AppToyz AppFishing Rod & Reel

When I first posted a photo of this item on the Anglers' Net page on Facebook, there seemed to be a bit of confusion; I think some people thought it was a feature-finder, a bit like the Humminbird Smartcast. Let me make this expressly clear – the AppToyz Appfishing set is a toy and is for entertainment only!

So, now we've cleared that up, what EXACTLY is it?

Basically, the Apptoyz Appfishing Rod & Reel is a shortened plastic version of a fishing rod and reel, into which you fit your smart phone in order to play a specific virtual fishing game, called Fish It. I used it with an iPhone 4s, which fitted straight in, but it has an adaptor and pads to make it suitable for most phones.

The reel handle can change sides, to suit your preference, which was quite important for me and the 'rod' part even detaches, for easier transportation and storage.

How Do You Use It?
Firstly, you need to install the Fish It app game. This is FREE, so you could even download it before you bought the rod and reel, if you wanted to see if it was suitable for you, although it won't be so much fun without the tackle, obviously.

Once you've downloaded the game, place the phone in the cradle on top of the rod and away you go...it really is pretty simple.

If you've ever used a baitcaster-style reel before, you'll be familiar with this style of casting; depress the lever on the top of the rod, 'cast' as you normally would, and wait for a bite.

And I only wish fishing was really this easy, as the bites come thick and fast!

You then have to 'play' the fish in and are rewarded for capturing different species and record weights. With your earnings, you can buy tackle, baits and flights to more exotic locations.

There are over sixty different fish species to catch, I'm told. I've managed a few so far; some are familiar, some not so familiar...as the photo below will show you! I've even managed to land a few monster sticklebacks – I certainly don't remember them being quite that big when I was a kid!

Just like real fishing, I started off well with the game, then kept getting snapped off. More practice required, I think.

Ever caught a Black Sheep Fish?!!

Summary
This is a bit of light-hearted fun and myself and my kids enjoyed it. My experience with fishing-related 'toys' is that some anglers like them, others hate them. If you like fishing games, I can see no reason why you wouldn't enjoy this one. The Apptoyz AppFishing Rod & Reel set makes it more like the real thing but, obviously, it's still not the same as fishing. It's entertainment and it's entertainment that you can take advantage of on those occasions when fishing is simply out of the question.

At around £25, I can imagine this will be a popular Christmas present for youngsters who like fishing. I'm 41-years young and I enjoyed it! More importantly, though, so did my children and they are the future of fishing. A smart phone is something they will grow up with, so marrying it with the best hobby in the world seems like a brilliant idea to me!

PRICE: £25-ish
WHERE TO BUY:  SEE LINKS BELOW