I like the big lure idea coming out of the middle. Maybe you could get a baby pic of him to 'hook' and some different shades of blue ribbon to drape like water???? and maybe some sinkers as he will be 50? or bobbers to help him keep afloat??

good luck,
Marie

Am I too late? You didn't say when you had to do this cake. I was going to suggest that you take 2 squares of graham crackers & ice together (to make it thicker). This would be a raft. You could easily perch the raft over the center hole of the cake. Obviously you need a male figuerine to have as the fisherman-place a dot of icing on the raft & sit him on it. I know you plan on dusting the majority of the cake with XXX sugar, but why not make some blue icing and create about 1/4 of the BOTTOM of the cake-as water-making waves & whitecaps w/the icing. Also put some water under the edges of the raft-making peaks as waves.Place those red gummy fish all around the base of the cake-some half buried in the water, some jumping up tpwards the top of the cake, etc. Use a wooden skewer (pkg of these are found at the grocery store)..make a fishpole using the skewer. Run a piece of clear fishing line from the end of the pole down to the bottom of the cake where the fish are swimming-attach line to the back side of 1 fish with a dot of icing. Instead of writing on the cake? Why not make a sign on a pole that says "Gone Fishin'!" on the sign & insert on the side of the cake.

Love these ideas, a big thank you!! The party was the night after the post, but I will keep these in mind, as we know many that fishing is their passion! Thanks, mary