Shoot some guns, rob some banks, catch smallmouth bass

My first smallmouth bass from Red Dead Redemption 2.

And now for something completely different, I'm going to talk about video games.  Well, just one -- Red Dead Redemption 2.  Yes it was released last year, but I just got it, so it's new to me.

Having played Red Dead Redemption, I was anxious to try out the sequel (actually, RDR2 is a prequel, but better than the Star Wars prequels).  But at the time it came out last year, my Xbox went Tango-Uniform, and I didn't have the motivation/funds to waste money on a new console.  Over the last year, I casually looked for deals but didn't find anything to my liking.  Finally a pre-Black Friday online deal popped up from a box store, and I splurged for a pre-Christmas present.

This time, I went for a PlayStation 4 because ... I don't know.  It was $50 more expensive than an Xbox that was on sale.  Maybe just for a change from the Xbox, even though I had a PS1 and PS2 in the past.

The console came bundled with three other games, but I wanted to play RDR2, so I bought that, too.  It has been an amazing game so far.  A nice upgrade from the "original" Red Dead Redemption (which was a follow-up to Red Dead Revolver, which I never played).  The visuals are stunning and the missions have some variety (such as a balloon chase involving shooting a rival gang on horseback as they chase one of your gang members).

So what does a shoot-em-up game that's basically Grand Theft Auto in the old west have to do with fishing?  Because one of the activities in the open-world format is fishing!  And, yes, there are smallmouth bass, as you can see by my screenshot from above.

Lurking in the waters throughout the game are also muskies, northern pike, largemouth bass, trout, gar and sturgeon among others.  Even Mr. Whiskers makes an appearance.  Fish from shore of a lake or river, or grab a boat or canoe.  There are also Legendary Fish to be discovered throughout the waters.

After completing the mission "A Fisher of Men," fishing is unlocked in the game.  A fishing rod is part of your carried items, and you can select to use it after reaching the shore of a lake or river. Rig it up with bait or lures, which can be purchased in a bait shop or general stores (the latter have limited selections), and cast.  Reel in slowly, let the bait or lure sit, or twitch the rod to attract fish.

If you catch a fish, you have the option to harvest it for food (cook it on a campfire or bring it back to camp for your crew) or throw it back.  I've thrown back every smallmouth bass so far, just like in reel life.

YouTube screengrab of the Legendary Smallmouth Bass
from a user's walk-through of catching all the legendary fish.

It's extremely easy to actually entice a fish to grab your lure or bait.  The hints on bait selections -- cheese, corn, bread, worms, crickets -- say they are specific for certain types of fish.  Also, there are two lures -- either lake or river.  But it seems as if the fish bite on almost anything.  I caught a muskie with a cricket!  There are special lures just for the "legendary" fish, but other than that, it seems as if a fish clamps on the other end on about 90 percent of casts.

The most difficult thing is actually reeling the fish in.  You have to rotate the "R" circle joystick, and it's really slow.  Then the fish fights, and you have to stop reeling or the line will break.  The bluegills and perch are pretty easy, but as the fish get bigger, so does the length of the fight.

Anyway, it's an interesting diversion for the winter months.  I'm just at the beginning of the last chapter missions, so it will be fun to explore some more when the main story is complete.  I haven't tried playing online, so I don't know how fishing plays out there.  Maybe there are fishing tournaments to compete against online players?