CATCH’N FISH



OBJECTIVE OF CATCH’N FISH: The first player to match five pairs wins the game

NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2 – 4 players

CONTENTS: 55 cards, 1 spinner

TYPE OF GAME: Fishing Card Game

AUDIENCE: Ages 4 – 6


INTRODUCTION OF CATCH’N FISH

Catch’n Fish is a fishing card game for kids.  In this game, players pair cards in their hand to match the sum or difference of the spinner.  They can make as many matches as possible on their turn.  If a player cannot make a match, they are allowed to ask an opponent for a card.  If a player runs out of cards, they spin the spinner to see how many they can draw.  The first player to make five matches wins the game.

CONTENTS

There are fifty five cards in the deck.  Forty of them are numbered 1-10 (four of each number), and six of them have the number 0 on them.  There are 9 wild cards that can be used in place of any needed number.  Finally, there is a double sided spinner that can be used for an addition game or a subtraction game.

SETUP

 Insert the spinner’s arrow into the spinner on the addition side.  Shuffle the entire deck of numbered cards and deal seven to each player.  The rest of the cards are placed in a stack face down to form a pond.  The pond is a draw pile.

THE PLAY

Play begins with the youngest player.  They spin the spinner to see what total number they need to form with their pairs.  After the spinner stops, that player looks at their hand and finds two cards that add up to the spinner’s value.  Those two cards are placed face up on the table for everyone to see. 

For example, if the spinner lands on a 9, the player could lay down a 4 and a 5.  The player is allowed to put down as many pairs as possible, but each card can only be used once.

Wild cards can be used to represent any number needed to complete a pair.

If a player is unable to make a match with the cards in their hand, they may ask an opponent for a card.  They must ask for a specific number that can be added to a card in their hand to equal the spinner’s number.  If they get that card, they lay down their match and end their turn.  If they do not get that card, their turn is over immediately.

If a player has zero cards at the beginning of their turn, they spin the spinner.  The number they land on is the number of cards they must draw from the pond.  That is also the number they must equal with pairs from their hand.

Play continues clockwise as described until one player has formed five pairs.

WINNING

The first player to form five pairs wins the game.

Mark Ball
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