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Trophy Bass

Last updated: January 9, 2026

Overview

Trophy Bass represents a pioneering achievement in fishing simulation games, developed by Dynamix and published by Sierra On-Line in 19951. The game was designed to bring “the thrills of bass fishing to the PC” for America’s estimated 50 million fishermen2. As one reviewer noted, “Trophy Bass by Sierra is a fabulous game in which you go out and catch bass”3, establishing it as “the Premier game for Bass Pros and other lucky anglers”4.

The game emerged as part of Sierra’s expansion into sports simulation games during the mid-1990s and became one of Dynamix’s most commercially successful titles, despite being overlooked by traditional gaming audiences5. Trophy Bass was fully sponsored by the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society (B.A.S.S.)1 and featured realistic fishing environments with photo-realistic lakes and professional angler endorsements6. The original game and its sequel sold over half a million units by 19977, with the first two games in the series topping 1.5 million units by July 19998.

Story Summary

Trophy Bass eschews traditional narrative structure in favor of authentic fishing simulation. Players take on the role of bass anglers competing in various tournaments and free fishing scenarios across multiple realistic lake environments10. The game features professional bass fishing consultants including Denny Brauer, Larry Nixon, Kevin VanDam, and George Cochran, who provide tutorial guidance and fishing expertise9. Rather than following a scripted storyline, the game focuses on the authentic experience of bass fishing, where success depends on understanding weather conditions, seasonal patterns, water conditions, and bass behavior11.

Gameplay

Interface and Controls

Trophy Bass features an overhead perspective that simulates the fishing experience from above the water12. The game is controlled primarily through mouse and keyboard input13, with intuitive controls that allow players to cast their lines and experience realistic “reeling and reel dragging for different classes of fish”10. The interface includes a fish radar feature to help locate bass12, and players can access detailed information about weather conditions, water temperature, and other environmental factors that affect fishing success3.

Structure and Progression

The game offers multiple gameplay modes, including tournament fishing that allows players to “compete in B.A.S.S. Masters tournament, start a career or just spend an afternoon at the lake of your choice”9. Players can select from “thousands of realistic items - the gear, the lake, the weather”14, with the game featuring nine photo-realistic virtual lakes2. The progression system rewards players for successfully catching bass of various sizes, with the ultimate goal being landing trophy-sized fish weighing 14 pounds or more15.

Puzzles and Mechanics

The core mechanics revolve around realistic fishing simulation, where players must “consider the weather, season, water conditions, and many other factors that affect how real bass act”16. The game includes over 1000 different fishing gadgets and more than 30 species of fish17, with 25 real lakes reconstructed in the game environment17. Players must strategically choose their lures, with the game noting that “spinners with Willow and Worm in gold/crawdad color” work effectively for catching “anything from Bass to Catfish at any time, day or night”18. The simulation includes realistic elements such as bass being “most active in hot waters, morning, and afternoon”3.

Reception

Contemporary Reviews

Trophy Bass received generally positive reviews from gaming publications, with critics praising its realistic approach to fishing simulation despite the niche appeal of the genre.

PublicationScoreNotes
PC Gamer90%“Great graphics, plenty of options, and good fish AI”1
Coming Soon Magazine84%Praised the game’s realism and entertainment value3
GameSpot7.6/10Hugo Foster review from 19961
Computer Game Review84/78/75January 1996 multi-reviewer score19
PC EntertainmentB-Steve Klett review from January 199619

PC Gamer’s Ned Gaskins noted that “when you haul in your first 14-pound bass (they exist, really!), Trophy Bass proves to be as exhilarating as any shoot-‘em-up”19, while Computer Gaming World’s Kevin Turner called it “a wonderfully entertaining game”19. The game earned recognition as runner-up for Computer Gaming World’s 1995 ‘Sports Game of the Year’ award1.

Modern Assessment

Modern retrospective assessments have recognized Trophy Bass as a significant commercial success that was largely overlooked by traditional gaming audiences. As gaming historian Jimmy Maher observed, “Trophy Bass sold many more copies from the outdoor sections of Middle American Wal-Mart superstores than it did from computer and gaming stores”5, highlighting the disconnect between gaming press coverage and actual market performance. Contemporary abandonware sites rate the game highly, with MyAbandonware users giving it a 4.31/5 rating20, with one user noting it as “one of the best fishing games…they are hard to get right but this one is great”20.

Development

Origins

Trophy Bass was developed by Dynamix in collaboration with Jeff Tunnell Productions1, designed by Randy Dersham with significant input from professional fishing consultants1. The game represented Sierra’s strategic move into sports simulation during the mid-1990s expansion period21. Development focused on creating an authentic fishing experience that would appeal to both gaming enthusiasts and real fishing enthusiasts, with the team conducting extensive research into bass fishing techniques and lake environments3.

Production

The game featured comprehensive production credits totaling 212 individuals9, with Susan Folden serving as executive producer, Steven D. Letsom as director, and Richard Rayl as technical director9. The audio design was handled by composers Neal Grandstaff and Ken Rogers1, with voice work provided by professional bass anglers including Jeff Boyer and Jane Chase1. The soundtrack was recorded using authentic Roland Sound Canvas SC-55 hardware to ensure period-accurate MIDI reproduction22.

Technical Achievements

Trophy Bass utilized advanced graphics technology for 1995, featuring SVGA 640x480 resolution at 256 colors2. The game required a 486DX 66MHz processor with 8MB of RAM and a double-speed CD-ROM drive2. Technical innovation included realistic fish AI and fighting models that put “every angler’s skills to the test”23, along with detailed environmental simulation that tracked weather patterns, water conditions, and seasonal changes affecting bass behavior3. The game supported various sound cards with DAC capabilities and featured realistic lake and fishing sound effects2.

Legacy

Trophy Bass established a successful franchise that spawned multiple sequels including Trophy Bass 2 (1996), Field & Stream: Trophy Bass 3D (1999), and Field & Stream: Trophy Bass 4 (2000)24. The series demonstrated the viability of niche simulation games in the PC market, proving that specialized titles could achieve significant commercial success outside traditional gaming retail channels5. Sierra continued to support the franchise with comprehensive patch support and technical updates25, including compatibility improvements for newer Windows versions and hardware configurations26.

The game’s influence extended beyond the immediate fishing simulation genre, establishing design principles for authentic sports simulation that emphasized realism over arcade-style gameplay21. Despite not being available on modern digital distribution platforms like Steam27, the game maintains an active preservation community through sites like Internet Archive and GOG wishlists28.

Downloads

Purchase / Digital Stores

  • Currently not available on Steam27
  • GOG Dreamlist - Community wishlist
  • Listed on GOG wishlist for potential future release28

Download / Preservation

References

Footnotes

  1. Dynamix Fandom Wiki – - Release date and developer information ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9

  2. Amazon Product Listing – - Market positioning and target audience ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  3. Coming Soon Magazine – - Contemporary review quote ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6

  4. Amazon Sierra Trophy Bass – - Product marketing description ↩

  5. The Digital Antiquarian – - Commercial success analysis ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  6. eBay Listing – - Game features description ↩

  7. Web Archive PC Gamer News – - Sales figures from 1997 ↩

  8. Web Archive PC Gamer News 1997 – - Updated sales data ↩

  9. MobyGames Trophy Bass – - Developer credits ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8

  10. GameRevolution Trophy Bass 2 – - Tournament and gameplay modes ↩ ↩2

  11. IGN Field Stream Trophy Bass 4 – - Environmental factors affecting gameplay ↩

  12. Archive.org Trophy Bass 2 Deluxe – - Overhead view description ↩ ↩2

  13. MobyGames Front Page Sports Trophy Bass 2 – - Control specifications ↩

  14. Archive.org swizzle_demu_BASS – - Equipment selection options ↩

  15. Web Archive PC Gamer Review – - Trophy fish weight targets ↩

  16. PC GameSpy – - Environmental consideration requirements ↩

  17. GamePressure Field Stream Trophy Bass 4 – - Equipment and species counts ↩ ↩2

  18. IGN Trophy Bass Cheats – - Optimal lure selection ↩

  19. Wikipedia Trophy Bass – - Computer Game Review scores ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  20. MyAbandonware Trophy Bass – - User rating ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  21. Old Games Trophy Bass – - Sierra’s sports simulation expansion ↩ ↩2

  22. Xeen Music Bandcamp – - Audio recording methodology ↩

  23. Archive.org Field Stream Trophy Bass 3D Demo – - AI improvements ↩

  24. MobyGames Search Trophy Bass – - Series timeline ↩

  25. Sierra Help Trophy Bass Updates – - Patch support documentation ↩

  26. VOGONs Forum Topic 50808 – - Compatibility improvements ↩

  27. Steam Search Trophy Bass – - Modern platform availability ↩ ↩2

  28. GOG Dreamlist – - Community preservation efforts ↩ ↩2

  29. Internet Archive TROPHY – - Demo preservation ↩

  30. Internet Archive Trophy Bass 4 – - Full game preservation ↩

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