"Let's Go Fishing" by benchen71

[Dplass]

Nudges, in order of increasing blatancy:



3. Did you find the RED HERRING? If so, that is definitely a hint for your actual quarry.

No. I. Did. Not.

Same. These hints sadly didn't hint me very much.

[Dplass]

Nudges, in order of increasing blatancy:



3. Did you find the RED HERRING? If so, that is definitely a hint for your actual quarry.

No. I. Did. Not.

Same. These hints sadly didn't hint me very much.

aaand I'm across. Thanks for the meta.

[benchen71]

No. I. Did. Not.

Oh, but it was right there at the end of ABOARD!

[rjy]

Finally got it… thanks for supplying some way more effective bait, Ben!

[Dow Jones]

Caught the fish and then released it in the moat (thanks for the nudges, Ben). Fun puzzle and meta.

[whimsy]

I was just about to post that not only was I not good at fishing, but that I was a peasant (vassal, serf, esne) in a land-locked kingdom who didn't have a prayer of ever seeing the inside of the castle walls --

But then I took one more look, and aha, saw it finally.
Thanks, Ben, for both the puzzle and the rabbit holes on land and sea.

[Cinny]

Finally have crossed the moat. I believe I made it harder than it was. Must admit that the red herring nudge was very helpful. Thanks, Ben.

[benchen71]

Here's the final batch of successful anglers, bring us up to a total of 29:

KayW
markhr
frostyjhammer
dplass
rjy
woozy
Laura M
Dow Jones
LisaT
Carolyn
whimsy
Lizmiz
BarbaraK
Cindy Heisler
BobJas

I definitely don't want to name and shame one of my successful solvers. But Crosshare's stats page shows us meta constructors how many wrong responses some has tried before getting the answer right. This week one solver had 165 of these before they finally entered the right answer. I think that shows incredible perseverance! I know I like to solve metas, and that I get a bit antsy when I can't, but I don't know that I would have gone to those lengths.

[benchen71]

And now here's the answer to "Let's Go Fishing"...

In this puzzle I set myself the challenge of deliberately including a red herring but doing so in a way that actually contributes to the solution. So this was my "path to solution". A number of fishing-related entries were located around the periphery of the puzzle. Then the ABOARD entry takes you from the outside into the middle of the grid. The idea was that the fish you are looking for is somehow located in the middle area of the grid. Did you notice that the D of ABOARD was part of the diagonally located RED HERRING? That was my hope, since it reads from left to right. Of course that cannot possibly be the answer (although many people tried it on Crosshare!) But the diagonal nature of this word was supposed to point you towards another diagonally located fish that also starts with a colour. This time, though, it reads from right to left, making it a lot harder to spot.

This puzzle was perhaps made slightly more difficult than I anticipated, since BLUE GRENADIER is not a fish that many people have heard of - at least, outside of Australia. However, Australians know this fish quite well: it's available at fish & chip shops across the country, and I have to say that it is delicious!

[markhr]

I think what stumped me for quite a while was all the references to fish/fishing/fisher in the clues. Seventeen references. I thought if a constructor is going to put that many "fish" in the clues it must be essential to the meta. I was wrong, of course. I tried noting the different types and positions of the fish, their corresponding entries in the grid, etc., to no avail. Can't say I'm a big fan of these false clues.

After floundering (pun intended) for a couple of days, I waited for the nudges. After reading the nudges I solved it in about 60 seconds. So it wasn't the unfamiliarity with blue grenadier, it was total confusion as to the methodology. Live and learn, I guess.

[benchen71]

Your comment about the clues is a good one. I've been annoyed, too, when a themed meta has lots of references to the theme in the clues/entries that have nothing to do with the meta. (I'm particularly thinking of "Taking Sides" with all the extra references to animals!) I think I've developed a rule of thumb as a result: when that happens, look elsewhere for the meta mechanic!

[minimuggle]

Wow, that is so impressive. I learn something with every meta I attempt. Great puzzle.

[woozy]

I think a constructor might think things are more obvious than the actually are. The sideways RED HERRING is very well hidden and hard to find (albeit completely fair) and assuming the "ALL ABOARD" clue would be a hint to look in the general direction to find it is just a tad optimistic. Maybe if there were a few more subtle hints to look sideways.

[TeamDoubleTow]

Wow! Brilliant! Couldn't find the red herring even with the nudges. Earlier in my Muggle apprenticeship I thinkI was more open to diagonals but I seem to have forgotten those!

[whimsy]

My initial bunny burrowing --
The "red herring" was the Bass in the clue for 19A.
That led me to FCLEF.
F would be the "Key" to solving!
But fortunately, not many F's in the grid so that idea lost out quick enough.,

[Bird Lives]

Like markhr, I tacked the wrong way. I saw the fishing references (ROD, BAIT, REEL, NET) placed symmetrically in the grid and figured that had to be part of the solution. Then I looked for the entry for each clue with "fishing" in it, and when that didn't catch anything, I added a search for clues with "fish" and again came up with nothing. Congrats to the solvers who knew to ignore those and head for the diagonals. I wonder if a clue or a nudge that included the word "angle," with its double meaning, would have helped.

[benchen71]

I wonder if a clue or a nudge that included the word "angle," with its double meaning, would have helped.

Ooh, that would have been great. I wush I had thought of that!

[Dplass]

I wonder if a clue or a nudge that included the word "angle," with its double meaning, would have helped.

Ooh, that would have been great. I wush I had thought of that!

I...kind of did that unintentionally...sorry. I hadn't solved yet when I suggested "angler" for "fisher person".