Atari 2600 · 1980
Fishing Derby
A two-angler fishing contest where a wandering shark makes every deep catch a risk.
- Publisher
- Publisher to verify
- Format
- Cartridge
- Genre
- sports video game
- Released
- 1980
01
Overview
Fishing Derby puts two anglers on opposite docks over a lake filled with sunfish of different weights. You steer your line with a joystick, hook fish, and reel them in before a black shark snatches them. The game offers a single-player mode against the computer and a two-player mode for local competition.
02
Why it matters
Fishing Derby is one of the first four cartridges published by Activision for the Atari 2600 in 1980. It helped establish the company's early visual style and third-party presence on Atari hardware.
03
The physical edition
A typical complete copy from the North American market includes a box, an instruction booklet, and a cartridge labeled AG-004. Packaging variations can exist by region or print run, so compare the exact box art and manual details before purchase.
04
Playing it today
The original cartridge runs on an Atari 2600 console with a standard joystick. Emulation is also common for players without the hardware.