Lure & Lake
Lure & Lake is a free 3D fishing game that runs in your browser. Flick out a cast, watch your float, and strike when a fish takes the bait. Then fight it in on a live tension meter. The water is drawn live, with real wave shapes, sky reflections, sun glints, foam along the shore and rings wherever something touches the surface. The time of day changes as you play, and so does the weather.
How to play
| Action | Phone | Computer |
|---|---|---|
| Aim and cast | Press and hold on the water, slide to aim, and let go in the green zone. Or flick upwards. | Hold Space or the mouse button. Aim with ← →. |
| Retrieve | Hold to reel. Tap quickly to twitch. | Hold Space or the mouse button. |
| Strike | Tap when STRIKE! appears. | Space or click. |
| Fight | Hold to reel. Let go in the red. Slide against the run. | Space to reel, ← → for rod angle, ↑ ↓ for drag. |
The fight
Your rod is simulated as a flexible blank that loads up and bends toward the fish, and your line is a real rope that sags, drifts in the wind and cuts into the water. Every species fights in its own way: some shake their heads, some dive deep, some tear along the surface, some jump and tail-walk, and some head straight for the weed, roots or pilings. When a fish heads for a snag, slide hard the other way to turn it. Strike quickly for a solid hook set. A light hook comes free more easily. Land small fish by hand and bigger ones with the net, and watch the fight from below with the optional underwater camera.
Every hooked fish pulls according to its size and strength, and pulls harder when it runs. The tension bar shows how close your line is to breaking. The white mark on the bar is your drag. When the pull goes past it, the reel lets line slip with a scream instead of snapping. Set the drag too tight and a hard run can break the line. Set it too loose and the fish takes all your line. Jumping fish can throw the hook, so let go when they leap. A slack line gives them another chance to escape. Pulling the rod against the fish's run tires it much faster.
Eight places to fish
- Willow Lake: a calm lake with a wooden jetty. Bluegill, perch, bass, trout, pike and a rare pearly koi that rises at night.
- Stonebrook River: fast, clear water that carries your float downstream. Grayling, trout, barbel, salmon and the Golden Mahseer.
- Mistveil Pond: a misty pond full of lily pads. Rudd and carp by day, eels, catfish and a ghostly sturgeon by night.
- Saltwind Pier: the open sea from a long pier. Mackerel, pollock, snapper, cod, halibut, bluefin tuna and blue marlin.
- Emerald Lagoon: tropical flats with a reef. Bonefish, parrotfish, barracuda, mahi-mahi, tarpon, giant trevally and sailfish.
- Frostmere: ice fishing through a hole in a frozen mountain lake, with a fish-finder. Whitefish, smelt, walleye, lake trout, burbot, Arctic char, taimen and the glowing Aurora Char.
- Mangrove Delta: tidal creeks fished from a small skiff. Mangrove jack, red drum, snook, barramundi, alligator gar, peacock bass, arapaima and golden dorado.
- Bluewater Banks: deep-sea fishing from a sport boat, with sonar and three marks to fish. Bonito, king mackerel, amberjack, yellowfin tuna, wahoo, grouper, swordfish and the opah.
Tackle
Rods set how far and how accurately you cast and how big a fish they handle comfortably. Reels set how fast you retrieve, how much drag you can apply and how much line you have. Lines set the breaking strain, and stealthier lines spook fewer wary fish. Lures and baits each have a depth and a favourite retrieve: steady, twitch, stop and go, or still.
Legends
Every water has a legendary boss fish, such as Old Gnarl the pike, the Mudking catfish and Thunderbill the swordfish. Each has three bars of stamina and a signature move. Locals tell you rumours about where and when to find them as you fish, or you can buy a tip.
Bait or lure
Lures last for ever but need the right retrieve. Natural baits like maggots, sweetcorn, live minnows, waxworms, squid and live mackerel attract their favourite fish strongly, and live baits pull in bigger fish, but bait gets stolen and a pack runs out. Set the float depth in your tackle box.
Collection and progress
Every catch earns experience and coins and fills in the Fishdex. Each species has its own times, weather, depth and lures, and the Fishdex gives you hints. Keep your best catches in the trophy aquarium. Daily quests, weekly challenges, rotating daily and weekly events and three-minute tournaments against local anglers give you more to aim for. After a catch, open photo mode to pose the fish, pick a filter and share a card. Every species you land earns a plaque on your trophy wall. Fishing licences for new places unlock as you level up.
Questions
Is Lure & Lake free?
Yes. Lure & Lake is free to play with no sign-up and no ads, and every water, rod and lure can be earned with coins. The optional Angler's Pass, a one-time $3.99 upgrade, doubles the coins you earn, opens every fishing licence straight away, adds premium rod and lure skins and doubles the size of your aquarium. Your coins, tackle and catches stay in this browser.
Does it work on a phone?
Yes. It is built for touch first. Graphics adjust to keep things smooth, and you can set them to Low in Settings.
Where do the sounds come from?
Every sound is made live in your browser: water, birds, wind, rain, ice booms, the bail arm, gear whine, reel ratchet, line hiss, rod creak, the drag scream, splashes, the net and footsteps, and music that picks up during a fight. No audio files are downloaded.
Is there an easy mode?
Yes. Set Difficulty to Relaxed in Settings. The hook sets itself, lines don't snap and fish can't escape, which suits younger players.