Reel Rush — Free Deep-Sea Fishing Game
About Reel Rush
Reel Rush is a deep-sea fishing game you play right in your browser. Each cast is a quick two-part challenge: on the way down you weave your hook past every fish so it reaches deeper, more valuable water; on the way up you swing it into as many fish as your hook can hold. Back at the boat your catch is flung into the air — tap the flying fish for a 50% bonus. Spend the cash on a longer line, a bigger hook, a shield-giving sinker and offline earnings, and push from the Sunny Shallows past coral reefs and the pitch-black Midnight Zone into the Abyss, where glowing rays, dumbo octopuses and the legendary Leviathan Koi live. If you liked the cast-and-upgrade loop of viral fishing games like How to Fish or Tiny Fishing, this one adds a full fish collection, five hand-drawn ocean zones and an original soundtrack.
How to play Reel Rush
- Press CAST (or Space). Your fisher swings the rod and the hook drops into the sea.
- On the way down, steer through the gaps. Touching a fish hooks it and starts reeling in early; touching a jellyfish zaps you back up empty.
- When the hook reaches the end of your line it reels up. Now steer INTO fish — a full hook reels up more than twice as fast.
- At the surface your catch flies into the air. Tap fish before they land for +50% cash; the rest still sell at normal price.
- Buy upgrades, cast again, and unlock deeper zones and new species for your Fish Collection.
Controls
| Mouse / drag | Steer the hook left and right |
| ← → or A / D | Steer with the keyboard |
| Space / Enter | Cast the line (and grab a flying fish) |
| Click / tap | Hit fish in the air for +50% cash |
Tips & strategy
- Line first, Hook second: deeper zones pay far more, but you need hook space to bring the valuable fish home.
- Buy the Sinker once you reach the Twilight Zone (120 m). Each shield bounces one fish out of the way on the way down, so you stop getting stopped early.
- On the way up, don't grab the first fish you see — wait until you are near the bottom of your line where the expensive species swim.
- Jellyfish never count as a catch. On the way up they shock your hook and knock your last fish loose, so steer around them.
- Treasure bubbles pay about six fish worth of cash — grab them going down or up.
- Every new species pays a one-time discovery bonus of 5× its value, and golden fish (about 1 in 50) are worth 5× as well.
- Level up Offline before you take a break: your crew keeps fishing for up to 2 hours while you are away.
Reel Rush FAQ
Is Reel Rush free to play?
Yes. Reel Rush is completely free in your browser — no download, no account and no in-game purchases.
Can I play Reel Rush on a school Chromebook?
Reel Rush is a lightweight HTML5 game (under 150 KB) that runs on Chromebooks, laptops, tablets and phones. Whether it loads on a school network depends on that network's own filter settings.
Does my progress save?
Yes. Coins, upgrades and your Fish Collection save automatically in your browser, and Offline upgrades keep earning while you are away (up to 2 hours).
How many fish are there?
There are 22 species across five zones — Sunny Shallows, Coral Reef, Twilight Zone, Midnight Zone and The Abyss — plus golden variants and treasure bubbles. The rarest is the Leviathan Koi below 700 m.
What does the Sinker do?
Each Sinker level gives your hook one shield per cast. A shield knocks a fish out of the way on the way down instead of ending your dive, which is the key to reaching the deep zones.
Is this the official How to Fish game?
No. Reel Rush is an original game made by Play When Bored. It is not affiliated with How to Fish, Tiny Fishing or their developers.
