the “lowest value win” or the one that lets you “choose the color” of the next trick.

Keep an eye on cards that have just been captured because they go underneath the old cards already on your boat. In other words, you'll need to plan things in the long term. You will only gain access to the cards you fished for this round after using the cards that were already in your boat card.

Here's a strategy that's not quite as straightforward but can be used alongside deliberately losing tricks: use the drawing order to your advantage. It works as follows: players who need more cards draw from the ocean first. If you know that the 1-star cards at the top of the ocean deck are better than what you have, manage your hand so you're one of the first to fish. It's that simple!

A low score isn't always a bad sign, considering the player with fewer points starts the first trick of the next round. Use that to play a color you want to collect or play a buoy card that disrupts your opponents.

Finally, watch out for what's known as “Overfishing” (when too many players use ocean cards) because if the ocean runs out of cards and players can't refill their hands, the game ends immediately. Keep that in mind!

On the other hand, if you're ahead on points, overfishing on purpose can be a way to end the game early and secure the win. It could be the difference between victory and defeat!

With that in mind, watch for the opportunities the game presents, build your best strategy, win tricks, lose strategically when necessary, go after better cards in the ocean, don't make life easy for your opponents, and win at Fishing!

Unboxing, Rules, and Gameplay Videos

Enjoy this Unboxing:

Learn the rules:

Watch some gameplay:

Educational Tips

If you're looking for a fun game that's easy to teach and learn, where every trick is unique, Fishing is the game for you!

Fishing already appeals to children because of the theme: fishing. The artwork helps a lot, with seahorses, octopuses, fish, crabs, and seagulls, as well as the powerful buoys.

Children will stay present and focused because every trick is different, so the game will always feel intense in the good way. After all, you never know what the next child will play: whether they'll follow suit, whether they don't have the suit to follow, whether they have a trump, or, even worse, whether they'll play a buoy and change the entire outcome of that trick.

This is what makes Fishing a hit with children. The game “doesn't let up”: it maintains the suspense and surprise with every trick.

When they go looking for ocean cards, they won't be able to hold back their giggles, particularly when they see how powerful the star cards are. After all, they know they'll use them in the future, and they'll be very useful. It's a great, fun feeling that children will really enjoy.

Fishing provides all of that, but beyond the fun, children also have the opportunity to exercise important skills, including:

- resource management (regarding the cards they'll play)

- strategy (figuring out what to play and when)

- decision-making (actually playing cards to carry out their strategy)

- mathematical logical reasoning (when they add up their score and each trick)

From an educational standpoint, Fishing covers resource management and encourages strategy, decision-making, and mathematical logical reasoning. It's also a lot of fun on top of all that!

I highly recommend adding Fishing to your collection!!!

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