I’ve never played a fishing game. Ever. Let’s get that out there from the start! But Bassmaster Fishing 2022 has really hit the ground running with its ties to the real-world tournaments and pro anglers and as someone who’s part of the Dovetail Games community, I wanted in on that hype!

The first bit of fun was trying to make my angler look like a badass bass-catching version of my Train Sim World avatar. Understandably, high-vis bibs aren’t an option in BM2022 so instead I went for a low-key coat and jeans look, topped off with the classic reflective shades that make all anglers look the biz.

Heading into the tutorial, I had to forget everything I knew about reversers, signals and consists but found it super easy casting out into the water with the Basic Cast Control option and driving the sleek boat in search of my first catch. The only thing I’d reeled back before was the throttle of a GP40, but getting to grips with the default rods and tackle was great fun and pretty intuitive. A couple of false starts, snagged lures and lost fish just made me want to cast out more and more and when the first fish came in, I was stoked! A 6 oz Spotted Bass! Hank Cherry must’ve been worried...

So, with confidence at maximum, I went straight into the single player College Series where it was clear that my dink wasn’t going to cut it. When I realised that there were much bigger fish to fry, I looked at swapping out some of the tackle – and wow, was there a lot to get your head round. But the ‘Top Tip’ lure feature was good guidance and after a couple of rounds to earn some dough, even I’d figured out that other Crankbaits were doing better than the default Chrome Blue Black version and a 4.4 lbs Smallmouth Bass seemed a much better reward for my efforts. Experimenting with setups on Toledo Bend and hunting for a good honey hole to take into the College Series also paid dividends.

An hour or two later and Muskies, Catfish and those weird-looking Gar were all making their way onto the boat and the wry smile from my avatar, holding his catches to the camera were just like those ‘fist pump’ moments on the tracks, getting the braking and stopping distances nailed on the Harlem Line. Swapping to some of the other rods in the loadout gave me the feel for lures of different weights and types as well as what to expect with varying reels and line. I even managed to grab a couple of the Mastery Rewards in the process, flaunting the Lake Chickamauga cap and jersey from Tiers 1 and 2.

But this was just a fad, right? Was I missing the sounds and sights of the rails? A little bit. But I wanted bigger fish and when I realised you could upgrade your boat for the big bucks, that was it. I wanted to ace that College Series and beyond! The online competition was also drawing me in – so keep an eye out for a railfan ascending the leader boards soon...

But now I have an issue – I have to somehow balance the needs of Pennsylvania freight, Somerset passengers and my fledgling pro-angler career... it’s a heck of a life I’m putting that avatar through, but I bet he’s loving every minute of it.