One of the routines I perform in my water safety themed show for schools involves a production of a rubber fish from a change bag. It is a custom made change bag designed to look like a net. It is 2 way with a zip bottom. As part of the routine I have a small puppet mouse ‘Judy the Mouse’, which gets used as bait. The message behind the routine is about wearing lifejackets.

I would like to make the effect more magical somehow. Children watching the trick don’t seem to have any idea where the fish came from but it is not exactly jaw dropping magic. I am looking for ideas that could make the routine more magical or surprising. Maybe a couple of magical failed attempts at catching a fish using the change bag/fishing net. Anyone have any ideas that don’t involve bringing out a deck of playing cards?

See performance of the effect here.

Click here to view attached image.

It sounds like fun. I have done some stuff like that in the past with a bag where I produced a lot of stuff and then on the off beat I produce a live rabbit.

So maybe produce something else as a second punch. Kind of like a chop cup type trick where the cups keep producing the large objects.

Ken

Hi,
What about a latex shoe or boot? Also working on the apearing straw/wand/pole principle, how about producing a fishing rod from the bag?

Phillip

Remember that illusion where the magician has a butterfly-type net and he swings it through the air to produce a dove from mid air? Could a scaled down version of this look like a fishing net and you pull the fish out of mid air?
Best,
Jim

I have never seen this illusion before. Does anyone have more info on it?

Andy,
I recall seeing that butterfly net dove production on TV as a kid, but it is also described in a book I've got called "Great Magic Shows" by Arnold Furst. In that book, magican Bill Neff's act includes this description of his huge illusion show's opening:

"He was wearing formal evening dress with white gloves on his hands. The gloves were removed and tossed into the air where they instantly changed into two doves. This effect is one of Bill Neff's trademarks and he includes it in all his performances.
The doves flew about the darkened auditorium for a moment and then flew back to the performer, who picked them up and put them into an attractive silk foulard. When the foulard was snapped it was immediately apparent that the doves had vanished. One of the girls handed the magician a small butterfly net, which he used to produce the two doves from the empty air over his head. etc..."

I'll look around and see if this effect is available anywhere. Someone here probably knows about it.
Jim

I like Ink to Water and Goldfish for a fish production. It's easy to let the kid be the star of that one.

I have been working on putting Dick Barry's Champagne Goldfish Production in my kids show. I quote the parents $20 more for this effect, $.39 for a goldfish, $3.00 for a fish bowl, and $1.98 for a starter bottle of fish food that could last a year, and it makes a nice little present/give away for the birthday person. I would never do this trick without consulting with the parents first.

Michael

Michael, I have never seen this effect before. I am interested in finding out more about it. How do you think it would play to school show audience of 300 kids in a school Gym?

Also I don't think having live fish is going to be practical in my situation. I only perform my water safety education show in summer. So my car gets very hot inside while parked. It is a big enough problem with my rabbit. I also travel out of town a lot and often stay overnight in a hotel. I don't think a fish would travel that well on the road.

Does anyone still produce the "fishing pole" that is used by Mac King and a few others for their appearing goldfish routines? This effect of putting bait on a short fishing pole then "casting" it out over the childrens heads, catching a goldfish and to then see it swimming in a bowl most always leaves the audience in disbelief. This is truely a crowd pleaser and kids just love it.

Andy,
I found the effect I was thinking of. It's called "Doves From the Air." Unfortunately, it's very expensive. Here's a link to one version I found.

http://www.richhillsillusionshop.com/dovesfromtheair.htm

Really like Sindini's fishing pole suggesting. I'm going to go back to the web to look for that too.
Jim

Snidini,

Hocus Pocus was selling a routine for $199 called Aerial Fishing that was the same idea...not sure if they still have it.

I don't believe that Mac purchased a commercial version of the Fishing Pole Routine. I think that he built his from the description of Magical Fishing in Jim Steinmeyer's book The Magic of Alan Wakeling. I purchased the book last year and have been working on it since January. It still needs a little bit of work, but looks great when it appears at the end of the line. I know Mac uses a "Fig Newton" for bait. I am not sure what I plan on using yet.

It's a pretty good write up, and the book has many other fantastic routines. Highly recommended.

Michael

Andy,

I am not sure how it would play for 300. I guess it depends on how far they are spaced out.

One thing to mention, I did this at a function in Gainesville, FL, and in Houston, TX. I had the apparatus with me. All I had to do was stop into a pet store on my way to the show and spend $.50 on a fish. Not a lot of set-up required. So, no real need to travel with the fish. Just look for a pet store or something when you travel.

Here is the link for his effect: here

I know this is the routine that Siegfried and Roy performed in their show, but I never saw it. They may have used video screens.

Michael

Thanks Andy for the information. It is greatly appreciated.

Here is a link to a live fish production from a silk trick.

http://www.magicauction.com/Mag_auc/stage.htm

My fail proof reaction getter is to use reverse pyschology. Tell them that you have caught a fish (when you obviously have not since the bag is empty). The kids will scream and scream that you have not caught a fish so when you suddenly pull out a fish on the off beat when they are screaming the loudest that there is NO FISH their jaws will drop.

I use this idea in my die box routine.

I've been thinking of including a goldfish production routine in my show as a closer (possibly with background music). I would prefer to use a rabbit production, but, unfortunately, my wife is deathly allergic to them. So now I'm looking for alternatives.

I did a betta fish production once a chick pan. It was the highlight of the show, and was a birthday present for the child.

So, I have two questions: What fish production effects are you aware of? And how practical are they for home birthday parties?

Brian

Andy,


A great routine that you can use as a punch to the effect is to use Rich Marottas "Goldfish Production". You can set it up by using a line like "Well at least I caught one fish, but I thought there were more swimming around someplace. Oh let me check my wallet. Oh heres ....

cod hard cash
my tuna dollar bill
a couple of fins
and a few sand dollars
and a few quarters made of silverperch".

The kids laugh and that gives you time to load the load. You then produce the bowl of LIVE goldfish right in front of thier eyes.

Just a thought, or two.

S. Patrick

For those who are interested, after a morning of scouring Google, I came across these 12 effects, along with various prices:

1. Champagne Goldfish (Dick Barry) $20.00
2. Fantastic Fish Bowl Production (Dick Barry) $35.00
3. Fish Bowl Production by Rich Marotta $180
4. Ink to Goldfish $6.00 Bowl/Goblet version $30.00
5. Square Circle Goldfish Production
6. Artistic Fish $35.97
7. Aerial Fishing
8. Crystal Fish Cylinder, Ickle Pickle $66.00
9. Gary Darwin's Floating Fish Bowl (Zombie effect)
10. Little Fishy (Diamond Jim) $29.95
11. Fish-Kerchief (Anton Corrandin) $49.95
12. Fishtastic $105

That reminds me -- my crabby wife went missing once. Yes, it's true -- I lobster, but I finally flounder! She got caught in a speed trap once; had to pay a whale of a fine to the tuna $100. After she got out of jail, she sure smelt. I thought I'd tell you this story just for the halibut. It's quite the tail, isn't it? Cod, these jokes are stupid. I betta you couldn't do better!

BTW, do you know the proper spelling of fish in English? It's "ghoti" -- the "gh" as in "laugh", the "o" as in "women", and the "ti" as in "nation."

Brian

There is an Australian novelty song with the line "I lobster her, but then I flounder" in it. It has PILEs of fish references in it.

There's also one for Newfoundland, my home province in Canada. I was thinking of it when I wrote those references.

I wonder if both songs are one and the same. Here's ours:

The Fish Song

I was the cook, ---- she was the waitress
Down at Salty Sams seafood Café
Somewhere between the clam juice and the seaweed salad
some little shrimp... lured her away


Oh, I Lobster, n' never Flounder
He wrapped his line around her
and they drove off in his Carp
Oh, I Lobster n' never Flounder
I Octopus his face in,
Eel only break her heart.

I said "Just Squid and leave me for that piano Tuna
If you want to Trout something new"
She was the Bass I ever had and my life has no Porpoise
Oh by golly I love her, yes I do


(Speaking):

#1 I swordfish she'd come back to me!

#2 Aw, if she did, she'd just throw ya the same ole' line: "Not tonight, dear, I have a haddock."

#1 But I've kelpt her picture in my walleye all these years, just for the halibut. I wonder if she's kept mine in her perch.

#2 Well, we'd better quit sea-horsin' around here-these people look like they're goin' into a state of shark!

#1 Did you say a state of shark?!

#2 Shore did!

But Frankly scallop, I don't give a clam!


Maybe if I did the fish routine for older audiences, I could grab my guitar and add variety to the magic show!

Brian
Newfoundlander in Economic Exile