7 Best Toy Magnetic Fishing Rods Reviewed
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Magnetic fishing games have been around since I was a kid and are still a favorite, but there's also a ton of junk out there.
The best fishing game I've come across this one from New Classic Toys. It's very cute wood with a little piece of sea for them to swim in. Plus the magnet works very well. We had a lot of fun playing with this.
In this buying guide, I've reviewed the 7 best sets and talk about what to look out for.
Let's take a quick look at all the options. Then I'll go into more detail about each of these choices.
Overall best magnetic fishing rod
Many fishing rod games are made of plastic and do not last long. New Classic Toys does things differently with a wooden game.
Best cheap magnetic fishing rod
You can play it in different ways. There are letters on the fish so slightly older children could catch their name, or other words you agree on.
Best fishing game magnetic building set
The toy set consists of 26 molds with which your little one can build the nicest characters, all in an underwater theme with magnetic fishing rod.
The classic fishing game
The classic magnet fishing game. Many have imitated it but only one can be the real one. It's Goliath's fishing game.
Best 4 in 1
This Montessori toy combines a magnetic fishing game with stacking, stringing beads and a balance game.
Best for fine motor skills
It is a large solid pine wood base with 5 carrots, 5 magnetic fish, and 6 worms. All made of wood.
Best game for toddlers
With this My First Games series, they learn to deal with game rules from the first moment they can understand games.
From toddler to toddler activity book collection
Educational games and coloring pages for 3 to 6 years
Your toddler and preschooler will love this e-book, along with the accompanying printables. He or she can play with it at every stage of development, together with mom and dad.
Buy at Bol.comWhat we discuss in this comprehensive post:
Magnetic fishing game buying guide
Age
When buying a magnetic fishing game, you should pay close attention to the magnets. Are they tight and there is no way to get it loose.
This actually applies to any species toys with magnets inside.
You never want them to be able to swallow a magnet, so always pay close attention to the age limit.
Sometimes it doesn't mean they can't play with it, but it does mean you should definitely keep an eye on it when they're younger than that.
Toys with large pieces they cannot swallow, and then the magnet must be firmly attached so that it can never become loose.
In addition, the age on the box indicates somewhat which ages it is for toys the nicest thing.
Magnet
Does the magnet work well enough to pick up the fish without frustration. Some of the sets we reviewed had saved on this themselves.
You could play it and you could even say it offered an extra challenge. But little kids can't stand that frustration.
Replayability
Does the game remain fun for several times? I looked at this extensively in these tests. You don't want any toys which is fun for a while but then falls into the corner.
Some games have multiple features, such as those from Annie's Choice and Dailyfun. Other games don't even need that.
It is also nice if the pieces can participate in a different kind of fantasy play, such as the wooden figures from New Classic Toys.
They have often “popped up” in other games! The plastic fish from Goliath Let's Go Fishin' can't.
Sustainability
How long does the game last? When you finally get a piece toys Once you have found something they really enjoy doing, you don't want it to break quickly.
The durability has to do with build quality and material used. Sometimes you can still glue something like a string to a fishing rod, but you really want it to stay intact.
I have also reviewed all sets on how the build quality and material.
Top 7 Magnetic Fishing Rod Toys Reviewed
New Classic Toys fishing game
- Sturdy wooden toy
- Nice figures
- Quite pricey
Many fishing rod games are made of plastic and do not last long. New Classic Toys does things differently with a wooden game.
The fishing game from New Classic Toys is a wooden fence consisting of 4 sturdy pieces that can slide into each other. This is the "sea".
Place 10 objects in the sea. These are different fish, a starfish, turtle, whale, conch, crab, and even a treasure chest!
The game is made of really sturdy wood. New Classic Toys is a brand that we have often reviewed for their quality.
This also means that the fish can participate well in other pretend play.
They have done so many times before
- in a sensory tank as an underwater world
- as a filler when playing with boats
- while baking food in the play kitchen (ah, sorry little fish!)
The game itself is also a lot of fun to play, although a bit basic. It is fishing with a fishing rod to catch the fish.
Due to the build quality and the strong magnet, this can be done easily without frustration. Other than that, it's just a game like you do with a lot of the like toys can do.
The game is quite pricey because it is such a sturdy wood. Also because the sea is such large pieces.
Left Alphabet Fish Game
- Much for little
- Extra play makes it extra fun
- Badly finished
With this set you get a lot for little money. It is also made of "wood", although less sturdy than the New Classic Toys set.
I suspect cheap pressed wood. But your child can still play well with it without breaking it.
You can play it in different ways. There are letters on the fish so slightly older children could catch their name, or other words you agree on.
It's 26 fish, for each letter of the alphabet.
They are a few different colors so you can count colors together.
There is also a kitty with a magnet underneath. You can also turn the board over and put the fish inside. The pussy then has to find the fish.
If the cat is above a fish, she can take the fish to the opening to catch it. This gives it an extra game.
The quality is not great. For example, there is no booklet. The metal eyes that you use to catch them are in a weird place, all the way in the corner of the fish instead of in the middle.
And many of the fish are a little torn from adding the metal eye. Not made with great care.
Nothing serious. Good enough to play with. And what do you want for this price.
stick-o fishing game
- Fun underwater theme with different ways to make characters
- Good explanation booklet
- Reversible magnets in sticks so it always sticks
- Fishing game doesn't work very well
This toys gives children from 18 months the opportunity to play with magnetic building toys.
The Stick-O fishing game is a building set for children from 18 months in an underwater theme. With the included magnetic fishing rod, it is also a fishing game.
The way you can easily create your own animals makes a magnetic fishing game like this a lot more fun than other fishing games I've seen.
Other fishing games are really just wooden fishing rods and some wooden pieces with a magnet in them.
This set really lets your child build an underwater world so that they can also get creative.
The building and the game are fun from about 2 years old to about 5 years old.
Goliath Let's Go Fishin'
- Nice fast action
- One of the few fishing games that can be played with 4 players
- Magnet is not very strong
- Game feels cheap
The classic magnet fishing game. Many have imitated it but only one can be the real one. It's Goliath's fishing game.
The fish gasp in the air while the disc rotates (why do I explain this, have you really never played it before?!?).
You have to catch them with the magnetic fishing rod. Whoever has all the fish of his own color first wins.
It's the first game to make this list with such a clear competitive element. It is also nice that you can play it with four people, because there are four fishing rods.
The quality is ok, but not very good. When my 4-year-old son stops the turntable, I always wonder how long that will go well.
The rods are also cheap plastic. Yet it all lasts surprisingly long.
A fun competitive fishing game for a rainy day.
Boby Fish Stacking Game
- Many games in 1
- Wood is sturdy and well made
- Trying to put too much in 1 game and just not well worked out
Boby's game is also very well built. It is made of Romanian beech wood.
This Montessoritoys combines a magnetic fishing game with stacking, beading and a balance game.
They themselves indicate that this is most suitable for 18 to 36 months, so 1,5 to 3 years.
- You can put the fish on the correct color on the play mat and then fish them up
- The large whale can be used as a base for stacking
- The back of the whale has rods to push the fish on
- There is a cord to thread the fish
It is indeed a lot of fun to play, but I have the feeling that they wanted to cram too many games into 1.
It's just not the fishing game. The fish should stand upright because the metal tip is on their nose. This is because there already had to be a hole in the middle for threading and stacking.
The threading is fun, but there are much more fun threading games. The whale is a bit crazy with wooden bars behind it because the fish can also use them.
You get a lot of game for your money and you don't have to buy such things separately, but it's not all that.
Annie's Choice Fish and grab game
- Good garden setup with fish, carrots and worms
- Good magnet and build quality
- Clamp is very bad and actually not usable
What a nice setup. Your child will learn a lot from the garden with the fish pond, carrots and worms.
This is really Montessori toys. Sturdy wood and it teaches hand-eye coordination, visual perception skills, color and shape recognition and fine motor skills.
It is a large solid pine wood base with 5 carrots, 5 magnetic fish, and 6 worms. All made of wood.
To pick them up you have 2 magnetic rods and 1 wooden clamp.
The felt leaves on the roots make them look and feel real.
Because there are some small parts, it is recommended for children from 3 years. You don't want them to accidentally swallow the worms.
The idea is nice, but the wooden clamp is very difficult to use and does not feel very sturdy. That's actually a shame because the rest of it toys feels very solid.
Haba My First Games Fishing Game
- With good game elements, children learn the rules of the game
- Sturdy wooden pieces
- For the youngest children, it is really just a fishing game
Haba is a nice one toys brand with many wooden ones toys for the youngest children. They also have this series of first games for your child.
There are not many games for sale for children aged 2 years.
With this Haba game they want to change that. At 2 years old, your child cannot yet understand much of the game, but can still fish a little.
Then it doesn't really matter whether you buy this or one of the other brands on this list, such as the set from New Classic Toys, which then gives more value for money.
But it can grow well with your child. When they get a little older, they can roll the dice and try to catch the right fish.
With this My First Games series, they learn to deal with game rules from the first moment they can understand games.
And that is certainly a nice addition.
Conclusion
There are a lot of fishing games for sale, but with these sets you can be sure that they will have a lot of fun.
Also read: this is the best magnetic toy of this year
Always something to do for the holidays or rainy day?
Play Choice now has the ultimate activity book collection, with over 60 pages of fun coloring pages and educational puzzles.
Joost Nusselder, the founder of Speelkeuze.nl is a content marketer, father and loves trying out new toys. As a child he came into contact with everything related to games when his mother started the Tinnen Soldaat in Ede. Now he and his team create helpful blog articles to help loyal readers with fun play ideas.