lolFishing Question

[Francisco II]

Decided to go on a questing spree today - and part of that spree included doing "Cook-a-roon?" - in which you need five specific fish to trade to a NPC.

AH was sold out completely on one of them - so I decided to head to Talacca Cove and fish up the last one myself... managed to get it on the first cast, with 25 fishing skill.

Figuring I might be able to turn some profit, or catch some skill up - I decided to stick around... and I'm noticing something really odd.

Typically, if I get the "you don't have enough skill to reel this one in" message - I have little or no problem getting it, as long as it's accompanied by the "battle" type fishing music...

Every so often I get "you have a good feeling about this one!" - and some really light hearted music plays... (I think it's from some cutsie-chocobo CS or something).... but regardless, it's damn nigh impossible to reel in. It changes direction constantly, has like triple the "HP" of other fish, and regens like Aspidochelone on steroids.

Is this some sort of rare fish, or just a random annoyance?

[Minions]

! = small fish or item
!!! = big fish, or monster
-------------------------

Just because it predicts that the fish will be easy to reel in, doesn't mean you can. It is just your fishing instinct, and in most cases its full of fail.

[Francisco II]

Does the varying music mean anything, or is that just random?

[Ashael]

Something caught the hook!!! = Battle music
Something caught the hook! = Frisky chikin music

[Spekkio]

my guess is you hooked this: http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/Dil
and at 96 fishing skill cap, you're going to get served by that fish.

[Minions]

my guess is you hooked this: http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/Dil
and at 96 fishing skill cap, you're going to get served by that fish.

Reminds me of hooking Mola Mola on the boat to mhaura while fishing up NM's. Yeh... the hp bar wouldn't hardly budge.

[hasdrbal]

!!!+good feeling = mob(monsters dont re-gain stamina when u stop fighting them whereas fish that cap higher than ur current lvl will ...tip if u missed the feeling message)
!!! + other feelings = fish u cant stack or "big"
! + w/e feeling= item or fish that u can stack or "small"

[Spekkio]

!!!+good feeling = mob(monsters dont re-gain stamina when u stop fighting them whereas fish that cap higher than ur current lvl will ...tip if u missed the feeling message)
!!! + other feelings = fish u cant stack or "big"
! + w/e feeling= item or fish that u can stack or "small"

exception to that rule is an arrowwood log which looks like a big fish. don't run into them most places though (which is fortunate for newer fishers, as those bastards break lines and rods without much effort.) so it's not a major concern though.

[Winter85]

Check this out. A Berserk Banshee.
Be careful whenever you fish.
Hehe..

http://youtube.com/watch?v=46lGxsZ9_D4

[Oxx]

incoming wall of text from http://www.titanictus.com/viewtopic.php?t=752

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 what exactly has caught your hook 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.

Something caught the hook! (one exclamation mark)


Rod Movement/Stamina Depletion: 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.

Fishing Instinct Message: Your fishing instinct message will provide you with a general idea of how difficult it will be to reel in whatever has caught your hook. Positive messages (ie 1, 2, or 3) will generally indicate a lower level fish or light item, while negative messages (ie 4, 5, or 6) will generally indicate a higher level fish or heavy item.

Something caught the hook!!! (three exclamation marks)


Rod Movement/Stamina Depletion Rate: 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 by slight increments every few seconds 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 slowly by slight increments every few seconds 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.

Fishing Instinct Message: Your fishing instinct message will provide you with a general idea of how difficult it will be to reel in whatever has caught your hook.

The "Good Feeling" message will always be a monster when preceeded by three exclamation marks.


The "You don't know" message will almost always be a monster when preceeded by three exclamation marks.


The "You're fairly sure" message can be either monsters or large unstackable fish when preceeded by three exclamation marks. I would recommend "stamina fishing" in order to distinguish between the two.


The "Bad feeling" message will almost always be a large unstackable fish when preceeded by three exclamation marks.


The "Terrible feeling" message will always be a large unstackable fish when preceeded by three exclamation marks.



*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:

Code:
stamina bar depletes when the rod
__is in the 10 or 2 positions and you are not
/ pressing any direction keys = monster [RELEASE]
/ "Good feeling" "Don't know" "Fairly sure"
three exclamation marks(!!!)__/ 100% monster 99% monster 50% monster
\
\ 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]
"Terrible feeling" "You're positive" "Fairly sure"
100% large fish 99% large fish 50% large fish


___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.