How to play
Everything Cap’n Ray would tell you on your first morning, without the yelling.
1. Read the morning
Every round of a tournament is one fishing day, from 6 AM to 4 PM. At the dock you choose one of the tournament’s spots on its painted map. Each spot shows a forecast for the day — the sky (clear, partly cloudy, cloudy or rain), the wind in knots and the temperature — and how hard it is. Harder spots hold bigger fish.
The wind sets the sea: a few knots means glassy water; eighteen means a rough swell, whitecaps and a boat that rolls, pitches and gets pushed off course. Rain days come with wind, and hide the sun.
2. Rig for it
- Line test — 30 lb, 50 lb, 80 lb, 130 lb. Light line gets more bites (fish see thick line) but breaks easier; heavy line lands giants. Some fish have teeth that cut light line.
- Line length — from 100 to 500 feet behind the boat. The reel only holds so much, so a long line leaves less to give on a run.
- Lure — Feather Jig, Plug Head, Eyeball Head, Fluorescent Head, Small Skirt, Large Skirt, Small Live Bait, Large Live Bait. Every species has favourites. Live bait goes stale as the day wears on.
- Depth — shallow, middle or deep. The best depth changes with the light: shallow on cloudy mornings and evenings, deeper under a bright midday sun.
3. Find the fish
You drive the boat yourself with the wheel and the throttle. The sea is wide open; the fish give themselves away. Look for diving birds, dark bait balls, the shadows of billfish hunting them, and whales — big fish travel with them. The sonar in the corner helps.
Troll your lure past the action at under a quarter throttle. Go faster and you scatter the bait. Keep the sun at your shoulder: heading straight into the glare makes it hard for fish to see your lure.
4. Set the hook
When a fish hits, the reel screams and you get a short window to set the hook. Time it well for a solid hook; miss it and the fish is gone.
5. The fight
- Face the fish — turn the fighting chair toward him. Pulling from the wrong angle wastes your strength.
- Pump and reel — lift the rod to drag him closer, then reel as you drop it. That’s how you gain line on a big fish.
- Thumb and drag — thumb the spool to add pressure; set the drag low to let him run, high to stop him. Too much and the line snaps.
- Runs, dives and charges — let him run when he’s fresh. When he charges the boat, reel fast or the slack will pull the hook.
- Jumps — when he’s airborne, drop the rod tip. Keep it tight and he’ll throw the hook.
- Cap’n Ray’s calls — now and then he’ll put a quick decision to you. Choose well.
Watch the tension and the fish’s vitality. A tired fish comes to the boat; then it’s gaff time.
6. The gaff and the weigh-in
Bring him alongside and the gaff goes in. Then keep him or release him — your box holds 11 fish, and only some species count at the weigh-in (billfish in most tournaments, tuna in the Cape Cod shootout). At 4 PM your heaviest counting fish goes on the scale against the field’s best. Beat them all to win the round and move on.
7. Get better
Every fish you fight builds your three stats — Muscle, Body and Skill — through the levels D, C, B, A, AA. Stronger stats make the fight more forgiving and open up the trophy fish.
8. Online
Play Quick Match, challenge a friend with a code, or enter a tournament. Everyone fishes the same water, the same weather and the same clock, with a live ticker and leaderboard.