=====================
About this Guide
=====================
This guide is an accumulation of everything I have
learned about fishing from my own experience and
that of other players, and is basically everything I
wish someone had told me when I started leveling
fishing way back when Final Fantasy XI was first
released in North America. Would you believe it if I
told you that dinosaurs roamed the earth back then?
How about if I told you that a level 1 fisher had to
wait an agonizing 14 seconds between casts? Or that
a Rusty Cap (not a repaired Padded Cap) sold to
vendors for 1656 gil? Or that a mid level fisher
with a Lu Shang's Rod could make nearly as much as a
level 100 fisher? Or that you could expect as many
as 8 "you didn't catch anything" messages in a row?
Or that any NPC in the game would gladly pay you
over 1000 gil for a Bastore Bream or Black Sole? Or
that in nearly 70 levels of fishing I didn't loose a
single lure? Or that it used to be possible to fish
entirely by sound?
Well it was all true (except for the part about the
dinosaurs), but several patches and the last major
update have drastically changed fishing, in my
opinion for the better. But don't take my word for
it, next time you are in Port Windurst stop by and
talk to Laughing Lizard by the Fishing Guild. He'll
tell you:
Quote:
"Hmph! You dang kids these days
ain't got no respect for your elders. Can't you
see I'm trying to learn this new fandangled
fishin' method? In my day, all we had to do was
cast a line and wait for the baby to tug. Why,
back then it was so easy. I could catch a fish
while I was sleepin'! But now you gotta work for
your meal! Let me tell you how it's done..."
Since the update most of the fishing guides and
online resources are a little outdated, so I've
decided to compile a complete list of what I feel
are the best locations and rod/bait combinations for
leveling fishing 0-100 depending on whether you want
to focus on completing the Lu Shang's Quest, making
money, or skilling up as quickly as possible.
=====================
Table of Contents
=====================
I. Why Fish?
II. Fishing
Basics
a. How do you Fish?
b. How Can you Tell what Caught the Hook?
c. Summary: What Caught my Hook and What Should I
Do?
d. Fishing Tips
e. Fishing Rods
f. Is the Lu Shang's Fishing Rod Really Necessary?
g. Breaking Fishing Rods
h. Is Woodworking Required for Leveling Fishing?
i. Fishing Bait
j. Fishing Gear
k. Fishing for Items/Rusty Items
l. Fishing in Areas with Higher Level Monsters
m. Fishing Fatigue
n. Skill Cap Test Fish
III. The Guide
a. Fishing 0-50 while Catching Moats for the Lu
Shang's Quest the Entire Time
b. Fishing 0-50 in the Places that will Skill you up
the Fastest
c. The "No Brainer" Fishing Guide 0-50
d. Fishing 50-60
e. Fishing 60-96 for Gil
f. Fishing 60-96 for Skill
g. Fishing 96-100
IV. Fishing Links
and Online Resources
=====================
I. Why Fish?
=====================
The main reason to level fishing is that fishing is
profitable. But fishing is not the only way to make
gil in this game. There are many other profitable
crafts like Alchemy, Woodworking, and Goldsmithing,
and most of these are a greater source of income in
the highest levels than high level fishing. But
these crafts also require huge gil investments in
order to level them up to the point where they are
highly profitable, while fishing merely requires an
investment of time. This makes fishing an ideal
craft for new players since they start the game with
very little gil, but plenty of time.
In addition, with fishing you can actually make
significant profits while you skill up, unlike the
other crafts in the game in which it's usually best
to separate your skillup sessions from your profit
sessions. Also, from what I've heard the HQs and
failures of other crafts can feel a little like a
roller coaster, but fishing is more of a steady
climb.
In other words, with fishing you'll never craft a
Haubergon +1, but you'll never lose a Damascus Ingot
either, and you don't have to dump millions into
something before it begins showing returns.
Harvesting, excavation, logging, mining, and farming
are also popular ways to make gil, but once you
locate the logging/mining/mob spawn points and
familiarize yourself with the particular area, you
are not guaranteed to make any more profit per hour
after your 100th hour
harvesting/excavating/logging/mining/farming than
you made after your first. But every hour you spend
fishing will potentially raise your fishing skill,
and a higher fishing skill has the potential to
increase your profits per hour. What this means is
that every hour you spend fishing can be considered
an investment.
=====================
II. Fishing basics
=====================
The last update made fishing a lot more interactive,
and as a result a lot of players are interested in
giving it a try. This section will cover a lot of
the basics for those that are just starting out, as
well as provide some more advanced information and
strategies.
a. How
do you Fish?
In order to fish your character must be facing an
unobstructed body of water and have a fishing rod
and bait equipped in the ranged and ammo slots. Once
these conditions are met you can begin fishing by
typing "/fish" or by hitting a fishing macro. The
most common fishing macros are:
/fish This will cast your line
/equip range "Lu Shang's F. Rod" This equips a Lu Shang's as your current fishing rod
/equip ammo "Shrimp Lure" This equips a Shrimp Lure as your current bait
Once you have cast your line into the water, you
will need to wait for the "Something caught the
hook!/!!!" message and then attempt to fight your
catch until the stamina bar is depleted enough for
you to reel it in successfully. It is important to
note that in most circumstances it is not worth
attempting to reel in a catch until the stamina bar
is completely depleted since there is a good chance
your line will snap if any stamina remains.
According to the
Playonline Update Notes, under the new system
once something catches the hook your rod will be
pulled sharply to the left or the right. You can
deplete the stamina bar of the fish, item, or mob at
the other end of your line by pressing the 4 or 6
keys on the numeric pad in the opposite direction of
the rod's movement. While the rod is in the neutral
position pressing the 4 or 6 keys will actually
allow your catch to regain stamina.
However, it seems that there are actually 5 distinct
rod positions that correspond to 10 o'clock, 11
o'clock, 12 o'clock, 1 o'clock, and 2 o'clock on the
face of an analog clock. The rod may stay in
positions 10, 12, or 2 for several seconds, but will
only occupy positions 11 or 1 for a moment.
My own experience and that of the other fishers I've
talked to seems to indicate that the most effective
way to deplete the stamina bar depends on what
exactly caught the hook:
-For items, mobs, and fish at or below your level,
it is best to hold the 4 or 6 keys down when the rod
is in the 10, 11, 1, or 2 positions, while being
careful not to press 4 or 6 while the rod is in the
neutral position.
-For high level fish or fish that cap significantly
higher than your current skill level, it is best to
rapidly tap the 4 or 6 keys when the rod is in the
10 or 2 positions, and be sure to stop tapping as
soon as the rod moves into the 11, 12, or 1
positions. This minimizes your chances of pressing
the 4 or 6 keys at the wrong time and allowing your
catch to regain stamina unnecessarily.
b. How
Can you Tell what Caught the Hook?
You should be able to get a fairly good idea about
what exactly caught your hook from the message you
get after something catches your hook and after
fighting with your catch for a few seconds. Since
different strategies for depleting the stamina bar
are more or less effective for certain catches, it
will be important for you to make the necessary
adjustments and decide on the best strategy for each
particular catch as soon as you think you know what
exactly you are dealing with.
For general reference here are the six possible
messages you can get immediately after something
catches your hook:
1. You have a
good feeling about this one!/!!!
2. You don't know
if you have enough skill to reel this one in!/!!!
3. You are fairly
sure you don't have enough skill to reel this one
in!/!!!
4. You're
positive you don't have enough skill to reel this
one in!/!!!
5. You have a bad
feeling about this one!/!!!
6. You have a
terrible feeling about this one!/!!!
It is important to note that the message you receive
is based on your "fishing instinct", which improves
in accuracy as your fishing level increases.
Fishing Instinct is largely misunderstood by most
fishers. It is very important to realize that your
fishing instinct does not indicate whether or not
you have hooked a valuable/good fish or item, but
instead merely indicates how difficult it will be
for you to reel in whatever is on the other end of
your line.
The "good feeling" message, for example, merely
indicates that your character has a good feeling
about his or her chances of depleting the stamina
bar of whatever caught their hook. In other words,
if you get the "good feeling" message, then there is
a good chance that the stamina bar will be easy to
deplete and you should have little trouble
successfully reeling in this particular catch.
However, this can actually be a bad thing when the
"Something caugh the hook" message is followed by
three exclamation marks (!!!), which indicates you
have hooked either a large fish, monster, or
Arrowwood Log. For example, let's say you are
fishing in Sea Serpent Grotto (Lake) for Grimmonite
(a large unstackable fish). It is important to note
that the catchable monsters in Sea Serpent Grotto
range all the way up to level 67 and can be very
dangerous. So you get the "Something caught the
hook!!!" message followed by the "good feeling"
message. Most fishers assume that this means they
have hooked a Grimmonite, since Grimmonites are
"good" fish as far as they are concerned in terms of
gil/skillups. Most fishers would proceed to deplete
the stamina bar and reel in their catch only to be
killed pretty quickly by a Stygian Pugil. I have
heard many fishers in this kind of situation blame
their fishing instinct for their death, when in
reality their fishing instinct should have saved
their life. Again, remember that your fishing
instinct merely indicates how easy it will be to
reel in this particular catch, so that "good
feeling" means in effect "easy catch". But
Grimmonite are large, heavy, unstackable, high level
fish, and as a result, they should actually be
pretty difficult to reel in. Monsters, on the other
hand, are always easier to catch than large fish.
What this means is that it shouldn't be easy to reel
in a Grimmonite, and so the fact that your fishing
instinct told you that particular catch would be
easy to reel in (good feeling) means that you had
hooked a monster. When targeting large, unstackable,
heavy, high level fish, what you actually want to
see is three exclamation marks (!!!) followed by
negative messages (ie terrible feeling) since this
means you will have a hard time depleting the
stamina bar, and again, this type of large fish
should be hard to reel in.
Again, it is important to note that your fishing
instinct improves in accuracy as your fishing level
increases, but even with a slightly inaccurate
fishing instinct there are still several clues that
can indicate whether a fish, item, or mob has caught
the hook:
Item*
The Message: You can get several different
messages, but there will only be one exclamation
mark at the end of the message (!).
The Rod: The rod will most likely seem to
stay in the neutral position for longer than usual,
and will not swing back and forth very much.
The Stamina Bar: The stamina bar depletes
noticeably faster with items than with mobs or fish
around or above your current fishing level.
*Arrowwood Logs are currently the only item in the
game that defy this kind of classification since
they result in three exclamation marks (!!!) when
they catch the hook but behave like all the other
items in terms of rod movement and stamina
depletion.
Monster**
The Message: Positive messages (ie messages
1, 2, and 3) usually indicate the possibility of a
monster when they are followed by three exclamation
marks (!!!).
The Rod: The rod will move a little less
often than it would had you landed a large fish
around or above your current fishing level.
The Stamina Bar: The stamina bar will deplete
noticeably faster with mobs than with large fish
around or above your current fishing level.
**There is a very reliable way to determine if you
have caught a monster based on the depletion rate of
the stamina bar. If the message you get when
something catches your hook is followed by three
exclamation marks (!!!), then you have either caught
a monster or a large fish. If you do not press any
of the direction keys while the rod is in the 10
o'clock or 2 o'clock positions but the stamina bar
still depletes very slowly by slight increments
every few seconds, then you have hooked a monster.
If you do not press any of the direction keys while
the rod is in the 10 o'clock or 2 o'clock positions
and the stamina bar does not deplete very slowly by
slight increments every few seconds, then you have
hooked a large fish. In addition, as your fishing
level increases, so does the accuracy of your
"fishing instinct", and after a certain point the
"good feeling" message following three exclamation
marks (!!!) will always be a monster (again,
excluding Arrowwood Logs).
Small Fish
The Message: You can get several different
messages, but there will only be one exclamation
mark at the end of the message (!).
The Rod: The rod will swing back and forth
more rapidly than it would had you hooked an item.
The Stamina Bar: The stamina bar will deplete
faster than with large fish, but not as fast as with
an item.
Large Fish
The Message: Negative messages (ie 4, 5, and
6) usually indicate the possibility of a large fish
when they are followed by three exclamation marks
(!!!). Message 6 followed by three exclamation marks
is a very good indication that you have
hooked a large fish.
The Rod: The rod will swing back and forth
more rapidly than it would with a small fish or a
mob.
The Stamina Bar: The stamina bar will deplete
slowly and at a noticeably lower rate than with
small fish or mobs.
Certain Legendary Fish
The Message: Negative messages (ie 4, 5, and
6) usually indicate the possibility of certain
legendary fish when they are followed by three
exclamation marks (!!!).
The Rod: The rod will swing back and forth
very rapidly. Believe me, when you hook one of
these legendary fish (ex Ryugu Titan) you will
definitely know.
The Stamina Bar: The stamina bar will deplete
quickly, about as fast as it does with items.
However, the quick rod movement still makes this
certain type of legendary fish very difficult to
catch.
c.
Summary: What Caught my Hook and what Should I Do?
Hopefully this section will provide you with some
general guidelines that will allow you to tell
exactly what type of catch has hooked your line so
that you can evaluate whether it is worth taking the
time to reel in, and if so, how best to land it
successfully. Unfortunately much of this is fairly
relative and will require practice and experience to
perfect, but this summary should at least get you
started.
-If you get a positive message (ie 1, 2, or 3)
followed by one exclamation mark (!), then you have
hooked an item or a small fish.*
____________If the rod stays in the neutral position
longer than usual and does not swing back and forth
very much, and if the stamina bar depletes rapidly,
then you have most likely hooked an item. If you are
fishing in an area with items capable of snapping
your rod or are using a Lure/Rig, then you will
probably be best off saving your time and inventory
space for actual fish by pressing Esc. If you are
fishing in an area where you can catch valuable
items or are using Live Bait, you should consider
taking the time to catch the item since caught items
do not use up any bait, but pressing Esc to reel in
your line does.
____________If the rod moves back and forth as
normal and the stamina bar depletes at a moderate
rate, than you have most likely hooked a small fish.
Hold down the 4 or 6 keys while being careful not
press a key in the wrong direction or while the rod
is in the neutral (12) position.
-If you get a positive message (ie 1, 2, or 3)
followed by three exclamation marks (!!!), then you
have hooked a monster or a large fish (message 6
with three exclamation marks is a very good
indication that you have hooked a large fish. Also,
as your fishing level increases so does the accuracy
of your "fishing instinct", and after a certain
point the "good feeling" message following three
exclamation marks will always be a monster,
again excluding Arrowwood Logs).*
____________If the rod moves a little less often
than it does when you land a large fish around or
above your current fishing level, and if the stamina
bar depletes a little more rapidly, then you have
most likely hooked a monster. Verify that you have
actually caught a monster by checking to see if the
stamina bar depletes (slowly) while the rod is in
the 10 or 2 positions even when you do not press any
of the directional keys. Since monsters aren't worth
any gil and will not skill you up, you will most
likely be better off spending your time catching
actual fish. Consider hitting Esc and reeling in
your line.
____________If the rod moves a little more rapidly
than it does when you land a mob, and if the stamina
bar depletes at a slower rate, then you have most
likely hooked a large fish. Verify that you have
actually caught a large fish by making sure that the
stamina bar does not deplete when the rod is in the
10 or 2 positions and you are not pressing any of
the direction keys. If the stamina bar depletes
slowly then you will probably be best off using the
"tapping method" by rapidly tapping the 4 or 6 keys
when the rod is in the 10 or 2 positions and being
careful to stop tapping if the rod moves into the
11, 12, or 1 positions.
-If you get a negative message (ie 4, 5, or 6)
followed by one exclamation mark (!), then you have
hooked an item or a small fish.*
____________If the rod stays in the neutral position
longer than usual and does not swing back and forth
very much, and if the stamina bar depletes rapidly,
then you have most likely hooked an item. If you are
fishing in an area with items capable of snapping
your rod or are using a Lure/Rig, then you will
probably be best off saving your time and inventory
space for actual fish by pressing Esc. If you are
fishing in an area where you can catch valuable
items or are using Live Bait, you should consider
taking the time to catch the item since caught items
do not use up any bait, but pressing Esc to reel in
your line does.
____________If the rod moves back and forth as
normal and the stamina bar depletes at a moderate
rate, than you have most likely hooked a small fish.
Hold down the 4 or 6 keys while being careful not
press a key in the wrong direction or while the rod
is in the neutral (12) position.
-If you get a negative message (ie 4, 5, or 6)
followed by three exclamation marks (!!!), then you
have hooked a monster or a large fish.*
____________If the rod moves a little less often
than it does when you land a large fish around or
above your current fishing level, and if the stamina
bar depletes a little more rapidly, then you have
most likely hooked a monster. Verify that you have
actually caught a monster by checking to see if the
stamina bar depletes (slowly) while the rod is in
the 10 or 2 positions even when you do not press any
of the directional keys. Since monsters aren't worth
any gil and will not skill you up, you will most
likely be better off spending your time catching
actual fish. Consider hitting Esc and reeling in
your line.
____________If the rod moves a little more rapidly
than it does when you land a mob, and if the stamina
bar depletes at a slower rate, then you have most
likely hooked a large fish. Verify that you have
actually caught a large fish by making sure that the
stamina bar does not deplete when the rod is in the
10 or 2 positions and you are not pressing any of
the direction keys. If the stamina bar depletes
slowly then you will probably be best off using the
"tapping method" by rapidly tapping the 4 or 6 keys
when the rod is in the 10 or 2 positions and being
careful to stop tapping if the rod moves into the
11, 12, or 1 positions.
*Again, Arrowwood Logs are currently the only item
in the game that defy this kind of classification
since they result in three exclamation marks (!!!)
when they catch the hook but behave like all the
other items in terms of rod movement and stamina
depletion.
For quick reference, here is a simplified chart that
will help you learn how to identify what caught your
hook and what you should do:
___stamina bar depletes when the rod
/ is in the 10 or 2 positions and you are not
three exclamation marks(!!!)__/ pressing any direction keys = monster release
\
\___stamina bar does not deplete when the rod
is in the 10 or 2 positions and you are not
pressing any direction keys = big fish catch
___rod does not swing back and forth rapidly
/ stays in neutral position longer than usual
one exclamation mark(!)____/ stamina bar depletes very quickly = item catch
\
\___rod moves back and forth as normal
doesn't stay in neutral position for very long
stamina bar depletes at the normal rate = small fish catch
NOTE:
remember that Arrowwood Logs are the exception to
this type of classification since they result in
three exclamation marks (!!!) when they catch the
hook but behave like all the other items in terms of
rod movement and stamina depletion. Also, remember
that as your fishing level increases so does the
accuracy of your "fishing instinct", and after a
certain point the "good feeling" message following
three exclamation marks (!!!) will always be
a monster, again excluding Arrowwood Logs.
d.
Fishing Tips
Here are a few general fishing tips.
-Learn to Isolate
Specific Fish
As a fisher, you should try to spend as much of your
time as possible catching only those fish that are
profitable, or capable of skilling you up (or both).
If you are frequently hooking fish that cap below
your current fishing skill level and do not sell for
a good profit, you will end up wasting a lot of your
valuable time and making things a lot more difficult
for yourself than they have to be, so it is in your
best interest to learn how to use bait selection and
location to isolate the "good" fish early on in your
fishing career. Here is just one small example of
"isolating" specific fish:
As a level 5 fisher, you decide to fish for skillups
and gil at Knightwell in West Ronfaure using the
Halcyon + Little Worms (good idea). Using this bait
at this particular location, you will hook both
Crayfish (which cap at 7 but are relatively
worthless), and Moat Carp (which cap at 11 and sell
quickly for 4k-8k per stack on most servers). So
after a few days of catching Crayfish and Moat Carp
you have hit level 7 fishing skill. At this point it
would be a very good idea to stop using Little Worms
and switch to Insect Balls. Why? Because switching
to Insect Balls allows you to "isolate" Moat Carp at
this location since they are the only fish that bite
on this particular bait in Knightwell. As a result,
using Insect Balls here guarantees that every fish
that catches your hook will both skill you up and
sell for a decent profit, which maximizes your
effectiveness and productivity. You can still get
skillups catching Moats if you continue to fish here
with Little Worms after level 7, but many of your
casts will hook Crayfish, which will no longer be
capable of skilling you up and which do not sell
very well at all, and so a good percentage of your
time will be wasted fighting to reel in a fish that
is pretty much worthless to you at this particular
point in your fishing career. All else being equal,
a level 7 fisher using Insect Balls at Knightwell
will skillup considerably faster and enjoy greater
profits per hour than a level 7 fisher using Little
Worms, since that fisher will end up wasting much of
their time on Crayfish.
Isolating specific target fish can be a little
tricky sometimes, but it is one of the most
important things to consider at every stage of your
fishing career. Honestly, leveling fishing takes
long enough as it is without wasting your time
catching fish that can't skill you up and aren't
profitable.
-Moon Phase Affects
Fishing
Pre-update optimal moon phases increased both the
abundance and bite rate of fish in a given area, and
according to the
Playonline Update Notes provided by SE, the
extent to which the moon affects fishing was
actually increased under the new fishing system.
The best moon phases for fishing are 0% (new moon)
and 100% (full moon). Generally fishing conditions
deteriorate slightly as the moon approaches 50%.
To check the current moon phase in game, type
"/clock".
If you want to know what the current moon phase is
out of game, or would like to know when the next
optimal fishing conditions will occur, check out the
diagram on the right hand side of
The Clanwind Database, or the
Pyogenes Timer, or this
Final Fantasy Timer (Japanese).
-Go Outside
Generally the quantity and bite rate of fish is
noticeably better in outside areas than it is in
cities. There are a few cities that offer
competitive bite rates (Rabao for example), and the
extent to which the bite rate is better in cities vs
non-cities has been reduced somewhat since the last
major update, but you will usually be far better off
in terms of skill ups and profit per hour if you
venture outside.
Fishing Support is Cheap
Wearing Fishing Gear isn't the only way to increase
your Fishing Skill without the hassle of actually
catching fish. Fishing Support is offered by three
NPCs near the Fishing Guild at C-8 in Port Windurst:
Degong and Erabu-Famulubu both offer free Fishing
Support that lasts one hour and adds +1 to your
current Fishing Skill.
Panja-Nanja offers Advanced Support that lasts 2
hours and adds +2 to your current Fishing Skill. The
cost of this support is 30 gil + an additional 30
gil for every 10 full levels of Fishing skill you
have. For example, at level 30 Advanced Support
would cost you 120 gil (30 + 30x3).
There is also a theory floating around that each of
the three NPCs offers a specific type of support:
Degong's support increases your effectiveness at
salt water fishing, Erabu-Famulubu's support
increases your effectiveness at fresh water fishing,
and Panja-Nanja's support increases your
effectiveness at targeting Legendary Fish. To my
knowledge this theory has not yet been confirmed or
disproven.
In any case, Fishing Support increases your Fishing
Skill (which can make a big difference in the first
few levels), lasts a while, and is either free or
extremely cheap, so be sure to stop by one of these
three Guild NPCs if you are heading through
Windurst.
Inventory Space is
Important
Nothing kills the enjoyment of a good fishing
session like running out of inventory space.
Fortunately, there are currently six "Gobbie Bag"
quests that increase your inventory capacity by 5
each, which means that completing all six quests
will double your inventory space from 30 to 60. This
will allow you to carry more bait and hold more
fish, which in turn allows you to spend more of your
time fishing for skillups and profit, and less of it
running back and forth to clean out your inventory.
For this reason completing the Gobbie Bag quests can
be considered an investment, at least as far as
fishing is concerned.
Unfortunately the Gobbie Bag quests require a
moderate amount of gil and a significant amount of
Jeuno fame. Since Jeuno fame is based on your
highest fame level in two of the three stating
nations, you will need to earn a good amount of fame
in both San d'Oria and Windurst, Bastok and
Windurst, or Bastok and San d'Oria before you can
complete these quests.
-One of the easiest ways to earn fame in both San
d'Oria and Bastok is by repeating the
Only the Best Quest by turning in La Theine
Cabbage, Millioncorn, or Boyahda Moss to Melyon at
I-9 in Selbina. Melyon will give you 100 gil for 5
heads of La Theine Cabbage, 120 gil for 3 ears of
Millioncorn, or 600 gil for each clump of Boyahda
Moss, and unlike most of the other repeatable quests
for fame, you don't have to zone in between trades.
La Theine Cabbage can be purchased for 22-24 gil
each from Bin Stejihna (G-8 Windurst Woods),
Phamelise (K-9 San d'Oria South), or Rosswald (J-7
Port Bastok) depending on who controls the Zulkheim
Region at any given time, Millioncorn can be
purchased for about 44-49 gil each from Maqu Molpih
(H-8 Windurst Waters), Antonian (J-8 North San
d'Oria), or Oggodett (I-9 Bastok Markets) depending
on who controls the Aragoneu Region at any given
time, and Boyahda Moss is dropped by Gobbue type
mobs or can be purchased on the Auction House for a
little more than what Melyon will pay you for them.
What this means is that it is possible to buy these
items and turn them in for fame at a relatively
small gil loss. Keep in mind that 1 Clump of Boyahda
Moss is worth more fame than 1 Ear of Millioncorn,
which is worth more fame than 1 Head of La Theine
Cabbage.
-One of the easiest ways to earn Windurst fame is by
repeating the
Mandragora-Mad Quest by turning in Cornettes to
Yoran-Oran at E-5 in Windurst Walls. Yoran-Oran will
give you 200 gil for every Cornette you turn in, and
unlike most of the other repeatable quests for fame,
you don't have to zone in between trades. Cornettes
can be purchased from Harmodios who is located in
Harmodios Music Shop at K-10 in Bastok Markets for
219-253 gil each (as long as Bastok is in 1st or 2nd
place in the Conquest Tally), which means you will
not loose that much gil repeating this quest, but
will gain a significant amount of fame.
Once you have obtained enough gil and fame you can
complete the 6 Gobbie Bag quests by turning in the
following items to Bluffnix at H-9 in Muckvix's Junk
Shop located in Lower Jeuno:
Gobbie Bag I
Dhalmel Leather
Linen Cloth
Peridot
Steel Ingot
Gobbie Bag II
Mythril Ingot
Ram Leather
Turquoise
Wool Cloth
Gobbie Bag III
Painite
Gold Ingot
Velvet Cloth
Tiger Leather
Gobbie Bag IV
Cerment Chunk
Dark Steel Ingot
Silk Cloth
Goshenite
Gobbie Bag V
Square of Bugard Leather
Paktong Ingot
Square of Moblinweave
Rhodonite
Gobbie Bag VI
Shakudo Ingot
Square of Balloon Cloth
Iolite
High Quality Eft Skin
e.
Fishing Rods
While bait and location determine what exactly will
catch your hook, the fishing rod you are using, your
current fishing skill level, and your reflexes
determine whether or not you will actually be able
to successfully reel it in.
Fishing Rods can be synthesized, obtained from
certain mobs, and purchased on the Auction House or
from various NPCs. There are two things that you
should consider when choosing which rod to use for a
specific fish or location: 1. Rod Composition, and
2. Rod Type.
1. Rod Composition
There are two distinct rod compositions*: Wooden and
Synthetic. According to the
Playonline Update Notes provided by SE, Wooden
Rods lack the durability of Synthetic Rods but are
able to deplete the stamina of fish more quickly.
Synthetic Rods, on the other hand, cannot deplete
the stamina of fish as quickly as Wooden Rods, but
are able to keep the fish on the line longer.
2. Rod Type
There are also two distinct rod types*: "small fish"
rods and "big fish" rods. Big fish rods won't break
on big fish, but they also have a bad catch rate
when it comes to landing small fish. Small fish rods
have a better catch rate for landing small fish than
big fish rods, but they are also far less durable,
so they will break frequently on bigger fish and
certain items.
*The Lu Shang's Fishing Rod is an exception to this
kind of classification since it combines some of the
quick stamina reduction of Wooden Rods with the
extended catch time of Synthetic Rods. In addition,
the Lu Shang's Fishing Rod offers the best catch
rate when it comes to "small fish", but is also the
most durable rod in the game when it comes to
catching "big fish". Finally, according to SE the Lu
Shang's Fishing Rod also offers an advantage above
other rods when it comes to landing Legendary Fish,
though no one is certain about the exact nature of
that advantage yet.
So Which Rod Should I
Use?
Basically this is what I recommend as far as rod
choice is concerned: fishers that are just starting
out should pick up a Hume, Halcyon, and Composite
Rod. Fishers that cannot afford all three rods
should invest in the Halcyon as soon as they are
able to afford one.
Hume rods have the best catch rate out of the 3 in
terms of small fish, but are also the least durable.
Composite is the most durable, but has the worst
catch rate for small fish, and the Halcyon is in
between the two.
When you are planning on fishing a certain spot
check
The Clanwind Database or
The Oksana Database to see which rods will break
and which catches will actually break them to
determine how often you can expect to loose a rod
(note: Clanwind and Oksana are a little outdated and
do not list the Hume or Halcyon rods since they are
relatively new additions to the game. Generally the
Hume Rod has the same durability as the Carbon,
while the Halcyon is slightly less durable
than the Mithran, so if you are using one of the new
rods estimate the likelihood of breakage based on
these values).
If the Hume won't break or only breaks on rare
catches, use it. If the Hume will break frequently
use the Halcyon. If the Halcyon will break
frequently use the Composite.
This is pretty much the only way to try and get the
best of both worlds in terms of catch rate for small
fish and durability for large fish pre-Lu Shang's.
For general reference, here is a complete list of
fishing rods that includes composition, type, and
durability.
Yew Fishing Rod
Composition: Wooden
Type: Small fish
Durability: 1
This rod is only capable of landing a few
specific fish sucessfully, though it can make an
acceptable starter rod, especially when targeting
Moat Carp in Knightwell since it drops from the
Goblin Fishers that circle the lake. However, given
its extremely low durability, the Yew should only be
used by fishers that are able to distinguish
Crayfish and Moat Carp from all other catches
including fish, items, and mobs, which will most
likely break this rod. For this reason I do not
recommend Yew Rods to fishers that are just starting
out since they will most likely not have enough
fishing experience to make this kind of distinction.
If you are a new fisher, you should consider the
Carbon or Hume rods, which have similar
characteristics but are much more forgiving given
their greater durability.
Willow Fishing Rod
Composition: Wooden
Type: Small fish
Durability: 1
As with the Yew, the extremely low durability of
the Willow Rod limits its usefulness to all but a
few specific target fish and locations. However,
Willow Rods will actually come in handy if you
decide to level up through the late 50s or 96-100 by
breakfishing on the Ferry.
Tarutaru Fishing Rod
Composition: Wooden
Type: Small fish
Durability: 2
I can't really recommend this rod to new fishers
since it has a chance to break on almost everything.
Like many of the other weak rods, it is still usable
in the hands of skilled fishers, but even then you
will quickly outgrow its usefulness after the
earliest few levels.
Fastwater Fishing Rod
Composition: Wooden
Type: Small fish
Durability: 2
Again, a weak rod with limited usefulness, the
Fastwater Fishing Rod will most likely break too
often to be worth the hassle.
Bamboo Fishing Rod
Composition: Wooden
Type: Small fish
Durability: 2
I'm not going to recommend this rod either since
it breaks on most fish and can only land a few items
with any consistency.
Glass Fiber Fishing Rod
Composition: Synthetic
Type: Small fish
Durability: 3
Another rod I can't really recommend since it
breaks on most fish and several items, though for
some reason it can land Fat Greedies and Gold Carp.
Carbon Fishing Rod
Composition: Synthetic
Type: Small fish
Durability: 5
A very good rod when it comes to catching small
fish. However, the one major drawback of the Carbon
Rod is that it is relatively weak, and will break on
almost all large fish and several items, which will
prevent you from using it in many areas.
Clothespole
Composition: Wooden
Type: Small fish
Durability: 5.5
A fairly decent starter rod. Also acceptable for
catching Moat Carp, except in areas with Cheval
Salmon or Rusty Caps.
Hume Fishing Rod
Composition: Wooden
Type: Small fish
Durability: 5.5
A great rod for catching Moat Carp, the Hume is
basically an improved wooden version of the Carbon
Rod since it is slightly more durable and won't lose
any fish to the "too small" message, making it the
third best rod in the game for targeting small,
light fish. In addition, the wooden composition will
allow you to wear down the stamina of small fish
more quickly than you could using the Carbon or
Halcyon. However, the Hume Rod is more expensive
than the Carbon Rod, and will still break on most
large non-stackable fish and several items including
Rusty Subligars, which means this rod is best used
by experienced fishers who are able to distinguish
small fish from large fish, monsters, and items.
Single Hook Fishing Rod
Composition: Synthetic
Type: Small fish
Durability: 6
This rod is basically a slightly more durable
Synthetic equivalent of the Clothespole and is also
a decent starter/Moat rod.
Halcyon Fishing Rod
Composition: Synthetic
Type: Small fish
Durability: 7
An excellent rod, the Halcyon is second only to
the Lu Shang's in terms of catching small fish.
However, given its synthetic composition, it will
take longer to deplete the stamina bar with this rod
than it would using wooden rods like the Clothespole
or Hume, but the dramatic reduction in "too small"
messages and the increased durability over the
weaker rods will most likely be worth the effort.
Though it is almost as durable as the Mithran, the
Halcyon can still break on most large fish and heavy
items like Arrowhead Logs and Coral Fragments, and
since it is fairly expensive, this rod is best used
by experienced fishers who are able to distinguish
small fish from large fish and items in order to
avoid rod breaks.
Mithran Fishing Rod
Composition: Wooden
Type: Small fish
Durability: 7.5
A good rod, the Mithran is less durable than the
Composite but significantly better at landing small
fish. Unfortunately this rod will break on many
non-stackable large fish and has all but been
replaced by the slightly less durable Halcyon, which
has similar characteristics but is more effective.
Composite Fishing Rod
Composition: Synthetic
Type: Big fish
Durability: 9
A great rod, second in durability only to the Lu
Shang's and a good second choice for Legendary Fish.
The one major drawback of this rod is that it is
terrible at bringing in small fish, and as a result
you will end up losing many catches to the dreaded
"too small" message when targeting small fish with
it.
Lu Shang's Fishing Rod
Composition: Other
Type: Both big fish and small fish
Durability: 10
Obtained by completing
The Competition/Rivalry Quest, this rod combines
some of the quick stamina reduction of Wooden Rods
with the extended catch time of Synthetic Rods. In
addition, it offers the best catch rate when it
comes to small fish, but is also the most durable
rod in the game when it comes to landing big fish
and Legendary Fish. Simply put, the best fishing rod
in the game and most likely the last rod you will
ever use.
Ebisu Fishing Rod
Composition: Unknown
Type: Unknown
Durability: Unbreakable
Very little is known about this rod other than
that it is unbreakable and that it is extremely
difficult to obtain. For more information check out
this thread.
f. Is
the Lu Shang's Fishing Rod Really Necessary?
The Lu Shang's Fishing Rod is very difficult to
obtain, plain and simple. You can either spend
months fishing up all 10,000 Moat Carp yourself,
weeks and millions of gil camping the Auction House
in order to buy them all, or any combination of the
two. Either way you will be investing a lot of time
and money into completing this quest, but like the
time you invest into leveling fishing, it will
definately pay off in the end. Rather than just
telling you outright that you will have to get this
rod eventually, I will try to point out the
advantages of having a Lu Shang's versus the
disadvantages of not having one at several different
stages of fishing so that you can make the decision
for yourself.
Skillups 0-50
You will notice in the guide that I don't list the
Lu Shang's as a recommended rod for any specific
target fish or location during these levels. The
only reason for this is that I don't really expect
anyone to have one that early. But if they did, they
should definately use it in place of the other rods
since the Lu Shang's is simply the best rod in the
game regardless of what fish you are targeting or
where you will be fishing. The only time I would not
recommend using a Lu Shang's is on the Ferry
targting fish capapable of breaking it if you
haven't leveled Woodworking to 80+ so that you can
repair it. For these levels breaking Composite Rods
is generally the best option if you don't have
sufficiently leveled Woodworking since there is a
good demand for busted Composites from level 80ish
Alchemists looking to skill up by repairing them.
But again, in all other circumstances at all other
levels the Lu Shang's is the rod of choice.
If you do have a Lu Shang's starting from 0 you will
have an advantage over the other fishers who don't,
but this advantage is fairly slight pre-50. Using a
Mithran/Halcyon pre-50 will allow you to get the
same bite rate and skillups as a Lu Shang's, though
you will have more rod breaks. On the other hand, if
you use the Composite Rod pre-50 you will also get
the same bite rates and skillups, but you will lose
many of your catches to the "too small" message. So
all the Lu Shang's really does for you pre-50 is
save you money on rod breaks or line snaps, and make
you money on catches that would have otherwise been
lost to the "too small" message.
Skillups 50-60
Here the advantage of having a Lu Shang's picks up
significantly, especially targeting small fish like
Bluetail. The Mithran/Halcyon will break on many
fish that can be found in the same area as Bluetail,
so you won't really want to use it due to the
frequent breaks. But the Composite will lose too
many of the Bluetail to the "too small" message, so
it is not really efficient either. So for some
target fish during this stretch you will need a rod
with both a great catch rate for small fish and
great durability for large fish, and again the Lu
Shang's is the only rod in the game that fits this
description. Still, during this stretch there are
other target fish that will skill you up like Shall
Shells or Red Terrapin that you can catch with the
Mithran/Halcyon in areas where breaks are rare, so
you can kind of get away with not having a Lu
Shang's in the early 50s though it isn't ideal. And
in the later 50s you can breakfish for skillups on
the Ferry using Willows, so here again you can get
away with not having a Lu Shang's, but you will be
at a slight disadvantage during these levels since
you won't be able to target the optimal skillup fish
in the best areas given how many rods you will break
or what a large percentage of your catches you will
lose to the "too small" message.
Skillups 60+
A Lu Shang's will pretty much feel required in terms
of skillups after 60. In almost every area you will
fish for skillups you will be targeting both small
fish that the Composite will not be able to land
frequently and large fish that will snap the
Mithran/Halcyon very frequently. Quifim Island South
fishing for Black Sole and Three-eyed Fish is a
great example. You will lose all but a few of the
Black Sole to the "too small" message if you fish
with the Composite, and you will lose all but a few
of the Three-eyed Fish to rod breaks if you use a
Mithran/Halcyon. And unfortunately at this level
there are not many alternative locations or rod/bait
combinations that will get you by without a Lu
Shang's like there were in the earlier levels. You
can still technically continue to level losing
catches or breaking rods every other cast, but it
will stop being worth it pretty quickly. If you
enjoy fishing and plan on taking it past 60 you will
pretty much end up with a Lu Shang's somehow.
Getting the Lu Shang's may seem like a hassle, but
after a certain point fishing without one is just as
big a hassle.
Profits 60+
In my experience the most profitable fishing spots
in the game require both a relatively high fishing
skill and a Lu Shang's Fishing Rod. Two examples are
Sea Serpent Grotto and Qufim Island.
In Sea Serpent Grotto you will be targeting
Nebimonites, Bastore Bream, and Grimmonite for
profit, along with a few items. Nebs and Bream are
small fish, which means if you try fishing here with
a Composite you will lose too many of your catches
to the "too small" message to take full advantage of
your profit potential since the Composite is a big
fish rod. But if you use the Mithran/Halcyon rods
you will end up losing too many of your catches to
rod breaks from Grimmonites since Grims are big
fish. What this means is that in order to take full
advantage of the profit potential of Sea Serpent
Grotto, you need a rod that both excels at catching
small fish and is durable enough not to break
frequently on big fish, and again, the Lu Shang's is
the only rod in the game that fits this description.
And in Qufim you will be targeting Gigant Squid and
Black Sole or Three-eyed Fish and Black Sole for
profit. Gigant Squid and Three-eyed Fish are large
fish, which means if you use the Mithran/Halcyon you
will either end up releasing them all or breaking
your rod every time you try to reel them in, and
Black Sole are still technically small fish, but
they behave like big fish in that they break most of
the small fishing rods in the game. What this means
is that if you use the Mithran/Halcyon Rod you will
most likely lose too many of your catches to rod
breaks to be efficient, while if you use the
Composite Rod you will most likely lose too many of
your catches to the "too small" message. So here
again a Lu Shang's is pretty much required if you
want to take full advantage of the profit potential
of Qufim Island.
If you don't have a Lu Shang's at your disposal then
you can consider Moat Carp, Nebimonite, Shall
Shells, and Noble Lady for profit, but unfortunately
you will not be able make nearly as much as a fisher
with a Lu Shang's. The Lu Shang's Quest requires a
huge investment of both time and gil, but it
definately pays off in the long run if you have the
patience to stick it out.
Again, you can still technically continue to level
or make gil losing catches or breaking rods every
other cast, but it will stop being worth it pretty
quickly. It's not really a question of can
you continue making profit/skilling up swapping
between the Halcyon and Composite or trying to use
other rods, but a question of will you be willing
to. I would know, I tried to continue fishing
for quite some time instead of completing this
quest, and it came down to a decision between
getting the Lu Shang's Rod or quitting fishing. I
went with the first choice and never looked back.
g.
Breaking Fishing Rods
While most fishers generally try to avoid rod
breaks, broken fishing rods are used in several
Woodworking and Alchemy synths, which means many
crafters will actually try to break fishing rods on
purpose in order to level their craft by repairing
them.
However, under the new fishing system, rods are
generally significantly more difficult to break.
Before the last major fishing update all you had to
do to snap a Composite Fishing Rod, for example, was
hook a fish capapble of breaking it and hit enter.
Though the Composite Rod is the second most durable
rod in the game, many Alchemists could hook fish
capapable of snapping it on the Ferry fairly
consistently, even with a very low fishing skill.
However, under the current system, pressing enter
before the stamina bar is completely depleted will
merely snap your line 99% of the time. This means
that in order to break a Composite Rod you now have
to not only hook a fish capable of breaking it, but
have a high enough fishing skill to completely
deplete that fish's stamina.
In addition, according to the patch notes provided
by SE, "the durability of wooden fishing rods
designed for catching small fish has been
substantially increased", making them a little
harder to snap as well.
However, there are still many items in the game that
are capable of snapping several fishing rods, and
since your fishing skill is not taken into
consideration when catching items, leveling
Woodworking and Alchemy by breaking and repairing
rods yourself can still be a viable alternative to
more expensive synths, even for players with 0
fishing skill. Unfortunately, there are currently no
items in the game that are heavy enough to break the
Composite or Lu Shang's fishing rods, so if you
decide to level Alchemy or Woodworking by repairing
them you will need to find a fisherman on your
server with a moderately high fishing skill and
offer to supply them with rods or bait in exchange
for breaking the rods. Since you can still get
skillups on rod breaks, chances are you might be
able to find a fisher who could get skillups
targeting the fish that will break the specific rod
you are looking to repair, and so you can actually
set up an arrangement that will be mutually
beneficial. For example, If you are a level ~80
Alchemist looking to skill up by repairing broken
Composite Rods, you should be able to find a level
~80 Fisher who could get skillups targeting Ryugu
Titan and Titanictus on the Ferry with a Composite
Rod and Meatballs, and both of these fish are
capable of breaking the Composite. If you bring
about 5-10 Composite Rods and several stacks of
Meatballs and head out to the Ferry, the Fisher
could keep casting and trade you the broken
Composite Rods a few at a time, while you trade him
the repaired rods at the same time. This way the
Fisher could be fishing and you could be synthing
pretty much the entire time, and both of you would
be getting consistent skillups.
Below is a list of the synthetic and wooden fishing
rods that can be repaired with Alchemy or
Woodworking, the level cap of the repair synth, and
what is in my opinion the easiest way to break them
depending on whether you have moderately high
fishing skill, or no fishing skill whatsoever.
Zero Fishing Skill
Willow Fishing Rod Woodworking 10
Bamboo Fishing Rod Woodworking 15
Yew Fishing Rod Woodworking 20
Glass Fiber Fishing Rod Alchemy 25
Carbon Fishing Rod Alchemy 49
Fastwater Fishing Rod Woodworking 52
Tarutaru Fishing Rod Woodworking 63
Single Hook Fishing Rod Alchemy 69
Hume Fishing Rod Woodworking 72
Clothespole Woodworking 73
The fastest way to break the rods listed above
with zero fishing skill is to fish in the small
ponds at G-6, H-6, or I-6 all the way in the back
basement of Gusgen Mines with Meatballs (which you
can purchase from the Fisherman's Guild at C-8 in
Port Windurst for ~52 gil each).
Halcyon Rod Alchemy 72
Mithran Fishing Rod Woodworking 83
The fastest way to break the rods listed above
with zero fishing skill is to fish at the small
greenish ponds at I-9 in the Labyrinth of Onzozo
with Little Worms (which can be purchased for about
4 gil from any of the merchants listed
here), or Peeled Crayfish (which can be
purchased from the Fisherman's Guild at C-8 in Port
Windurst).
NOTE:
If you are planning on breaking fishing rods with
zero fishing skill, I highly recommend placing
Rusty Buckets or
Commodes in your Moghouse in order to obtain
Moghancement: Fishing, which increases your chances
of catching items.
Moderate/High Fishing
Skill
Willow Fishing Rod Woodworking 10
Bamboo Fishing Rod Woodworking 15
Yew Fishing Rod Woodworking 20
Glass Fiber Fishing Rod Alchemy 25
Carbon Fishing Rod Alchemy 49
Fastwater Fishing Rod Woodworking 52
Tarutaru Fishing Rod Woodworking 63
Single Hook Fishing Rod Alchemy 69
Hume Fishing Rod Woodworking 72
Halcyon Rod Alchemy 72
Clothespole Woodworking 73
Mithran Fishing Rod Woodworking 83
The fastest way to break the rods listed above
with moderate/high fishing skill is to fish from the
cliffs at H-9 in Qufim Island South with Sliced Cod
(which you can purchase on the auction house or
synth yourself with only 13 cooking skill and a Wind
Crystal by catching Tiger Cod in Qufim Island South
with the Shrimp Lure).
Lu Shang's Fishing Rod Woodworking 80
Composite Fishing Rod Alchemy 85
The easiest way to break the Lu Shang's or the
Composite with moderate/high fishing skill is to
fish from the Selbina -> Mhaura Ferry with Meatballs
(which can be purchased from the Fisherman's Guild
at C-8 in Port Windurst for ~52 gil). It should be
noted that Ryugu Titan are currently the only
non-Ebisu fish on the Ferry capable of snapping the
Lu Shang's, but unfortunately most fishers are
unable to land them consistently until they reach
the late 70s to early 80s.
h. Is
Woodworking Required for High Level Fishing?
Before the major fishing update, most higher level
fishermen also had high level Woodworking, mainly so
that they could repair their Lu Shang's Fishing Rod
in case they broke it accidentally while fishing on
the Ferry. And believe it or not, back then
accidentally breaking your Lu Shang's was a
relatively frequent occurrence. It is important to
remember that under the old system, there were no
single vs tripple exclamation marks, no fishing
instinct messages, no rod movement, no stamina
depletion rate. In fact, under the old system the
only way to distinguish small fish and items from
large fish and monsters was to study your
character's sweat levels when something caught your
hook. But unfortunately, all large unstackable fish
in the game resulted in the same exact sweat level.
What this meant is that it was literally impossible
to distinguish the large unstackable fish on the
Ferry that are not capable of snapping the Lu
Shang's (like Gugru Tuna, Bhefhel Marlin,
Titanictus, and Sea Zombie) from Ryugu Titan, which
break the Lu Shang's frequently. Also, under the old
system you didn't have to wear your catches down
before reeling them in, all you had to do was hit
enter, which meant even very low level fishers could
land Ryugu Titans and break the Lu Shang's
frequently, while under the current system most
fishers are unable to catch Ryugu Titans
consistently until they reach the late 70s/early
80s.
Basically, under the old system, if you were fishing
on the Ferry with the Frog Lure, Meatballs, the
Minnow, Peeled Lobster, Rotten Meat, the Shrimp
Lure, the Sinking Minnow, Slice of Bluetail, or
Sliced Sardine and hooked a fish that resulted in
"large sweat", there was literally no way of knowing
if you had a Ryugu Titan, which could easily snap
your Lu Shang's, or any one of the other harmless
fish that couldn't break your rod on the other end
of the line without gritting your teeth, rolling the
dice, and hitting enter. Sometimes you would
discover you had actually hooked a Gugru Tuna,
Bhefhel Marlin, Titanictus, or Sea Zombie and were
safe, sometimes you would get lucky and bring in a
Ryugu without snapping your rod, but frequently you
would cross your fingers and hope you had hooked a
harmless fish, only to watch the top half of your
rod go flying off into the big blue yonder, and
there was nothing you could do about it.
I just have to say that I hope new fishers
appreciate the new fishing system...back when I
started there was virtually no way to tell for
certain what you had on the other end of your line,
but the major fishing update has introduced an
element of skill in terms of recognizing what has
caught your hook in order to avoid monsters, rod
breaks, line snaps, or worthless fish, that simply
didn't exist before. Under the current system, fish
that could potentially snap your rod are easily
recognized and avoided, and as a result, Woodworking
is by no means necessary for leveling fishing.
And as far as I'm concerned, the optimal fishing
path involves catching small fish with the Halcyon
(which is a synthetic rod) until the mid 50s while
avoiding the large unstackable fish and heavy items
that could break it, and then switching to the Lu
Shang's sometime in the late 50s, earlier if
possible. What this means is that under the current
system, the only real reason to level Woodworking is
so that you will be able to repair your Lu Shang's
Fishing Rod.
But basically there are (currently) only 7 fish in
the game capable of breaking the Lu Shang's, all of
which are easily recognized and avoided, and you can
still make a great profit and skill up to 100
without catching any of them. So under the current
system, the only reason you will need 80ish
Woodworking as a fisher is if you plan on regularly
targeting one of the following fish:
-Ryugu
Titan
Of all the fish that can break the Lu Shang's, these
are the ones that are most likely to make you feel
like you are "missing out" on something by not
having sufficiently leveled Woodworking since they
sell for a relatively good profit on most servers
(roughly 20k-40k each), and since there is a small
chance Zaldon will find a
Mercurial Sword (which sells for 1.5 mil to 5
mil depending on server) when gutting them. It is
important to realize that these fish are extremely
difficult to reel in for most fishers until the late
70s/early 80s, and the chance of actually getting
the Mercurial Sword is very small.
-Giant
Chirai
There is very little use for this fish other than
putting it up in your Bazaar (which is what I did),
or turning it into Zaldon since there is a small
chance he will find a
Twinthread when gutting them. Giant Chirai are
not used in any recipes that I'm aware of, and there
is virtually no market for them on any auction house
as far as I've seen. From my own experience and from
what I've heard from other fishers, these break the
Lu Shang's only very rarely.
-Cave
Cherax
These are used in the Indomitable Spirit Quest for
the Ebisu Fishing Rod. Huckster wrote a great
walkthrough of the quest that you can check out
here. I've had a couple of these in my bazaar
for a week or two that I've been trying to sell at
5k each. So far no bites. As with Giant Chirai,
these break the Lu Shang's very rarely (I've heard
estimates at as little as 1 in 100 with high level
fishing skill).
-Titanic
Sawfish
Another trophy fish that looks good in your bazaar,
but unfortunately you can only catch these on the
Manaclipper, and the window is only about 5 minutes
out of a 25+ minute ride. They are used in only one
recipe I know of,
The Big One, a furnishing that grants the same
Moghancement: Fishing Skill as the Fishing Hole Map
(obtainable with 150,000 Guild Points). The Big One
currently sells for ~500k on Shiva.
-Tricorn
This one is an absolute pain to catch from what I've
heard, and requires the Key Item: Frog Fishing,
which is otherwise a complete waste of Guild Points.
-Lik
Also used in the Ebisu Quest, the Lik is allegedly
the hardest fish in the game to reel in. There are
many 100+ fishers I've heard from that still haven't
managed to land a single Lik despite hours of
trying. This fish requires the Key Item: Serpent
Rumors, and only bites on Dwarf Pugil, a rare/ex
bait obtained by gutting Cave Cherax.
-Gugrusaurus
Another fish used in the Ebisu Quest, the
Gugrusaurus requires the Key Item: Serpent Rumors,
and only bites during pirate attacks on the ferry on
Drill Calamary, a rare/ex bait obtained by gutting
Sea Zombie.
Thats it. Only go through the trouble of leveling
Woodworing if you are committed to completing the
Ebisu Quest, or really want to catch one of the
above fish regularly. Otherwise it is probably not
worth your time, especially considering
Irmilant at G-7 in Rabao will repair your Lu
Shang's for you if you bring him two Light Crystals
and a piece of Ancient Lumber should you happen to
break it accidentally.
Otherwise, there is still a great profit to be made
in Qufim, Sea Serpent Grotto, or Den of Rancor
catching fish that cannot snap the Lu Shang's, and
you can always cap out at 100 skill catching Armored
Pisces, Titanictus, Sea Zombie, or Takitaro without
having to worry about breaks.
i.
Fishing Bait
Bait and location determine what exactly will catch
your hook, while the fishing rod you are using, your
current fishing skill level, and your reflexes
determine whether or not you will actually be able
to successfully reel it in.
Fishing Bait can be synthesized, obtained from
certain mobs, and purchased on the Auction House or
from various NPCs. There are three distinct types of
bait for you to choose from based on which fish you
decide to target and which area you will be fishing
in: 1. Live Bait, 2. Lures, and 3. Rigs.
1. Live Bait
(examples:
Insect Paste,
Sliced Cod,
Little Worm)
Pre-update using Live Bait usually resulted in a
better bite rate (ie more bites from fish in the
same amount of time) compared to using Lures or
Rigs. While this is still true to some degree, ever
since the update fish seem willing to bite on just
about anything, and they bite very frequently. The
one major disadvantage of using Live Bait is that an
entire fishing session worth of bait takes up a lot
of inventory space, and if you decide to fish in a
remote area it is possible that you could run out of
bait early and be forced to stop fishing and return
to a town to restock.
2. Lures
(examples:
Shrimp Lure,
Sinking Minnow,
Fly Lure)
The major advantage of using a Lure is that they
take up very little inventory space, and you don't
have to worry about running out of bait while using
them, provided you know what you're doing and are
comfortable with the new fishing system. Pre-update
Live Bait usually offered a better bite rate than
Lures (with a few notable exceptions such as the
Shrimp Lure in Sea Serpent Grotto or Quifim Island,
or the Minnow on the Ferry), but now most Lures
offer competitive bite rates regardless of what you
are targeting or where exactly you are fishing.
Currently the major drawback of using Lures is that
they can be very expensive, and under the new system
you have a fairly high chance of losing your Lure to
a line snap even on a low level fish if you hit
Enter before completely depleting the stamina bar.
If you decide to fish with a Lure it is most likely
best to play it safe and only hit Enter when the
stamina bar is completely depleted, and if you are
unable to wear your catch down entirely you should
consider hitting the Esc key, which allows you to
give up and reel in your line, saving your Lure.
However, you still run the risk of losing your Lure
to line snaps (even when the stamina bar is
completely depleted) while using certain rods to
target fish that cap significantly higher than your
current fishing skill or heavy items like Coral
Fragments.
3. Rigs
(examples:
Rogue Rig,
Robber Rig,
Sabiki Rig)
While the Rogue Rig is technically capable of
catching most fish, it is actually much better at
catching items like Rusty Caps and semi-item fish
like Shall Shells. The Robber Rig is similar to the
Rogue Rig in that it seems to specialize in landing
items, though it has a slightly better chance to
land fish than the Rogue. The Sabiki Rig is
something of an exception since it lands certain
fish fairly regularly, and is even capable of
pulling up several fish at the same time. As with
Lures, the major drawback of using Rigs under the
current system is that they are expensive and can be
easily lost even to low level fish if you are not
paying attention or attempt to reel in whatever
caught your hook before the stamina bar is
completely depleted.
j.
Fishing Gear and Fishing Key Items
In addition to the basic rods and bait, there are
several pieces of fishing gear and a few key items
available through crafting, the Auction House, or
the Fishing Guild that can improve your fishing
results.
Standard Fishing Gear
The standard fishing gear offers +4 Fishing Skill
total and is available to level 1 players with 0
Fishing Skill. It is divided into four pieces that
are worn in the body, hands, legs, and feet slots:
-Fisherman's
Tunica
Def: 2, Fishing Skill +1
-Fisherman's
Gloves
Def: 1, Fishing Skill +1
-Fisherman's
Hose
Def: 1, Fishing Skill +1
-Fisherman's
Boots
Def: 1, Fishing Skill +1
This +Fishing Skill increases your operative Fishing
Skill, not your actual Fishing Skill. What this
means is that if you are a level 50 fisher targeting
Shall Shells (which cap at 53) with the full set of
fishing gear, you will catch them as if you were a
54 fisher, but can still get skill ups since your
actual Fishing Skill is still 50.
There is also a HQ version available called the
Angler's set, which offers additional Def and has a
level 15 requirement. This HQ version offers no
additional Fishing Skill.
Is the Standard Fishing
Gear Worth It?
Pre-update the major reason to get the Fishing Gear
was that it could reduce the time you had to wait
between casts. For example, under the old fishing
system every 10 Fishing Skill Levels you acquired
knocked a second off the recast timer that
determined how long you had to wait in between
casts. So, if you were a level 56 fisher you would
have a recast time of 9 seconds, but if you equipped
the complete Fisherman's set it would raise your
operative Fishing Skill to level 60, knocking an
additional second off your recast time, which means
you would only have to wait 8 seconds between casts.
1 second may not seem like a very significant
difference, but if you think about how many times
you cast in an hour you will see that it starts to
add up.
Under the new system, a level 1 fisher does not have
to wait any longer to recast than a level 100
fisher, which means the old reason to purchase the
fishing gear no longer applies. However, under the
new system your Fishing Skill determines the
depletion and recovery rates of the stamina bar, and
a higher Fishing Skill reduces the chances that your
rod will break or your line will snap, so there is
still some reason to pick up the gear. +4 Fishing
Skill may not seem like all that much, and it may
not make a huge difference, but anything helps and
the Fishing Gear is relatively inexpensive. Besides,
if you do things correctly you won't be needing your
armor while you fish anyway.
Guild Fishing Gear/Key
Items
In order to obtain Guild Fishing Gear, you must
first enter into a Guild Contract by speaking with
Fennella from the Fishing Guild located at C-8
in Port Windurst. Once you have entered into a Guild
Contract you can begin accumulating Guild Points by
turning in the appropriate Guild Fish of the Day,
and these Guild Points can eventually be redeemed
for fishing gear or key items that improve your
fishing results.
Some things to keep in mind when accumulating Guild
Points:
1. You can only
collect Guild Points for turning in one specific
type of fish per day.
2. The total
number of Guild Points you can accumulate each day
is limited and depends on which specific fish the
Guild is requesting for that day.
3. The specific
type of fish the Guild will ask you to turn in
depends on your current Fishing Rank (Apprentice,
Veteran, etc).
4. The Guild Fish
of the Day changes at Midnight 12:00am Japan
Standard Time (JST), which is roughly 5am Pacific
time or 8am Eastern.
5. Be aware that
you can have an open contract with only one Guild at
a time, so that opening a contract with the Fishing
Guild will close out any other contracts you may
have and eliminate any Guild Points you may have
accumulated in other crafts.
In order to determine which fish you can currently
turn in for Guild points, check the
Daily Item Guild Tool hosted by
Titanictus. It lists the current Guild Fish of
the Day for your specific Fishing Rank, the number
of Guild points you will receive for each fish
turned in, the maximum number of that fish you can
turn in per day, and the maximum number of points
you can accumulate per day, as well as a list of the
possible Guild Fish of the Day for tomorrow.
Once you have reached the required Fishing Rank and
accumulated enough Guild Points, you can redeem them
for Guild Gear or Key Items. Here is some of the
Guild Gear and Key Items currently available, along
with their respective requirements:
-Robber
Rig
This Rig is very similar to the Rogue Rig, though
it does seem to focus a little more on catching
actual fish instead of items.
Requirements:
1,500 Guild Points, must be a "Novice" ranked fisher
or above (Fishing Skill level 28+).
-Fisherman's
Belt
Enchantment: Synthesis Image Support, Charges: 15
This belt grants Fishing Support much like what
you receive from the NPCs at the Fishing Guild in
Port Windurst, though it only lasts 30 minutes. This
belt is limited to 15 individual uses, and it cannot
be recharged.
Requirements:
10,000 Guild Points, must be an "Aprentice" ranked
fisher or above (Fishing Skill level 38+).
-Waders
Def: 2, Wtr +2, Fishing Skill +2
The Waders offer +2 Fishing Skill, which allows
you to wear the Fisherman's Apron (see below) and
still get +4 Fishing Skill total from your full set
of Fishing Gear. As an added bonus, the Waders look
awesome.
Requirements:
70,000 Guild Points, must be a "Journeyman" ranked
fisher or above (Fishing Skill level 48+).
-Fisherman's
Apron
Def: 4, Ice +1, Wtr +1, Reduces chances of
fishing up items
The common consensus among high level fishers is
that the fact that the Fisherman's Apron reduces
your chances of catching items means that it also
increases your chances of catching actual fish. For
example, if you would normally catch an item 2 times
out of 10 and a fish 8 times out of 10 with the
standard Fisherman's Tunica, equipping the
Fisherman's Apron will reduce how often you catch
items to 1 out of 10, in effect increasing how often
you catch fish to 9 out of 10. With the exception of
Sea Serpent Grotto, most items you catch are
relatively worthless, so catching actual fish in
their place will significantly improve your profits.
Requirements:
100,000 Guild Points, must be an "Artisan" ranked
fisher or above (Fishing Skill level 68+).
-Fishing
Hole Map
Storage +1
This piece of furniture provides Moghancement:
Fishing
Quote:
Moogle-Powered assistance from your
Mog House. Increases your fishing skill.
This is different from the Moghancement: Fishing
obtained by placing Comodes or Rusty Buckets in your
Mog House, which increases your chance to catch
items. Common consensus from high level fishers is
that this map increases your Fishing Skill by 1.
Requirements:
150,000 Guild Points, must be a "Veteran" ranked
fisher or above (Fishing Skill level 88+).
-Key Item: Frog Fishing
Description: This special technique requires
the use of a live fly on your line. It is perfect
for catching amphibious prey.
The common consensus of the high level fisherman
I've heard from who have this key item is that it
improves your ability to land Tricorn, a Legendary
Fish introduced with the CoP expansion and is a
waste of Guild Points.
Requirements:
30,000 Guild Points
-Key Item: Serpent Rumors
Description: A compilation of data retrieved
from sightings of a giant snake-like beast leaving
in the depths of Vana'diel's waters. There is enough
information here to shed light on where you may find
it...
Apparantly this Key Item is required if you
intend to catch Lik and Gugrusaurus, which are both
a part of the
Ebisu Fishing Rod Quest.
Requirements:
95,000 Guild Points, must be an "Adept" ranked
fisher or above (Fishing Skill level 78+).
-Key Item: Mooching
Description: This special technique requires
the use of live bait on your line. It is perfect for
catching exceptionally large prey.
The common theory is that this key item increases
the amount of time you are able to keep a fish on
your line, which may make it easier to deplete the
stamina of Lik and Gugrusaurus, which are both a
part of the
Ebisu Fishing Rod Quest.
Requirements:
115,000 Guild Points, must be a "Veteran" ranked
fisher or above (Fishing Skill level 88+).
k.
Fishing for Items/Rusty Items
Back in the day if you wanted to fish for rusty
items you needed four things:
1. Moghancement: Fishing:
Moghancement: Fishing increases your chances of
catching items. You get Moghancement: Fishing by
placing either
Rusty Buckets or
Commodes in your Moghouse. As with the other
Moghancements, there are 3 distinct levels of
influence: Faint, Powerfull, and Overwhelming. Each
Rusty Bucket is worth 1 point, each
Commode is worth 16 points.
0-50 Points: Faint Energy
51-100 Points: Powerful Energy
100+ Points: Overwhelming Energy
The higher level energy you have the greater your
chance of catching items.
2. Composite Rod:
The one drawback of the Composite Rod is that it is
terrible at landing small fish. It is a great item
rod though, and will not break on any rusties.
3. Rogue Rig:
The Rogue Rig is great at hooking items and
semi-item fish like Shall Shells, but terrible at
landing actual fish. Again this is actually a good
thing when targeting rusties.
4. Patience:
Before the new fatigue system there was the
"anti-bot code" that kicked in after anywhere from
45-90 minutes and dramatically decreased your
chances of catching actual fish while increasing
your chances of catching items. If you were
intentionally targeting items you could use this to
your advantage by not zoning for extended periods of
time since zoning seemed to reset the code.
As far as I can tell the only changes that have
really affected fishing for items are the new
fatigue system and the increased likelihood of line
snaps. But line snaps seem to be based somewhat on
your current fishing skill, and since items have no
skill cap you might be able to get away with using
the Rogue Rig without losing too many rigs to line
breaks as long as you completely deplete the stamina
bar each time. Coral Fragments do seem to snap lines
frequently though, even when the stamina bar is
completely depleted, so if you end up losing a few
Rogue Rigs or are fishing in areas where you can
hook Coral Fragments you might want to try switching
to Meat Balls (which can be purchased from the
Fishing Guild at C-8 in Port Windurst for ~52 gil
each) or some other form of live bait that won't
target any actual fish in the areas you are fishing
for items/rusty items.
l.
Fishing in Areas with Higher Level Monsters
Sometimes the best bite rates and target fish for
profits and skillups can be found in areas where you
can catch monsters that are capable of killing you.
Two examples of this are the oasis in Eastern Altepa
Desert, which contains fishable mobs that range up
to level 51, and Sea Serpent Grotto, which contains
fishable mobs that range up to level 67. And even if
you are capable of killing these mobs, any time you
spend fighting them is pretty much wasted in that it
is time you could have spent landing something that
is actually profitable or capable of skilling you
up. Fortunately there are two ways to avoid having
to fight these fished up monsters: 1. Sneak Fishing,
and 2. Stamina Fishing.
1. Sneak Fishing
Sneak fishing involves keeping the spell Sneak
active on yourself at all times. This requires a
sufficiently leveled main or sub job capable of
casting Sneak, and demands a little more caution
than what is necessary for regular fishing. If you
see Sneak wearing off in between casts, simply
cancel it manually by pressing "+" twice, selecting
the "Sneak" icon, and hitting enter. Be sure to
recast Sneak before you recast your rod. If Sneak
wears off after something has already caught your
hook but before you have depleted the stamina bar
enough to successfully reel it in, you can release
your catch manually by pressing Esc, which
guarantees that you will not accidentally fish up a
monster after Sneak has worn off.
If you fish up a monster while Sneak is in effect,
the monster will not attack you, and thanks to the
recent patch it will not attack other players.
Simply move to a different fishing spot or wait for
the mob to disappear/despawn (takes approximately 10
minutes).
2. Stamina Fishing
Stamina Fishing allows you to avoid fighting
monsters by never fishing them up in the first
place, but requires that you pay pretty close
attention to the depletion rate of the stamina bar.
If the message you get when something catches your
hook is followed by three exclamation marks (!!!),
then you have either caught a large fish or a
monster (or an Arrowwood Log if you are fishing in
certain areas). If you do not press any of the
direction keys while the rod is in the 10 o'clock or
2 o'clock positions but the stamina bar still
depletes very slowly by slight increments every few
seconds, then you have hooked a monster. If you do
not press any of the direction keys while the rod is
in the 10 o'clock or 2 o'clock positions and the
stamina bar does not deplete very slowly by slight
increments every few seconds, then you have hooked a
large fish.
Here is an example of how Stamina Fishing works in
actual practice. While fishing in Sea Serpent
Grotto, you see the "Something caught your hook!!!"
message, and your fishing instinct tells you that
"You have a good feeling about this one". This means
you have hooked either a large fish or a monster. As
you fight to bring in your catch, you wait for the
rod to move into either the 10 or 2 position, and
when it moves into the 2 position and stays there
for several seconds you notice that the stamina bar
depletes slightly even though you have not pressed
any direction keys during this time. This means you
have hooked a monster, and since the fishable mobs
in Sea Serpent Grotto range all the way up to 67 and
will take you a while to kill, you decide that your
time would be better spent catching things that are
actually worth some gil or capable of skilling you
up, so you press Esc to reel in your line, wait a
few seconds, and cast again.
Note:
Again, remember that as your fishing level increases
so does the accuracy of your "fishing instinct", and
after a certain point the "good feeling" message
following three exclamation marks (!!!) will always
be a monster (excluding Arrowwood Logs).
m.
Fishing Fatigue
According to SE, under the new system fishers will
become "fatigued" after fishing for a certain period
of time. Once your character becomes fatigued, the
bite rate will drop off dramatically and you will
notice a significant increase in both how often you
get the "You didn't catch anything" message and how
often you catch monsters. In the update notes SE
explains that at this point it would be best for you
to "change areas, or take a break from fishing for a
while".
It should be noted that this concept of fishing
fatigue isn't anything new. Under the old system,
after a certain period of time your chances of
catching fish decreased, while your chances of
catching items and monsters increased (see the
Oct 21, 2003 Update Notes, towards the bottom of
the list). This little piece of programming was
generally referred to as the "anti-bot code", and
though it kicked in after only 45-90 minutes of
fishing, it was easily reset by zoning into a
different area and then returning to your fishing
spot.
However, this new fatigue system is significantly
more effective, and there has been a lot of
speculation regarding how long you can fish before
becoming fatigued, and what exactly you have to do
to "reset" your character's fatigue level. The two
most popular theories among high level fishers at
the moment are:
1) There is a ~200 fish "cap" in effect, which means
your character will become fatigued after landing
~200 fish (not counting mobs). Some additional
research seems to indicate that the number of fish
you can reel in before becoming fatigued may depend
on the size, weight, or type of the fish or items
you are catching.
2) Your character's fatigue level is automatically
reset at midnight 12:00 a.m. Japan time.
I cannot personally verify either, but I will say
that you will definitely be able to tell when you
become fatigued based on the dramatic reduction in
the quality and quantity of your catches, and also
by noting how long you must wait before you can
recast your rod after you have pulled it out of the
water. According to SE, as your character becomes
increasingly fatigued, you will have to wait longer
and longer before you will be able to recast your
rod, and once you reach the point at which you have
to wait several seconds in between casts, your
character has most likely become so fatigued that it
will probably no longer be worth your time to
continue fishing.
Since SE never announced that they removed the old
"anti-bot code", and since some fishers report
noticing a decline in the quality and quantity of
their catches long before their recast timers
increase, many fishers have speculated that there
are actually two types of fatigue in effect:
Soft Fatigue,
which is the old "anti-bot code" kicking in and
which is easily reset by zoning a few times before
returning to your fishing spot, and
Hard Fatigue,
which is the new ~200 fish cap taking effect, and
which can only be reset by waiting until midnight
12:00 am Japan Time.
Though fishing fatigue can ocassionally be extremely
frustrating, it is important to remember that it is
actually good for fishers since it helps prevent the
fish market from getting flooded, which results in
price deflation and hurts all of our profits.
n.
Skill Cap Test Fish
In order to continue leveling fishing and getting
skillups you must prove yourself worthy by turning
in the appropriate Skill Cap Test Fish to the
Fishermen's Guild at C-8 in Port Windurst every 10
levels. Fortunately the Fishermen's Guild will let
you turn in the fish up to 2 levels before the cap
will take effect, which means you can turn in a Moat
Carp as early as level 8 instead of having to wait
until level 10. Each time you turn in a Skill Cap
Test Fish you are awarded a new Fishing Title and
the Fishing Skill Cap is extended another 10 levels.
I would definately recommend turning in the Skill
Cap Test Fish as soon as possible so that you don't
find yourself in the middle of a good fishing
session in some remote area no longer able to get
skillups until you head all the way back to Windurst
and turn in a specific fish. You don't necessarily
have to catch each Skill Cap Test Fish yourself, but
I kind of recommend it since it makes you feel like
a real fisher and might give you a chance to fish
for something or in an area that you would otherwise
avoid due to the low potential for profits or
skillups. Of course, you can always just buy the
fish from vendors or from the Auction House if this
is too much of a hassle for you. Below is the
complete list of Skill Cap Test Fish as well as the
levels you can turn them in, the title they grant
you, and my personal recommendations for the best
location/rod/bait to use in order to land them
yourself.
LEVEL FISH NAME RECOMMENDED LOCATION/ROD/BAIT TITLE GRANTED
8-10 Moat Carp Knightwell/Hume/Insect Ball Recruit
18-20 Cheval Salmon Jugner Forest (River)/Halcyon/Fly Lure Initiate
28-30 Giant Catfish West Sarutabaruta (Pond)/Mithran/Minnow Novice
38-40 Gugru Tuna Ferry/Composite/Minnow Apprentice
48-50 Monke-Onke East Saratubaruta (Lake)/Mithran/Shrimp Lure Journeyman
58-60 Bhefhel Marlin Ferry/Lu Shang's/Slice of Bluetail Craftsman
68-70 Bladefish South Gustaberg/Lu Shang's/Meat Ball Artisan
78-80 Three-eyed Fish Quifim Island (South)/Lu Shang's/Sliced Cod Adept
88-90 Gigant Squid Quifim Island (North)/Lu Shang's/Minnow Veteran
III. The Guide:
There is no one "best" way to level fishing from
0-100. But what I have tried to do with this guide
is provide you with what I feel are the best
suggestions in terms of location and rod/bait
combinations that will allow you to level up fishing
depending on whether you decide to focus on
completing the Lu Shang's Quest, making money, or
skilling up as quickly as possible. Yes there are
other options, and I encourage you to research them
at each stage of your fishing career, but I feel
that the suggestions below represent the best
choices out of all the alternatives based on my own
experiences and that of other fishers.
Please note that I don't really like recommending
one specific rod, bait, and location for any single
fish since much of the enjoyment of fishing comes
from heading out to all the different areas and
experimenting with rod/bait combinations yourself,
but I will try to indicate what has seemed to work
out best for me personally.
Basically I would recommend that you try to learn
the basics about the rods and bait in the game as
early as possible in your fishing career so that you
can begin to make educated decisions for yourself
regarding which rod/bait to use for a specific fish.
Recommendations from fellow fishers are always great,
but eventually you will find that your final
decision should be based on your own fishing
experience, and if you lack experience the easiest
way to get it is to head out to the various
locations with a few different rods/bait and try
things out for yourself.
======================
Key
======================
Target Fish: Fish Name (Optimal Skill Level/Skill
Cap)
Recommended Locations/Bait,
Rod may break in these locations
comments
a.
Fishing 0-50 while Catching Moats for the Lu Shang's
Quest the Entire Time
Quite some time ago I decided as a level 51 fisher
that it would be a good idea for me to target Shall
Shells with a Composite Fishing Rod for skillups and
profit. So I headed out to Buburimu Peninsula with
my Rogue Rig and tried fishing from the cliffs.
After 5 "You lost your catch. Whatever caught the
hook was too small to catch with this rod" messages
in a row, it occured to me that I had officially hit
the level 50+ fishing wall. I thought about my
options for a while and realized that every fish I
could target for gil or skill seemed to require a Lu
Shang's Rod in order to be caught with any kind of
regularity. So I was forced to take a temporary
vacation from leveling my job or raising my fishing
skill until I completed the Lu Shang's Quest, and
when I was about 3/4 of the way done I was about
ready to commit gob assisted suicide for having put
this off for so long.
So I decided to write this section of the guide for
those of you who intend to take fishing past level
50+, but are smart enough not to avoid the Lu
Shang's Quest as long as I did.
This section of the guide basically provides you
with locations and rod/bait combinations that will
allow you to get consistent skill ups by targeting
specific fish, while catching Carp that you can turn
in for the Lu Shang's at the same time. Ideally if
you plan ahead and begin collecting Carp early, by
the time you hit level 50 you should have the
majority, if not all, of the fish you need to get
your Lu Shang's. As far as I can tell this is the
easiest way to complete this very difficult quest.
I will attempt to provide several alternate areas
for different level fishers.
======================
Level 0-11
======================
Target Fish: Crayfish (0/7), Moat Carp (0/11)
Location: Bastok Markets (Waterway),
Eastern Altepa Desert,
Jugner Forest (Lake/River),
Korroloka Tunnel (Pond),
La Theine Plateau,
North San d'Oria, Rabao,
Rolanberry Fields (Pond),
West Ronfaure,
West Ronfaure (Knightwell),
West Saratubaruta (Pond), Windurst (Walls/Waters/Woods),
Yhoator Jungle (Underground),
Zeruhn Mines (River)
Rod: Carbon, Clothespole,
Composite, Fastwater, Glass Fiber,
Halcyon,
Hume,
Mithran, Single Hook, Tarutaru,
Willow, Yew
Bait: Little Worm,
Robber Rig, Rogue Rig
Outdoor areas yield better Carp rates than cities,
but at the increased risk of broken poles and caught
monsters. Knightwell is my personal favorite for
this stretch with good bite rates and easy access to
Little Worms (purchased from
Lusiane at F-8 in South San d'Oria), as well as
quick Moat Carp turn ins. Tricolored Carp, Gold Carp,
and Giant Catfish can break Carbon/Hume Rods, so you
will most likely be better off using the Mithran/Halcyon
in certain areas, but be aware that the occasional
Arrowhead Log in Jugner Forest, West Ronfaure, or
the jungles could snap it. If you are concerned
about rod breaks use the Composite. You should also
be aware that fishing in higher level zones usually
means that you can catch higher level monsters. For
example, you can catch mobs that range up to level
53 in Yhoator Jungle, 51 in Eastern Altepa Desert,
37 in Korroloka Tunnel Pond, and 36 in Rolanberry
Fields, so plan on Sneak/Stamina Fishing in these
locations if monsters in this level range pose a
serious threat. In all other outdoor areas the
fishable mobs are under level 30. Once you reach
level 7 fishing skill, you should consider switching
from Little Worms to Insect Balls in order to
isolate Moat Carp.
Favorite Setup: Hume Rod + Little Worm at
Knightwell (G-10) in West Ronfaure cancelling all
catches followed by three exclamation marks (!!!)
since they are either Arrowwood Logs or monsters. At
level 7 fishing skill switch to Insect Balls.
=======================
Level 11-21
=======================
Target Fish: Forest Carp (15/21)
Location: Yhoator
Jungle (Underground), Yuhtunga Jungle (Pond/Underground)
Rod: Carbon, Composite,
Halcyon, Hume,
Mithran
Bait: Little Worm,
Insect Ball
Now that both Moat Carp and Forest Carp can be
turned in for the Lu Shang's, using Insect Balls in
these jungle locations means that every fish you
catch can be turned in for this quest. However,
several fishers have reported that Forest Carp can
be extremely difficult to land consistently, so if
you have trouble bringing them in you might want to
consider one of the alternative locations for this
stretch. Forest Carp can snap Carbon/Hume Rods, and
you will most likely lose a large percentage of your
catches to the "too small" message when using the
Composite, so the Mithran/Halcyon is your best bet
here. You can catch monsters ranging up to level 55
in the jungles, so plan accordingly.
Favorite Setup: Halcyon Rod + Insect Balls at the
underground ponds in Yhoator Jungle cancelling all
catches followed by three exclamation marks (!!!)
since they are either Arrowwood Logs or monsters.
---
Or
---
=======================
Level 11-33
=======================
Target Fish: Tricolored Carp (12/27), Dark
Bass (18/33), Gold Carp (41/56)
Location: Davoi (Pond),
Jugner Forest (Lake)
Rod: Carbon, Clothespole,
Composite, Fastwater, Glass Fiber,
Halcyon,
Hume, Mithran, Single Hook,
Tarutaru, Willow, Yew
Bait: Little Worm,
Insect Ball,
Robber Rig, Rogue Rig
By far one of the best fishing locations in the
game, the lake in Jugner Forest is very active,
offers frequent bites, and allows you to target
multiple fish for fast skillups. Using Little Worms
is your cheapest option in terms of bait, but you
will also catch many Crayfish. Use Insect Balls for
better Moat Carp bite rates if you are willing to
shell out some additional gil or can craft them
yourself. Gold Carps will be rare, but are still
catchable even 23-45 levels under the cap. Here
again Tricolored Carp and Gold Carp can break Carbon/Hume
Rods, so you will most likely be better off using
the Mithran/Halcyon, but be aware that the
occasional Arrowhead Log in Jugner Forest could snap
it. If you are concerned about rod breaks, use the
Composite. Monsters range up to level 47 in Davoi,
but only 29 in Jugner.
Favorite Setup: Halcyon Rod + Insect Balls at
Lake Mechieume (H-5) in Jugner Forest cancelling all
catches followed by three exclamation marks (!!!)
since they are either Arrowwood Logs or monsters.
========================
Level 33-47
========================
Target Fish: Black Eel (32/47), Gold Carp
(41/56, Bastok Markets only)
Location: Bastok Markets (Storage of Water),
Korroloka Tunnel (Pond),
Zeruhn Mines (River).
Rod: Carbon,
Halcyon,
Hume, Composite, Mithran
Bait: Little Worm,
Rogue Rig
Things will slow down here again, but fortunately
Black Eels sell fairly well on the Auction House if
someone happens to be leveling cooking by synthing
Eel Kabobs. Black Eel bite a little less often in
Bastok Markets (Storage of Water), but you will also
land Gold Carp here so it evens out a little.
Carbon/Hume Rods break on Black Eels, so the
Mithran/Halcyon is the best option, and you don't
have to worry about Arrowhead Logs in any of these
locations, though Coral Fragments could break a
Mithran/Halcyon in Korroloka Tunnel. If you are
concerned about rod breaks, use the Composite. You
won't catch monsters in Bastok Markets or Zeruhn
Mines, but the monsters in Korroloka Tunnel range up
to level 37.
Favorite Setup: Halcyon Rod + Little Worm at the
river (H-7) in Zeruhn Mines cancelling all catches
followed by three exclamation marks (!!!) since they
are Giant Catfish.
========================
Level 47-50
========================
Target Fish: Sandfish (35/50)
Location: Eastern
Altepa Desert,
Korroloka Tunnel (Pond), Rabao,
Western Altepa Desert
Rod: Carbon, Composite, Glass Fiber,
Halcyon,
Hume,
Mithran
Bait: Little Worm,
Insect Ball
Rabao is simply not what it used to be, but the
Oasis of Garidav located by the outpost in Eastern
Altepa Desert is almost as good, and remains one of
the best Moat Carp spots in the game. It may also be
possible to catch Monke-Onke (36/51) and Giant Donko
(34/49) in some of these locations, but there is
still some debate over what exactly they bite on.
Using a Carbon/Hume or Mithran/Halcyon is relatively
safe in Eastern Altepa Desert since Giant Donko do
not bite very often, though they are capable of
snapping either rod. In Rabao the only thing that
will break the Carbon/Hume Rod is 100 gil, which is
a very rare catch. If you are using Little Worms in
Korroloka Tunnel Pond you could catch Black Eel,
which can snap the Carbon/Hume. Rusty Subligar can
also break the Carbon/Hume here, and Coral Fragments
can snap a Mithran/Halcyon, and if you use Little
Worms in Western Altepa Desert you could loose your
Carbon/Hume Rod to Giant Catfish. As far as monsters
are concerned, in Eastern Altepa Desert you can fish
up monsters as high as level 51, and the oasis is
surrounded by gobs that could still aggro a level
55+, so plan accordingly. In Western Altepa Desert
you can land monsters ranging all the way up to
level 58, so fishers with lower level main jobs
should consider Sneak/Stamina Fishing or should
think about trying their luck elsewhere.
Favorite Setup: Hume Rod + Insect Balls at the
Oasis of Garidav (F-9) in Eastern Altepa Desert
cancelling all catches followed by three exclamation
marks (!!!) since they are monsters.
By the time you hit 50 you will hopefully have the
majority of Carp you need to finish the Lu Shang's
Quest. If you are still a little short, you can
either fish exclusively for Moat Carp at the eastern
pond in Rolanberry or the oasis in Eastern Altepa
Desert, which are in my opinion the two best Carp
locations in the game (although some recommend
Rabao, the small ponds by the Valkurm Dunes entrance
in La Theine Plateau, and some of the ponds in
Korroloka Tunnel on the north map south of the
Western Altepa Desert exit near the giant clam), or
you can continue fishing for skill and Moat Carp by
heading to Windurst Walls/Waters/Woods with a
Mithran/Halcyon or Composite and Insect Balls, which
will allow you to target Moats and Gold Carp that
will skill you up to level 56.
b.
Fishing 0-50 in the Places that will Skill you up
the Fastest
I strongly recommend starting the Lu Shang's Quest
as early on in your fishing career as possible, I
certainly wish I had. But unfortunately there are
many fishing spots that will skill you up faster
than the locations where you can catch Moat Carp for
your Lu Shang's. The key to leveling fishing quickly
at this stage is finding the right locations and
rod/bait combinations that will allow you to target
several fish that are each capable of skilling you
up. A fishing spot with five target fish capable of
skilling you up, for example, will help you raise
your skill faster than if you fished in an area with
only two target fish capable of skilling you up.
Here are the areas and rod/bait combinations that I
would suggest if you are trying to skill up to 50 as
quickly as possible. There are many alternatives for
each level listed below due to the large number of
target fish capable of skilling you up, but these
options do thin out a little as your fishing level
increases. Again, there are even more alternatives
available that aren't listed below, so feel free to
try them out, but in my opinion these are the best
options.
========================
Level 0-11
========================
Target Fish: Crayfish (0/7), Moat Carp (0/11)
Location: Bastok Markets (Waterway),
Eastern Altepa Desert,
Jugner Forest
(Lake/River),
Korroloka Tunnel (Pond),
La Theine Plateau,
North San d'Oria, Rabao,
Rolanberry Fields (Pond),
West Ronfaure,
West Ronfaure
(Knightwell), West Saratubaruta (Pond),
Windurst (Walls/Waters/Woods), Yhoator Jungle
(Underground), Zeruhn
Mines (River)
Rod: Carbon, Clothespole,
Composite, Fastwater, Glass Fiber,
Halcyon,
Hume,
Mithran, Single Hook, Tarutaru,
Willow, Yew
Bait: Little Worm,
Robber Rig, Rogue Rig
Outdoor areas yield better Carp rates than
cities, but at the increased risk of broken poles
and caught monsters. Knightwell is my personal
favorite for this stretch with good bite rates and
easy access to Little Worms (purchased from
Lusiane at F-8 in South San d'Oria), as well as
quick Moat Carp turn ins. Tricolored Carp, Gold
Carp, and Giant Catfish can break Carbon/Hume Rods,
so you will most likely be better off using the
Mithran/Halcyon, but be aware that the occasional
Arrowhead Log in Jugner Forest, West Ronfaure, or
the jungles could snap it. If you are concerned
about rod breaks use the Composite. Be aware that
fishing in higher level zones usually means that you
can catch higher level monsters. You can catch mobs
that range up to level 53 in Yhoator Jungle, 51 in
Eastern Altepa Desert, 37 in Korroloka Tunnel Pond,
and 36 in Rolanberry Fields, so plan on
Sneak/Stamina Fishing in these locations if monsters
in this level range pose a serious threat. In all
other outdoor areas the fishable mobs are under
level 30. Once you reach level 7 fishing skill,
you should consider switching from Little Worms to
Insect Balls in order to isolate Moat Carp.
Favorite Setup: Hume Rod + Little Worm at
Knightwell (G-10) in West Ronfaure cancelling all
catches followed by three exclamation marks (!!!)
since they are either Arrowwood Logs or monsters. At
level 7 fishing skill switch to Insect Balls.
--
Or
--
========================
Level 11-17
========================
Target Fish: Yellow Globe (2/17), Cone
Calamary (33/48)
Location: Qufim
Island (North)
Rod: Bamboo, Carbon,
Clothespole, Composite, Fastwater,
Glass Fiber, Halcyon,
Hume, Mithran, Single Hook,
Tarutaru, Willow, Yew
Bait: Sabiki Rig
Both Yellow Globe and Cone Calamary sell for a
decent profit on most servers since they are used in
popular Alchemy and Cooking recipes, and using the
Sabiki Rig (which can be purchased from the Fishing
Guild at C-8 in Port Windurst for about ~$2,394 gil)
to target them will actually allow you to catch
multiple fish at the same time, which can increase
your profits and how often you get skillups.
Unfortunately, Qufim Island North can be a pretty
dangerous place for lower level fishers, especially
at night or during lightning storms when elementals
tend to hang around the cliffs. Catchable mobs in
Qufim range up to level 40, so plan accordingly.
Favorite Setup: Halcyon Rod + Sabiki Rig at the
cliffs (G-6) in Qufim Island North cancelling all
catches followed by three exclamation marks (!!!)
since they are monsters.
--
Or
--
========================
Level 11-19
========================
Target Fish: Quus (4/19)
Location: Bibiki Bay (Purgonorgo Isle), Den
of Rancor, East/West
Sarutabaruta (Sea), Ferry (Normal), Ferry
(Pirates), Kazham,
Korroloka Tunnel (Pond/River), Lower Jeuno,
Manaclipper (Dhamel Rock), Manaclipper (Dhamal
Rock/Maliyakaleya Reef), Norg, Port Bastok,
Port Windurst,
Sea Serpent Grotto (Lake),
Selbina, South
Gustaberg, Valkurm Dunes
Rod: Bamboo, Carbon,
Clothespole, Composite, Fastwater,
Glass Fiber,
Halcyon,
Hume, Mithran, Single Hook,
Tarutaru, Willow, Yew
Bait: Lugworm,
Sabiki Rig
Quus bite frequently even in the cities, and once
again using the Sabiki Rig to target them will
actually allow you to catch multiple fish at the
same time, which can increase how often you get
skillups. Port Windurst is a good place to skillup
at this point in your fishing career since the close
proximity of the Fishing Guild will allow you to get
Advanced Support from the guild NPCs, which can make
the early levels noticably easier. You will also
catch Bastore Sardines with this setup, and while
they won't be able to skill you up past level 10,
you can turn them in to
Tokaka at C-8 in Port Windurst for some gil and
a little fame. If you would like to isolate Quus and
avoid catching Bastore Sardines, use Sardine Balls,
but you will miss out on catching multiple Quus at
once, so it is a bit of a trade off. Since Port
Windurst is a city you do not have to worry about
catching monsters here.
Favorite Setup: Halcyon Rod + Sabiki Rig at the
docks (C-8) in Port Windurst.
--
Or
--
========================
Level 0-19
========================
Target Fish: Cobalt Jellyfish (0/5), Bastore
Sardine (0/10), Greedie (0/14), Quus (4/19)
Location: Selbina
Rod: Bamboo, Carbon, Composite,
Glass Fiber,
Halcyon, Hume, Mithran, Tarutaru
Bait: Lugworm
You can purchase Lugworms for about 12 gil from
any of the merchants listed
here. Using this setup you will have five target
fish capable of skilling you up (six if you count
Fat Greedies, which are a semi rare catch but can
skill you up to 23), which makes Selbina a very good
place to start your fishing career if you don't mind
the inconvenience of being so far from your Moogle
or an Auction House. However, as your fishing skill
increases fewer target fish will be capable of
skilling you up, so feel free to try one of the
other locations if you need a change of scenery, or
you can try to isolate Quus in one of the locations
mentioned above by switching to Sardine Balls. Most
of these target fish and Rusty Subligar can break a
Carbon/Hume Rod, so Mithran/Halcyon is your best bet
here. And of course since Selbina is a city you do
not have to worry about catching any monsters.
Favorite Setup: Halcyon Rod + Lugworm near Isacio
(G-10) in Selbina.
--
Or
--
========================
Level 11-21
========================
Target Fish: Cheval Salmon
Location: East
Ronfaure, Jugner
Forest (River)
Rod: Carbon, Clothespole,
Composite, Fastwater, Glass Fiber,
Halcyon,
Hume, Mithran, Single Hook,
Tarutaru
Bait: Fly Lure,
Minnow, Sinking Minnow,
Trout Ball
If you went the Crayfish/Moat Carp route in
Knightwell and you aren't too tired of Ronfaure yet,
you might think about river fishing for Cheval
Salmon. However, there is only one target fish
capable of skilling you up using this set up, which
means you would most likely be able to level fishing
a little faster elsewhere. But Cheval Salmon are
easy to catch and bite pretty frequently, so I am
including them as an alternative. Salmon can snap
Carbon/Hume, so Mithran/Halcyon will offer the best
catch rate without breaks, provided you are able to
recognize and avoid Arrowwood Logs. You won't catch
any mobs in Jugner Forest River, and all fishable
monsters in East Ronfaure are less than level 12 or
so.
Favorite Setup: Halcyon Rod + Fly Lure near the
waterfall (I-8) in East Ronfaure cancelling all
catches followed by three exclamation marks (!!!)
since they are either Arrowwood Logs or monsters.
--
Or
--
=======================
Level 19-27
=======================
Target Fish: Nebimonite (12/27)
Location: Ferry
(Normal), Ferry
(Pirates), Sea
Serpent Grotto (Lake)
Rod: Carbon, Composite, Fastwater,
Halcyon,
Hume, Mithran, Tarutaru
Bait: Crayfish
Ball, Peeled Lobster,
Shrimp Lure,
Rogue Rig
There is nothing like fishing on the Ferry. Let's
be honest, fishing is not really that thrilling, but
Pirate attacks, random monsters appearing on deck,
and the deadly
Sea Horror will keep you as entertained as
possible. The lake in Sea Serpent Grotto boasts its
share of deadly mobs and excitement as well, and
both locations are excellent for catching
Nebimonite. Even though Nebs are the only target
fish likely to skill you up consistently using this
setup in either location, they bite very frequently
(especially in Sea Serpent Grotto), are easy to
catch, and sell very quickly for a good profit on
the Auction House. Mithran/Halcyon is the rod of
choice in both locations, but large fish in both
places and Coral Fragments in Sea Serpent Grotto are
capable of snapping it. In addition, if you plan on
using a Shrimp Lure in either locatation, be aware
that you run the risk of losing your lure to the
occassional line snap from Coral Fragments in Sea
Serpent Grotto and Noble Lady on the Ferry (which
are very profitable and cap at 66) even when the
stamina bar is completely depleted. If you can't
seem to deplete the stamina bar no matter how hard
you try, simply press Esc or do not press Enter
after getting the "You don't know how much longer
you can keep this one on the line" message. If you
fish from the Ferry you can catch monsters as high
as level 28, and the fishable mobs In Sea Serpent
Grotto range all the way up to 67, while the lake
itself is surrounded by mobs that will aggro anyone
below level 59, so plan on Sneak/Stamina Fishing and
being extremely careful.
Favorite Setup: Halcyon Rod + Shrimp Lure on the
Selbina-Mhaura Ferry cancelling all catches followed
by three exclamation marks (!!!) since they are
either large fish or monsters.
--
Or
--
=======================
Level 19-29
=======================
Target Fish: Pipira (14/29)
Location: East
Sarutabaruta (Lake),
Windurst Walls,
Windurst Waters,
Windurst Woods,
Yhoator Jungle (Pond), Yuhtunga Jungle (Pond)
Rod: Carbon, Clothespole,
Composite, Fastwater, Glass Fiber,
Halcyon,
Hume, Mithran, Single Hook,
Tarutaru, Willow, Yew
Bait: Frog Lure,
Lizard Lure, Meat Ball,
Minnow, Rogue
Rig, Slice of Carp
Pipira seem to be the Guild Fish of the Day
often, and fortunately they bite frequently and are
relatively easy to pull in. Rusty Subligar (which
are found in all of the above areas except Port
Windurst and Yhoator Jungle Pond) can snap the
Carbon/Hume rods, so the Mithran/Halcyon is your
best bet here, though you do have to watch out for
Arrowwood Logs in Yuhtunga Jungle (Pond). Once again
you do not have to worry about monsters in the
cities, but the fishable mobs in the jungles range
up to level 55.
Favorite Setup: Halcyon Rod + Minnow at the docks
behind the Rhinostery (K-8) in Windurst Waters.
--
Or
--
=======================
Level 11-33
=======================
Target Fish: Tricolored Carp (12/27), Dark
Bass (18/33), Gold Carp (41/56)
Location: Davoi (Pond),
Jugner Forest (Lake)
Rod: Carbon, Clothespole,
Composite, Fastwater, Glass Fiber,
Halcyon,
Hume, Mithran, Single Hook,
Tarutaru, Willow, Yew
Bait: Little Worm,
Insect Ball,
Robber Rig, Rogue Rig
By far one of the best fishing locations in the
game, the lake in Jugner Forest is very active,
offers frequent bites, and allows you to target
multiple fish for fast skillups. Using Little Worms
is your cheapest option in terms of bait, but you
will also catch many Crayfish. Use Insect Balls for
better Moat Carp bite rates if you are willing to
shell out some additional gil or can craft them
yourself. Gold Carps will be rare, but are still
catchable even 23-45 levels under the cap. Here
again Tricolored Carp and Gold Carp can break
Carbon/Hume Rods, so you will most likely be better
off using the Mithran/Halcyon, but be aware that the
occasional Arrowhead Log in Jugner Forest could snap
it. If you are concerned about rod breaks, use the
Composite. Monsters range up to level 47 in Davoi,
but only 29 in Jugner.
Favorite Setup: Halcyon Rod + Insect Balls at
Lake Mechieume (H-5) in Jugner Forest cancelling all
catches followed by three exclamation marks (!!!)
since they are either Arrowwood Logs or monsters.
--
Or
--
=======================
Level 27-33
=======================
Target Fish: Giant Catfish (16/31), Dark Bass
(18/33)
Location: Bastok Markets (Storage of Water),
Carpenter's Landing (Central), Davoi (Pond), Giddeus
(Pond), La Theine
Plateau,
Rolanberry Fields (Lake),
West Sarutabaruta (Pond)
Rod: Carbon, Clothespole,
Composite, Fastwater, Glass Fiber,
Halcyon, Hume,
Mithran,
Single Hook, Tarutaru, Willow,
Yew
Bait: Frog Lure,
Minnow, Robber
Rig, Rogue Rig, Sinking Minnow, Trout Ball
After you hit 27 you will most likely want to
begin isolating Giant Catfish and Dark Bass by
switching to the Frog Lure, and if you fish with
this setup in Davoi (Pond), Giddeus (Pond), La
Theine Plateau, or the lake in Rolanberry Fields,
you will also catch Red Terrapin, which cap at 53
and can provide occassional skillups. Be aware that
you can catch Arrowwood Logs in Carpenter's Landing
(Central), which can snap the Mithran/Halcyon, and
monsters in these areas can range up to level 47, so
plan accordingly.
Favorite Setup: Mithran + Frog Lure at the
unnamed lakes in La Theine Plateau cancelling all
Arrowwood Logs or monsters.
--
Or
--
=======================
Level 27-35
=======================
Target Fish: Crystal Bass (20/35)
Location: Jugner
Forest (Crystal Spring), Sanctuary of Zi'tah
Rod: Carbon, Composite, Glass Fiber,
Halcyon,
Hume, Mithran, Tarutaru
Bait: Frog Lure,
Insect Ball, Little Worm, Lizard Lure,
Minnow, Peeled
Crayfish, Rogue Rig,
Sinking Minnow,
Trout Ball, Worm
Lure
Crystal Bass bite pretty frequently, and you can
isolate them if you fish in the Crystal Spring using
any of the bait recommended above, which means you
won't waste your time fighting to bring in fish that
are not capable of skilling you up. Crystal Bass
could snap the Carbon/Hume rods, so once again the
Mithran/Halcyon is your best bet, though you will
have to watch out for Arrowwood Logs in both Jugner
and the Sanctuary of Zi'tah. Monsters range up to
level 29 in Jugner, and as high as the 50s in the
Sanctuary, so plan on Sneak/Stamina fishing if
monsters of this level pose a serious threat.
Favorite Setup: Halcyon Rod + Insect Balls at the
Crystal Spring (J-9) in Jugner Forest cancelling all
catches followed by three exclamation marks (!!!)
since they are Arrowwood Logs or monsters.
--
Or
--
=======================
Level 27-39
=======================
Target Fish: Tiger Cod (14/29), Nosteau
Herring (24/39)
Location: Qufim
Island (North),
Quifim Island (South),
Quifim Island (Ice Pond)
Rod: Carbon, Composite,
Halcyon,
Hume, Mithran
Bait: Lugworm,
Shrimp Lure
You can purchase Lugworms for about 12 gil from
any of the merchants listed
here, or you can try your luck with a Shrimp
Lure, though you will need to be careful not to try
and reel in any Black Soles since they could break a
Mithran/Halcyon or Carbon/Hume, or snap your line
and cost you your lure. Mythril Swords can also
break Carbons/Humes or Mithrans/Halcyons so avoid
reeling in items as well, though they are very rare
catches. Tiger Cod sell fairly quickly on the Jueno
Auction House since they are an ingredient in Sliced
Cod, which higher level fishers use to target
Three-eyed Fish and Black Sole in Qufim Island
South. Herring are virtually worthless, but at least
they will skill you up. Catchable mobs range up to
40 in Qufim, so plan accordingly.
Favorite Setup: Halcyon Rod + Shrimp Lure at the
cliffs (H-9) in Quifim Island (South) cancelling
Black Sole since they can snap the Halcyon, and all
catches followed by three exclamation marks (!!!)
since they are monsters.
--
Or
--
=======================
Level 33-37
=======================
Target Fish: Shining Trout (22/37)
Location:
Carpenter's Landing (North), Carpenter's
Landing (South), East
Ronfaure, Ghelsba Outpost,
Jugner Forest (River),
Phanauet Channel (North -> Central)
Rod: Carbon, Composite, Fastwater,
Glass Fiber,
Halcyon, Hume, Mithran,
Tarutaru
Bait: Fly Lure,
Minnow, Sinking Minnow, Trout Ball, Rogue Rig
If you've been fishing in Jugner Forest things
will slow down a little as you move away from the
lake due to fewer target fish with the potential for
skill ups, but at least Shining Trout bite fairly
frequently, though they do seem to put up a pretty
good fight for their level. Carbon/Hume Rods can
break on Shining Trout, so again the Mithran/Halcyon
is the rod of choice though there is still a chance
of breaks on the occasional Arrowhead Log. You do
not have to worry about catching monsters in Jugner
Forest (River) though they can be fished up in every
other location. If you have the COP expansion,
Carpenter's Landing (North) is the best place to
target Shining Trout since you can isolate them and
avoid catching Cheval Salmon, and it is easily
accessible through the large wooden door at F-5 in
North San d'Oria. Once you zone into Carpenter's
Landing, just head southeast and you'll be at the
Channel in no time, but be aware that you can catch
Arrowwood Logs and monsters here.
Favorite Setup: Halcyon Rod + Fly Lure in the
channel (H-8) in Carpenter's Landing (North)
cancelling all catches followed by three exclamation
marks (!!!) since they are Arrowwood Logs or
monsters.
--
Or
--
=======================
Level 33-39
=======================
Target Fish: Nosteau Herring (24/39)
Location: Batallia Downs, Lower Jeuno, Port
Jeuno, Qufim Island (Ice Pond),
Qufim Island (North),
Qufim Island (South)
Rod: Carbon, Composite, Fastwater,
Halcyon,
Hume, Mithran
Bait: Lugworm,
Sardine Ball, Shrimp
Lure
I personally hate these fish, but only because
they bite very often on the Shrimp Lure in Quifim
when I'm actually trying to catch Tiger Cod so I can
synthesize some Sliced Cod and get back to catching
Black Sole and Three-eyed Fish. But all you really
need to know at this stage of your fishing career is
that Nosteau Herring bite often on Shrimp Lures in
Quifim. Black Sole and a few items can break the
Mithran/Halcyon, so if you plan on using one you
will need to pay pretty close attention and have
enough fishing experience to know when you have
landed an item so you can press Esc and save your
rod. At this level you should have serious
difficulty bringing in a Black Sole, so here again
you will want to hit Esc as soon as you realize one
has caught the hook to save your rod. Catchable
monsters range up to 40 in Batallia Downs and
North/South Quifim. You do not have to worry about
monsters in Lower/Port Jeuno, though the bite rate
is generally not as good in these areas.
Favorite Setup: Halcyon Rod + Shrimp Lure at the
cliffs (H-9) in Quifim Island (South) cancelling
Black Sole since they can snap the Halcyon, and all
catches followed by three exclamation marks (!!!)
since they are monsters.
--
Or
--
=======================
Level 33-46
=======================
Target Fish: Ogre Eel (20/35), Gold Lobster
(31/46)
Location: East
Saratubaruta (Sea),
South Gustaberg,
West Saratubaruta (Sea)
Rod: Carbon, Composite,
Halcyon, Hume,
Mithran
Bait: Sinking
Minnow, Sliced
Sardine, Rogue Rig
Gold Lobsters and Ogre Eel bite a little less
often than you will want them to. If you use Sliced
Sardine in the Saratubarutas you could also land
Bluetail which cap at level 55, and using either a
Sinking Minnow or Sliced Sardine in South Gustaberg
will allow you to also catch Zafmlug Bass which cap
at 48, so you will have to decide which additional
fish you would rather have a chance of catching
(Bluetail sell for more on the Auction House but put
up a bigger fight). Carbon/Hume will break on Ogre
Eels, so stick with the Mithran/Halcyon, though it
could break on the occasional Bastore Bream, which
will most likely be a rare catch. You can also catch
monsters in these zones, but they most likely don't
exceed level 20 or so, so you shouldn't have any
trouble with them if you accidentally fish one up.
Favorite Setup: Halcyon Rod + Sinking Minnow at
the cliffs (L-9) in South Gustaberg cancelling all
catches followed by three exclamation marks (!!!)
since they are monsters.
--
Or
--
========================
Level 37-47
========================
Target Fish: Black Eel (32/47), Gold Carp
(41/56, Bastok Markets only)
Location: Bastok Markets (Storage of Water),
Korroloka Tunnel (Pond),
Zeruhn Mines (River)
Rod: Carbon, Composite,
Halcyon,
Hume, Mithran
Bait: Little Worm,
Rogue Rig, Worm Lure
Things will slow down here again, but fortunately
Black Eels sell fairly well on the Auction House if
someone happens to be leveling cooking by synthing
Eel Kabobs. Black Eel bite a little less often in
Bastok Markets (Storage of Water), but you will also
land Gold Carp here so it evens out a little. The
Worm Lure (which can be purchased from the Fishing
Guild at C-8 in Port Windurst for about ~540 gil)
will definately save inventory space compared to
Little Worm, so opt for the lure if you don't mind
missing out on Moat Carp. Carbon/Hume Rods break on
Black Eels, so the Mithran/Halcyon is the best
option, and you don't have to worry about Arrowhead
Logs in any of these locations, though Coral
Fragments could break a Mithran/Halcyon in Korroloka
Tunnel. If you are concerned about rod breaks, use
the Composite. You wont catch monsters in Bastok
Markets or Zeruhn Mines, but the monsters in
Korroloka Tunnel range up to level 37.
Favorite Setup: Halcyon Rod + Worm Lure at the
river (H-7) in Zeruhn Mines cancelling all catches
followed by three exclamation marks (!!!) since they
are Giant Catfish.
--
Or
--
========================
Level 37-50
========================
Target Fish: Shall Shell (38/53)
Location:
Buburimu Peninsula (Cliffs), Bibiki Bay
(Purgonorgo Isle), Valkurm Dunes
Rod: Carbon, Composite,
Halcyon,
Hume, Mithran
Bait: Crayfish Ball,
Robber Rig,
Rogue Rig
Catching Shall Shells from the cliffs in Buburimu
Peninsula is most likely your best option for quick
skill ups from the mid 30s all the way up to 53, and
since they are used in the recipes for Shallops
Tropicale and Fish Mithkabobs they sell quickly and
for a decent profit on the Auction House. Shall
Shells are considered semi-item fish, which means
they will bite as frequently on the Rigs as they do
on live bait, so save yourself some expense and
inventory space by avoiding Crayfish Balls. Also, if
you use either of the Rigs you will also catch the
occasional Bluetail which could skill you up to 55.
Shall Shells could break a Carbon/Hume, and you will
lose a large percentage of your catches to the "too
small" message if you use the Composite, so the
Mithran/Halcyon is your best bet here. Back when I
leveled fishing in Buburimu Peninsula you couldn't
catch monsters from the cliff, but I believe SE
added fishable mobs as high as level 34 in a recent
patch. If you decide to try the other locations you
will have to worry about Coral Fragments in Bibiki
Bay and Arrowhead Logs in Valkurm snapping your
Mithran/Halcyon.
Favorite Setup: Halcyon Rod + Rogue Rig at the
cliffs (K-8) in Buburimu Peninsula cancelling all
catches followed by three exclamation marks (!!!)
since they are monsters.
--
Or
--
========================
Level 37-50
========================
Target Fish: Red Terrapin (38/53)
Location: Davoi (Pond), Giddeus (Pond),
Jugner Forest (Crystal Spring),
Jugner Forest (Lake),
La Theine Plateau,
Pashhow Marshlands, Rolanberry Fields (Lake),
Rolanberry Fields (Pond),
Sanctuary of Zi'tah, West Ronfaure (Knightwell)
Rod: Carbon, Composite,
Halcyon,
Hume, Mithran
Bait: Frog Lure,
Giant Shell Bug, Rogue Rig, Shell Bug
There are many places to catch Red Terrapin, but
in my experience Jugner Forest (Lake) and La Theine
Plateau offer the best bite rate, though it is
easiest to isolate Red Terrapin by fishing at the
eastern pond in Rolanberry Fields with the Frog
Lure. These turtles are slightly streakier than
Shall Shells, and their bite rate will probably seem
more closely tied to the moon phase than the fish
you will have targeted up to this point. Shell Bugs,
especially Giant Shell Bugs, are usually a hassle to
get a hold of in large enough quantities, so stick
with the Frog Lure. Red Terrapin can break the
Carbon/Hume, so Mithran/Halcyon is the rod of
choice, but be aware of the Rusty Greatswords and
Mythril Swords in Rolanberry Fields, and Arrowhead
Logs in Jugner, the Sanctuary of Zi'tah, and West
Ronfaure, all of which can snap the Mithran/Halcyon.
Catchable mobs range up to level 20 in La Theine, 29
in Jugner, and even higher in a few of the other
locations, so plan accordingly.
Favorite Setup: Halcyon Rod + Frog Lure at the
eastern pond (J-10) in Rolanberry Fields cancelling
all catches followed by three exclamation marks
(!!!) since they are monsters.
Yes, I have given you a lot of different options and
alternatives here, but I will say it again: there is
no one "best" way to level fishing 0-100. Once you
actually get out and spend a few hours in a certain
fishing spot you will most likely be glad to have
these other options available for those times when
you feel you need a change of scenery (I know I
was). You will also need to decide which locations
and rod/bait combinations will work best for you
depending on your job level, budget, inventory size,
server economy, and how easily you can access the
different locations I've provided. You will probably
end up spending a little time trying out each area
in order to break up the monotony as much as
possible, which is what I ended up doing.
c. The
"No Brainer" Fishing Guide 0-50
Well I've heard from a couple people that feel they
don't really need 2 or 3 different alternatives for
skilling up at each particular level, and would
prefer it if they just had a simple list of what
seem to be the single best options in terms of
locations and rod/bait combinations for each stage
of their fishing career until level 50, so here are
my suggestions:
-0-7 Kn |
