Fishing Lessons: Finding a New Lesson in the Memories
Use past lessons to fish in a sparkling lake during a quiet summer day using careful strategic movement in Fishing Lessons.
Another wallet-sized solo game that hadn’t floated over to my table in awhile was Fishing Lessons. Time for a new lesson! I remembered how this one caught me off guard with its programming and memory elements, along with a poignant theme about carrying the memories forward of a lost loved one. Back to the lake in search of the best fish for the day’s catch!
Game Overview
Game Name: Fishing Lessons
Publication Year: 2022
Designer: Scott Almes
Artist: Nivea Toliver
Publisher: Button Shy
Solo Mode: Designed for Solo (Included in the Base Game)
The lake cards begin face-down, and a series of lessons slowly creates a programming sequence to move and flip them over. Each character has a specific goal to achieve, often with an exact selection of fish. It takes careful thought to program in the sequence of lessons to reel in the fish!
First Play
January 1, 2024
Complexity
2
Latest Play
August 9, 2026
Expansions
2
Setup Time
Almost None
Lifetime Plays
6
Play Time
10 Minutes
High Score
N/A
Game Area
22" x 12"
Low Score
N/A
Out on the Lake
I loved returning to this artwork with all of the shades of blue. It really feels like a busy underwater lake! The fish also look amazing with lots of details and unique colors.
Surprisingly, I forgot how on the fence I’ve been about programming sequences. I don’t always “see” the big picture and sometimes struggle with aligning the actions.
This one came back to me easily, although I thought some of the rules were more confusing than they needed to be.
But the fish! It was pretty fun to flip over cards to see what was lying in wait, especially with some unique inhabitants!
Rowing Along
Moving across the lake’s surface is done above the main lake cards, which creates a nice visual. Lots to catch!
Lesson cards are placed anywhere in the existing sequence, but this must be followed at the end of each turn.
I thought I had it all figured out, although pushing the boat into a far corner to ignore extra movement or flips felt like cheating… It was a valid strategy, but a little strange.
Everything made sense and I could see what I had to do, yet the sequence was quite frustrating. I kept flipping over the wrong cards and never could right the boat. Ha ha!
Flip, Flip, Move, Move
The little lessons from Leland were cute to read, although I had to ignore them at a certain point so I could stay focused.
Programming in this way was just too much for my brain! I liked the flexibility with a lot of these lessons, yet it still boiled down to following a sequence that required a plan.
It was even more frustrating when I thought I achieved a victory, only to realize I had one too many of a fish type.
This is a very complex sort of puzzle in a small package, which is quite appealing to the right audience! I’ll simply state that I’m not in that boat… Literally and figuratively. Ha!
Beneath the Lake
It was fun to start off with the sequence and start flipping over cards. I often offset the ones I had seen in another half-row so I could always peek. Memory games are not for me!
There were some interesting moments and times when I thought I had the perfect sequence… Until the last card activated. Oh, dear! I think Leland would be appalled!
So there were a few fun plays that came out of this game, yet I’ve found that these solo wallet games rarely last that long.
But that’s what I was here for: Lessons! If nothing else, I took some learning with me to apply to my collection.
A Lesson in Keeping the Physical vs. the Memory
A lot of my enjoyment from this one came from my initial plays and the idea behind the game. Leland is the one whose lessons are carried through, and the game is all about celebrating his life after he passed away. That’s a pretty heavy sort of subject! Yet I liked it at the time because it was such a different theme, and was incorporated in a hopeful, positive way.
Looking at the game’s mechanics, though, the programming sequences were more than my brain could handle. I think my biggest takeaway from this session is how it’s possible to separate a physical game from the good memories. Keeping something on my shelf forever when it’s rarely, or even never, going to be played again just takes up space. Not enjoyment.
And I’m over here writing about practically every single solo session I’ve ever played! The memories are right here for me, both in written and photo format. I think that reminder will make me feel better about parting ways with games that no longer resonate with me. I still maintain the memories and the fun plays without being burdened by endless boxes!
Session Overview
Play Number: 5 & 6
Expansion 1: Fishing Lessons: Fabled Fish
Expansion 2: Fishing Lessons: Family Friends
Solo Mode: Designed for Solo (Included in the Base Game)
Play Details: Hard Difficulty Level
Outcome: 2 Losses
Some elements were enjoyable, particularly from a couple of expansions I picked up early on. However, this one fell flat for me with the way I couldn’t quite figure out the sequence. I’m starting to gain a better understanding of what I’m looking for in different sorts of games. A valuable lesson!
%
1 Play
Affordability
Price & Value
7
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
7
Originality
Design & Theme
5
Quality
Components & Rules
6
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
6
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
4
+ Pros (Positives)
- All of the art is delightful with the overall feeling of a summer morning or afternoon spent relaxing at the lake.
- Multiple difficulty levels and other challenges allow the game to be tailored to the desired sort of experience.
- It’s easy to offset or mark the face-down cards that have been seen to remove the memory element of gameplay.
- Setup is very quick and easy, while play time moves along at a nice pace without any downtime to worry about.
- Putting together a programming sequence can be enjoyable with the way actions can be ignored on the lake’s edges.
- Little snippets of stories and lessons offer interesting flavor text and create a sentimental atmosphere in each play.
– Cons (Negatives)
- Being able to see ahead in the programming sequence is required, and this can be complex with long-term plans.
- The rulebook isn’t as clear as it could be and feels like it’s just a little too short with limited visual examples.
- One of the expansion cards has an error that’s easy to forget about, and replacements are no longer available.
- Gameplay is very mechanical and centered around moving and flipping cards, which isn’t all that fun or interesting.
Victory Conditions
Complete the Goal
- Overall Goal Progress 83%
Goals and Milestones
Win at least 1 game at the hard difficulty level.
Win at least 1 game with the Night Fishing variant.
Win at least 1 game with a sequence of 5 lesson cards.
Win at least 1 game with the Fabled Fish expansion.
Win at least 1 game with the Family Friends expansion.
Win at least 1 game with a sequence of 6 lesson cards.
Continue the Conversation
Do you enjoy playing Fishing Lessons? Do you have a preferred difficulty level or expansion to include? I liked my first few plays of this one a few years ago, but that seems to have been the extent of my enjoyment. Not a problem! Not every solo game sticks around forever, and I still feel like this one was useful to teach me something else that I can always remember.
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