Pocket Fishing
Catch as many points' worth of fish as you can before sunset — read the water, then flick against the fish to reel it in.
Controls
- Tap a ripple (touch or left click)
- Casts your float onto that ripple. Bigger, slower rings mean bigger fish.
- Flick or tap after the big splash
- Hooks the fish. Any direction works, but flicking during small twitches scares it off.
- Flick against the V-shaped wake
- Turns the fish's head and pulls it closer before it can run.
- Flick down or tap on calm water
- Turns the reel once and brings the fish in a little.
- Flick up
- Gives line: the tension drops, but the fish swims back a little.
- Swipe with a finger, or drag with the left mouse button
- Counts as a flick in the direction you moved. The right mouse button does nothing on the water.
- ← → then Enter or Space
- Picks a ripple and casts to it from the keyboard.
- ← → ↓ ↑ after the splash or while a fish is on (Space = ↓)
- Hooks the fish after the splash; during the fight, these are the four flicks: left, right, reel in, and give line.
- Esc or the pause button
- Pauses the day and opens Settings, How to play and Back to title.
How to play
ObjectiveScore enough points before sunset to earn up to three stars in one fishing day: cast at a ripple, hook the fish, then flick against it until it's landed.
Getting started
- Press Go fishing to open Fishing spots, choose your spot and lure, then press Go fishing again to start. Your first choices are Lantern Pond and the Float hook; more unlock as you earn stars.
- Tap one of the glowing ripples on the water. Each ripple fades after about seven seconds and a new one takes its place, so choose before it goes.
- Watch the float. Small twitches are nibbles, so wait. When it sinks with a big splash, flick or tap within about half a second to hook the fish.
- When a V-shaped wake points one way, flick the opposite way. When the water is calm, flick down or tap to reel. If the tension bar turns red, flick up once.
- When bubbles rise the fish is about to jump. Keep your hands off until it lands back in the water, or flick up if the line is already tight.
- Bring the fish all the way in to land it. It is photographed, scored by size and let go, and you can cast again straight away.
- Sunset comes after about two and a half minutes, with up to 15 extra seconds to land a fish already hooked. The day ends early if all three spools snap. The results show your stars; Fish another day starts a new one.
Tips
- Flick the moment the wake appears rather than after the fish starts running: that early flick pulls the fish in further than a normal counter-flick.
- Do not reel as fast as you can. The reel turns at most five times a second and every pulling flick tightens the line. Faster flicks replace the one waiting on the reel, so watch the tension and pause between pulls.
- A big fish is worth nine small ones. With two spools left and plenty of daylight, cast at the biggest, slowest ripple on the water.
- Late in the day with one spool left, take a medium ripple instead: losing your last spool ends the day on the spot.
- Leave some slack before a big or golden fish finishes resting: its next jump can yank the line sharply. Bubbles warn you to stop pulling; flick up if the line is already tight.
- Let a jumping fish go unpulled. It rests twice as long afterwards, which gives you a longer calm spell to reel it in.
- Protect the clean-catch bonus by never flicking toward the wake and never letting the tension bar reach deep red. Giving line does not cost you the ×1.5.
FAQ
How do I start playing Pocket Fishing?
Press Go fishing, choose a spot and lure, then press Go fishing again to start the day. Tap a glowing ripple to cast, wait for the big splash, then flick to hook the fish. Flick against its wake to bring it in. Your first day at Lantern Pond shows prompts on the water.
Is Pocket Fishing free, and do I need to download it or make an account?
Pocket Fishing is free and plays directly in your browser, with nothing to install. There is no account or sign-in anywhere on the site, and there is nothing to buy inside the game.
Can I play Pocket Fishing on my phone?
Yes. Pocket Fishing is built for phones held upright, and it also works in landscape, where the score, daylight and tension move to a column on the left. On a computer it runs the same phone-shaped screen in the middle of the window, played with the mouse or the keyboard.
Why does my fishing line keep snapping?
The line snaps when the tension bar fills up. Pulling flicks tighten it, especially if you flick toward the wake or pull during a jump. A big fish's jump can also yank an already tight line. Flick up to give line, and let it ease off before a big fish finishes resting. Each snap costs you the fish and one of your three spools.
Which way do I flick when the fish runs?
Flick the opposite way to the V-shaped wake. The wake points where the fish is about to run, so a wake pointing left means flick right. Flicking the same way as the wake gains nothing and tightens the line sharply. On calm water, with no wake showing, flick down or tap to reel in.
How do I get three stars in Pocket Fishing?
Reach the third mark on the score bar by the end of a regular day. At Lantern Pond the marks are 200, 800 and 1,750 points. Small fish score 10, medium 30, big 90 and golden 200. Aim for big and golden fish and protect the clean-catch bonus to build your score faster.
What is a clean catch?
A clean catch is a fish landed without flicking the wrong way, without flicking while it jumps and without the tension bar ever reaching deep red, and it scores ×1.5. Giving line by flicking up does not break it, and flicking up during a jump is allowed.
How do I unlock Zigzag Creek, Neon Pier and the other lures?
New spots and lures unlock with the sum of your best regular-day star ratings at each spot. Repeating the same rating does not add stars. The Feather fly opens at 2 stars, Zigzag Creek at 3, the Shiny spoon at 5 and Neon Pier at 6. Harder spots score more: ×1.2 at Zigzag Creek and ×1.4 at Neon Pier. Float colours unlock separately, as you catch 3, 6, 9 and 12 kinds of fish.
What is Today's water?
Today's water is a fishing day set by your device's date: the ripples and the golden fish's timing stay the same all day at each spot and change the next day. It shows the stars you would have earned but does not add them to your total; it keeps your best score for today instead.
Is my Pocket Fishing progress saved?
Your stars, unlocks, fish journal and best scores are saved in this browser on this device when a day ends. A day in progress is not saved if you reload the page, and there is no way to move progress to another device. If the browser cannot save, Settings tells you and the game still plays.
What should I do if Pocket Fishing won't load or has no sound?
If it does not load, tap Try again on the error panel, then check your connection and reload the page. For no sound, open Pause, then Settings, and check the Sound switch, your device volume and, on iPhone, the silent switch. Switching apps pauses the day, and Resume brings you back to the same fish.
Is Pocket Fishing suitable for kids?
Yes, it suits all ages and is suggested for ages 6 and up. Every fish is photographed and let back into the water, with no hooks shown close up. A snapped line just springs loose. There is no chat, no player-made content and nothing to buy.
About the game
Catch as many points' worth of fish as you can before sunset — read the water, then flick against the fish to reel it in.
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