Fishing by G. Alexander

Title: Fishing 

Artist: G Alexander

Producers: Undermagic

Link: Available At Your Favorite Murphy's Magic Dealer

Retail Price: $49.95 USD

Learning Difficulty: Easy

Length of Video: 6 minutes

Notes: Downloadable Instructional Video


Includes:

• Video

This is the classic card tied onto a string taken to a new modern level. This is Fishing by G Alexander. You have a card selected by a spectator. The cards are tossed into a paper bag. You remove your headphones from around your neck, dangle the end into the bag and magically it ties itself around the spectators selected card! Vanish your finger ring, and reproduce it from a bag tied to the end of your headphones, or anything else you can think of. Note: Some alternative presentations are less practical for a live audience than others without significant setup prior.


What you get is a gimmick, and the IPhone headset. A fair warning in case you're interested to know, no they will not function if you try to use them for listening to music. The gimmick and the headphones are very well made. The deception is real. In fact even the packaging is innocuous. I almost thought I was sent the wrong product at first glance because the packaging looks like it came from Apple, and not typical to how magic tricks are usually packaged. 


The standard presentation uses a deck of cards and the card cannot be signed. This presentation is great for close up or parlor shows, but strolling magicians may find it a bit cumbersome to try to carry around the paper sack, a deck, the gimmick, and the headphones. There's a lot of power in this effect for the casual street performer but the more impressive and apparently impromptu handlings would require a lot of set up, and dirt work making them more ideal for a TV or Youtube audience than the people you're performing for live. Mark my words though, in the right hands this could be reel material if done right.


The magic feels very organic and natural, and I think that has a lot to do with the props being used. I got a friend to help me out one time last week when I knew we were getting together with a large group of people to go to dinner and a movie. My friend let me set up her purse with the gimmick in advance (as well as being a good sport with some other necessary minor monkey work), and during dinner I borrowed her ring, and her purse, and vanished the ring only to reproduce it from her purse tied to the end of the headphones. Granted she was in on it, but to everyone else you'd think I was a god based on their reactions. 


Your angles are solid when working with this gimmick, provided the spectators don't examine the paper bag. The bag is dirty. It's not hard to hide, or deflect attention. The heat won't be on the bag at all. But it can't be examined before or after the effect. So if you're digging for a drawback that's the only one. 


Overall I really liked this trick! It's organic, and it's fun to play with. My preferred presentations require stooges but you're by no means required to use them to present this. On the streets this is a great one off trick. I'm not sure if I'd open or close with it on a stage set but it would be a great filler or segue piece. Check out Fishing by G Alexander, I don't think you'll be disappointed.


When I give my product scores below I am measuring them on a scale of 1 to 10. 1 Being absolute the worst score possible, and 10 being the absolute best, making a score of five average. The four points that I grade upon is Product Quality, Teaching Quality, Sound & Video Quality and Overall Quality.


Product Quality: 8

The price is a bit out there. 50$ is a bit steep for basically a modified set of headphones, but the magic is worth it. 


Teaching Quality: 8

The video is short, sweet, and very well made.


Video & Sound Quality: 8

Good sound and video! 


Overall Quality: 8

The price is a hit, but the magic is versatile, visual, and powerful. I've received some great reactions doing this trick, so I think it's been well worth the purchase.