Fish Like A Pro (Sort Of)

You say you’d like to be a bass pro? No problem, right? Well, on one level it's not a problem at all. As is the case with so many activities these days, even if you can't necessarily be a bass pro in the real world, you can be one in the simulated realm.

Fishing Sim World Pro Tour, an upgrade to Fishing Sim World, which the developer has dubbed the "Career Mode release," is set to go live in July. Game creator Dovetail will put you into the competition with 100 professional anglers on one of 10 lakes. You can compete not just for bass, but in some cases for other species that rate tournament trails across the world. The list is long, including 29 different species ranging from bream to zander. Take a look for yourself:

Like other popular sim games, the competition doesn't take place just on your computer against simulated "pro" anglers. The Dovetail Fishing League will also have weekly tournaments where gamers vie against one another for global rankings, graduate from amateur to elite, and work toward winning the Angler of the Month title. There are different winners for Xbox, PS3, and PC platforms. (We checked the latest results from Fishing Sim World and are happy to note that the PC Angler of the Month won three out of four competitions including the Big Bass Tour, the Predator Challenge, and the Match Series. Our congratulations go out to you, UndeadFrog)

Another new feature the update allows is custom multiplayer fishing. You and your friends can choose species, weather conditions, and other variables, then compete against one another on the same virtual lake at the same time.

Fishing Sim World ($19.99) is available now; the Pro Tour will be a free update for all anglers who have already entered this simulated reality. Visit Live.DovetailGames.com to learn more.