Shigesato Itoi’s No. 1 Bass Fishing is a casual fishing simulator for the Super Famicom released on February 21, 1997. In the game, the player plays as Shigesato Itoi and includes several animal characters that appear in the game, similar to Animal Forest (or Animal Crossing). During the game, the player is responsible for attempting to catch prize-winning bass fish; in order to do this, the player has to decide what part of the lake to fish and then the lure to use for said fishing. There are also other similar decisions the player has to make in order to get a good catch! At the end of each tournament, the fish are judged based on several different elements, such as its length and weight. 

At Akahoshi Lake (a fictional lake) where the B.A.C. (Bass Angler’s Club) catch fish, there are tournaments you can compete in. There are several different kinds of fish, each having a different size range. The goal for the player is the catch the most and the largest fish possible to gain access to extra competitions, such as quizzes. Of course, in order to be the best of the best at fishing, the player must also determine the most fruitful parts of Akahoshi Lake and even aspects such as weather conditions and the time of the day. 

The game was initially released on the Super Famicom with Satellaview-compatible slotted cartridge. This means that the game was capable of downloading additional data that was broadcasted. The game could also read data from 8M Memory Packs which previously had data downloaded via the BS-X Cartridge. These broadcasts were between March 2, 1997 and February 28, 1998. The data was categorized into eight different series for Satellaview subscribers thanks to St. GIGA, the distributor for the game. This series included the following episodes:

• Itoi Shigesato no Bass Tsuri No.1″ Taiou: Shuukan Bass Tsuri No.1 Magazine (「糸井重里のバス釣りＮｏ．１」 対応− 週刊バス釣りＮｏ．１マガジン)
• Bass Tsuri No.1 Haru no Zenkoku Tournament (バス釣りＮＯ．１ 春の全国トーナメント)
• Bass Tsuri No.1 Natsu no Practice (バス釣りＮｏ．１ 夏のプラクティス)
• Bass Tsuri No.1 Natsu no Zenkoku Tournament with SJ (バス釣りＮｏ．１ 夏の全国トーナメント ｗｉｔｈ ＳＪ)
• “Itoi Shigesato no Bass Tsuri No.1” Taiou: Shuukan Bass Tsuri No.1 Magazine – Aki no Tournament (「糸井重里のバス釣りＮｏ．１」　対応—バス釣りＮｏ．１マガジン　−秋のトーナメント)
• Bass Tsuri No.1 Aki no Zenkoku Tournament With SJ (バス釣りＮｏ．１　秋の全国トーナメント　Ｗｉｔｈ　ＳＪ)
• Bass Tsuri No.1 Fuyu no Zenkoku Tournament (バス釣りＮｏ．１ 冬の全国トーナメント)

The Haru no Zenkoku Tournament was a downloadable soundlink game for the Satellaview which was composed of three distinct data files. These three chapters were tournaments hosted on the following dates:

• April 27, 1997 (Qualifiers)
• April 27, 1997 (Trash Clean-up Campaign)
• May 25, 1997 (Finals)

Shigesato Itoi himself participated in these events, and each of them held multiplayer contests that were capable of competing on a national scale in Japan. The Satellaview competition event, held in collaboration with St. GIGA, was set into two different divisions. The top ten scores from the first division and the top twenty scores in the second division would win a collectible Bass Tsuri No.1-exclusive prize lure. 

The Nintendo 64 version was a fully-realized version of the game, making it the definitive version. Unfortunately, it did not have Randnet capabilities or any sort of material that was downloadable like the Super Famicom version; there is no information on whether it had Nintendo 64DD capabilities. Changes that were made was to give the player a more “in-depth playing experience.” For instance, there was support for a tackle-and-reel like peripheral called the Tsurikon 64, a peripheral made in a similar fashion to a fishing rod. Weight load would occur on the reel and react realistically, much like a real fish fighting or tugging on your line. The drag could be adjusted to your liking and with an accelerated sensor which allowed for adaptive ways of play such as casting, retrieving, and awasing. Alongside these things, there was a built-in vibrator to generate realistic vibrations similar to a fish tugging on your line. 

Between March 31 and May of 2000, before the cancellation of MOTHER 3 on the Nintendo 64, Famitsu magazine hosted a competition to promote the Definitive Edition of the game (Nintendo 64 version). Winners of this competition would receive a free Tsurikon 64, an original Bass Tsuri No.1-exclusive prize clothing, a Mamiya OP ABU Garcia SX 1600C HiSpeed (provided by Mamiya OP Inc.), a Nintendo Game Boy Color 10th Anniversary Edition, all signed by Shigesato Itoi and Almost Daily Itoi Shimbun. To advertise the Nintendo 64 version of the game, Japanese comedian Takashi Fujii starred in televised commercials.