Fishing

With all the waterways around the game, there is plenty of opportunity to catch fish. You'll first need to complete the Calisson story to unlock access to Halo Halo. Go to the general store in Halo Halo and purchase an Old Fishing Rod for 2000 G. Now you can begin your fishing journey!

There are 30 fish species found in the game. Caught fish will have an entry added to your farmhouse encyclopedia.

To catch fish, walk up to any body of water (river, sea, lake, etc.) and press the A Button (Switch) or X Button (Ps4) to bring up the bait selection menu. You can choose to use No Bait or attach bait that you are carrying in your bag. Then press the same button again to cast your line. Then simply wait for a fish to bite your hook. You can cancel fishing by pressing the B Button (Switch) or O Button (Ps4).

The fishing gauge will appear when you have a nibble on your line. The fish will move left and right along the gauge. When the fish reaches the green area, press the A/X Button to hook the fish, then press that same button over and over to reel in the fish. If you press A/X when the fish is not in the green area on the gauge, you'll lose the fish and any bait you were using.

Upgrading your fishing rod will increase the length of the green area on the fishing gauge. The better the fishing rod, the longer the sweet spot for snagging fish.

You can make your own bait in the farm windmill. The windmill can make Level 1 Fishing Bait by processing Mosquito Fish or X into bait. To learn higher-level bait recipes, talk to the Makoa (previously known as the Easily-Excited Man) in Halo Halo. This pink-shirt guy appears after 3:00 pm to the south of the beach towels.

• His first request, Researching Fishing Bait 1, requires you to bring him 4 Mussels. These can be found by the pier and behind the lighthouse in Halo Halo. He'll teach you to make Level 2 Regular Fishing Bait.
• His second request, Researching Large Fish Bait, requires you to bring 4 Tiger Prawn. You can catch these when fishing in the area between the Halo Halo beach and along the shoreline towards the lighthouse. You'll learn how to make Level 1 Big Fish Bait and Level 2 Big Fish Bait.
• His third request, Researching Fishing Bait 2, requires 10 Large Clams. This can be found on the Halo Halo beach close to where Kanoa likes to wander. You'll receive the Level 3 Fishing Bait and Level 3 Big Fish Bait recipes for your windmill.
• The fourth request, Researching Legendary Fish Bait, will unlock the three Legendary Fish Bait recipes after you bring him 4 Lobster.

As you complete the Easily-Excited Man's tasks, the bait will unlock in the general stores. They are expensive though:

• Level 1 Regular Bait: 100 G each
• Level 2 Regular Bait: 200 G each
• Level 3 Regular Bait: 800 G each
• Level 1 Big Fish Bait: 400 G each
• Level 2 Big Fish Bait: 800 G each
• Level 3 Big Fish Bait: 1000 G each

When using higher level bait, you can catch all the fish that will bite using the lower-level bait listed below. For example, when using Level 2 Regular Bait you can catch rarer fish, but you can also catch boring 'ol Sardines and Mosquitofish that don't require any type of bait to catch. You can cancel fishing when the fish shadow appears to ensure you don't waste special high-level baits on tiny little fish. You'll keep the bait if the fish hasn't tugged on the line yet.

Fish List

There are villager tasks that can also reward you with fish:

• Kanoa: 2 Gazpacho = 4 Black Porgy. The Gazpacho recipe can be bought from Samantha's cart for 15,000 G after obtaining the Pastilla medallion.
• Kanoa: 4 Level 1 Regular Bait = 4 Cod. You can make Level 1 Regular Bait in your windmill.
• Kanoa: 2 Tomato Juice = 4 Red Seabream. Tomato Juice is a recipe from the Vegetable Juice Recipe Set at Samantha's mobile shop.
• Makoa the Easily-Excited Man: 2 Cacao = 5 Tiger Prawn. Cacao is found wild on trees on the path leading to the Harvest Goddess Spring.
• Shogen: 3 Lullaby = 5 Cod. Lullaby is a mutation of Lotus when grown during winter. Also found as a seed wisp.
• Shogen: 2 Nirvana = 5 Red Seabream. Nirvana is a mutation of Lotus when grown during spring.
• Shogen: 4 Striped Hibiscus = 3 Black Porgy. Grow normal Hibiscus on the beach during summer to get Striped Hibiscus.

For the Arowana and the Green Arowana, try casting your line in the little alcove with the 3x3 crop field. There will be lots of Tilapia and Piranha here too. The normal Arowana will be attracted to Big Fish bait, and the Green Arowana likes Legendary Bait.