Go fish is a card game easily enjoyed by both young and old

Itching to cast a line but the sun is not shining? Bring out a table and that deck of cards instead, and go fish with a twist. Though it may not give you that tan or food for dinner, this game will definitely give you fun and excitement instead, and will surely provide entertainment for everyone of all ages.

Any standard card deck with its 52 playing cards can be used to play. But just to show how popular this game has become, specialty decks have been produced by various manufacturers, including one for kids that has 169 (yup, 169! count'em all!) cards.

The basics of this card game are fairly easy to understand, and this ten minute read should set you on your way to your own fishing adventure right in the comfort of your couch.

The game may be played with anywhere from two to ten players, and starts with each player being dealt their hands. When no more than four players are in the game, each one gets seven cards. When five or more players want in on the fun, each one receives five cards. The remaining cards make up the ocean or fishing ground, and are scattered face down in a pile between the players.

There is no hard and fast rule in determining who starts the game, so you can do your thing with this. Whosever turn it is to play gets to ask any other player in the game for any card rank of which he (whose turn it is) must already possess at least one. If the player being asked has the asked-for card/s, he must turn all these over to the asking player. The asking player then continues with his turn by asking the same or any other player for the same or any other rank, until he comes up empty, in which case the turn passes on to the player on the left.

If at the first attempt, the player immediately tanks, he is told to "Go fish," and he randomly picks a card from the ocean. If he luckily picks the same number he asked for, he shows this to the other players and plays another turn. If the picked card does not match, he adds this to his hand, and the turn passes to the player on the left.

The objective is to form a book, or a set of four cards of the same rank, which are placed face up in front of the player. When all cards have been formed into books, the game ends and whoever has the most books wins.

Rain or shine, go fish now!