MAN'S FAVORITE SPORT?

Roger Willoughby works at Abercrombie & Fitch as a salesman of recreational fishing equipment. He is very successful at his job and highly sought after by his customers, some of whom are looking for equipment which could help them win the next annual fishing tournament at Lake Wakapoogee.

His boss, Mr. Cadwalader, orders Willoughby to participate in the tournament, something he had never done before. This request comes at the suggestion of Isolde "Easy" Mueller, the daughter of the owner of the Lake's lodge, and Abigail Page, its director of public relations and Easy's friend. They believe his participation would improve the tournament's standing and Mr. Cadwalader's business.

Willoughby initially refuses, confiding to Abigail and Easy that he has never fished in his life, cannot stand the touch or taste of fish, and cannot swim. His success comes from listening to his customers, most of whom are very talkative: he simply passes on the advice that one customer gives him to his other customers. Abigail, who is adept at fishing, threatens to expose his lack of experience if he declines her request, despite her earlier promise to keep it secret, and promises to teach him fishing before the tournament starts.

He arrives at the lodge with a ridiculously large amount of camping and fishing equipment, all of which was provided by Cadwalader. He does not know how to handle any of it and Abigail's lessons are not very successful, one ending with him almost drowning when he falls out of a boat. Easy tells them that the renowned fisherman Joe Killroy has entered the tournament. They decide to fake a broken arm for Willoughby to enable him drop out of the tournament. Abigail and Easy put an improvised cast on him, only to find out that Killroy actually had an accident and has a cast himself; they ineptly saw off Willoughby's cast, to his horror.

That night, Abigail comes to Willoughby's lodge to request a sleeping pill and lets herself in. When he has to leave to talk to some of his customers, who have arrived for the tournament and want some tips, Abigail, who had taken the sleeping pill, falls asleep in his bed. When he comes back, he decides to sleep on the floor. The next morning, Easy arrives looking for Abigail. When she tries to help Willoughby open the zipper of his sleeping bag, his fiancée Tex arrives. She is at first amused at the sight but when Abigail comes out of his bedroom, she storms off.

When the three-day tournament starts, Willoughby is still incompetent but, by sheer luck, catches some large fish which make him very competitive. On one of the nights, he walks Abigail to her lodge and they kiss. Even though the kiss clearly impresses her, she acts as if it was a disappointment, confusing and angering him.

On the third day, luck causes him to catch another large fish, winning the tournament. That evening, a tearful Abigail comes to his lodge. She apologizes for getting him in so much trouble and begs him to refuse the prize and come clean with his boss, the tournament director and his customers. After she leaves, he admits that he was going to do that anyway but that she made it easier for him. He gathers everyone and confesses. While his boss fires him, everyone else is impressed by his honesty.

Willoughby then goes to look for Abigail, who went camping across the lake to be alone. He finds her and they bicker until a storm forces them to share her tent, where they fall asleep, still angry. Meanwhile, the competitors convince Cadwalader that he has to rehire Willoughby for business reasons: when it emerges that even a totally incompetent fisherman can win such a tournament with Cadwalader's equipment, people will want to buy it.

Cadwalader goes out on the lake to search for Willoughby. The storm meanwhile has flushed Abigail's tent out to the lake where they are met by Cadwalader's boat. After they hear the good news, Abigail and Willoughby happily kiss again.

Roger’s incompetence is eventually exposed during the tournament, leading to romantic and professional complications that culminate in Abigail apologizing for her role in the chaos and urging him to come clean about his inexperience.

The ending wraps up the central farce by confronting Roger’s secret head-on, emphasizing themes of honesty, humility, and the unpredictable nature of both love and luck. The film lands its final punchline by showing that the truth, even when embarrassing, can pave the way for genuine connection—and a second chance at romance.