Board game:Game of Fish Pond

New York game makers Clark & Sowdon are often credited with inventing the game of Fish Pond, or Fishing. McLoughlin Brothers patented a version of Fish Pond in 1890. Whoever drerampt up the game, it provided a realistic fishing experience for children of all ages from that period up to the present day. Early versions used wooden poles fixed with little hooks in the end; loops or metal circles on the fish provided a place to hook them. Today's fishing games usually employ magnets on pole lines and fish. Late 19th century lithographers printed detailed box designs to simulate ponds and often printed names on individual fish. Each fish counted a certain number of points. This large size version, by McLoughlin Brothers, is probably a deluxe set. The box bottom is made of wood, covered with decorative paper, and the cover illustration is quite detailed.