Fishing on iOS

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by GreenOaks, Feb 24, 2020.

  1. GreenOaks

    GreenOaks Orbital Explorer

    I'm new to the game. Just about finished Spring Year 1 and I've done a fair bit of reading but I'm really struggling with fishing and wondered if there are any tips or if getting the better rods is the key?

    I'm still on the first one as I'm using this first play through as a bit of a learning tool - I've realised I've done a lot wrong, and so just spent the last couple of days fishing to see if I can get any better. I've got to fishing level 2.

    The mini game just seems super hard. I seem to be fine if the fish stays at the bottom, which they occasionally do, and that's pretty much where all my 5 or 6 fish have come from, but once they start heading upwards it seems to be almost impossible to control the green bar.

    I've searched on here and tried fast little taps and slow taps and I get the fish half way up then the fish drops of the bar overshoots and if I let the bar drop to the bottom it them bounces up and down and it just seems like the worst sensitivity for a game.

    Is fishing worth sticking at early game (clearly there's the fish tank to unlock at some point), or would I be better farming and mining for the first spring?
     
      Last edited: Feb 24, 2020
    • WilliamZ

      WilliamZ Phantasmal Quasar

      You can purchase the training rod with Willy at day two for 25g only, you won't will be able to catch harder type of fish and all quality are dropped to common, but in exchange you receive fishing level 5 making the bar really big, even veterans use the training rod to level up their fishing skill faster because perfect catches gives you more fishing exp.
      I think that the mini game is just practice, later with the iridium rod, attaching the trap bobber really make the experience much better, but in my opinion the fishing minigame sucks overall.
       
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      • GreenOaks

        GreenOaks Orbital Explorer

        Thanks WilliamZ. I appreciate it. Is this only available on day 2? I checked his shop just now and I can still only get the bamboo pole and trout soup. I though I might be able to get the fiberglass rod by now.
        The training rod did make it super easy. I obviously missed the fact you could buy it.
         
        • ThorfinnS

          ThorfinnS Orbital Explorer

          You CAN ignore the fishing game entirely if you prefer. It's just a great source of early cash. Yeah, you won't have a lot of strawberries without fishing, but so what? The point is to set up your farm to your liking, not to make a better farm than some Youtube video.

          The fiberglass rod should be available anytime Willy is open after you reach level 2. If you manage 2-3 perfect catches, that gets you to level 1, depending on what fish you catch. If you don't get perfect catches, (assuming you aren't holding onto difficult fish like catfish) it's somewhere around 5-8 fish. Level 2 is somewhere around 10 perfect catches, or maybe 18-25 non-perfect.

          My guess is that you are still level 1 fisher.
           
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          • UnexpectedParole

            UnexpectedParole Phantasmal Quasar

            You would also have the option to buy bait at level 2. You are not there yet if you just see the bamboo pole and trout soup.

            Just keep fishing. Have you tried the mountain lake yet? The fish are worth less XP, but are much easier to catch. (other than the chub and sometimes largemouth)
             
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            • Elenna101

              Elenna101 Scruffy Nerf-Herder

              @WilliamZ was talking about the training rod, not the fiberglass rod. But the training rod is not available on iOS as it has not been updated to 1.4 yet. The fiberglass rod doesn't make catching fish any easier, it just lets you equip bait which lets you get fish more often. Although that's at least helpful in being able to have more chances to practice in one day. The iridium rod lets you equip bobbers, and the trap and cork bobbers do make fishing easier, but you won't unlock those till level 6.

              If you want to finish the community center, you'll have to be able to fish eventually. (You can maybe hope to buy some of the harder fish at the travelling cart that appears in the woods every Friday and Saturday, but getting all of them would take forever.) There's no point putting it off - in fact, there are some harder fish that only show up in summer/fall/winter, so you're probably better off practicing now.

              You've probably read most of the tips, but one thing that might help - if you tap the screen just before the bar hits the bottom of the gauge, it will stay there instead of bouncing. Also remember that the bar has momentum, so avoid keeping your finger on or off the screen for long period of time, you definitely want to stick with the quick little taps.
              It definitely does take practice. Keep working at it, and remember that once you manage to level up the bar will get bigger, so it does get easier over time. And definitely try at the lake if you haven't already, the carp have a tendency to stay at the bottom a lot.
               
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              • UnexpectedParole

                UnexpectedParole Phantasmal Quasar

                If you do not have access to the training rod and after you have graduated from it I would recommend using trout soup as well. The increase in fishing level by one is significant at the early levels. Fish are easier to track and capture with the wider band. Usually if you get one or especially if you get two trout soup, you should be at level 1 or level 2 for real by the time the bonus(es) wear off. Who wouldn't want to fish at level 1 all day instead of starting at zero?

                Another tip is to watch the fish's behavior. They all act differently at the mountain lake, so once you see what fish it is, you can anticipate what the pattern will be.
                Carp sink to the bottom, bullhead run smooth up, Largemouth mix things up but do not dart quite as much as a chub.


                @Elenna101 . I wondered if IOS was at 1.4 but since greenoaks said it "made it easier" I assumed he had bought and used a training rod and was now looking for the fiberglass rod.
                 
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                • GreenOaks

                  GreenOaks Orbital Explorer

                  Thanks very much guys. That's all super helpful.

                  @UnexpectedParole Sorry, that's my fault. I meant the rod you get for the very first fish on day 2 is it? I assume that was the training rod and then Willy gives you a Bamboo pole.
                  iOS has just updated to 1.4 today so hopefully I can get the training rod now as well and give that a try.
                  Thanks for the fishing tips. I had noticed some act differently. I managed to catch some Halibut off the coral beach as they also stay at the bottom. But that's the only way I seem to be able to catch them at the moment.
                  They don't seem to look very different in the mini game though so was struggling to tell the difference. Will have to have a closer look.

                  Last night I tried for the first time at the mountain lake and the carp did indeed stay at the bottom which meant I got 3 perfect catches! I think I'm still a few fish off level 2 but I did also buy and eat some trout soup so that should help. The carp seemed to turn up after dusk though.

                  I think I'm starting to see some logical first steps in the game. Plant a load of parsnips on day 1. Go fishing on day 2 and mining on day 3 when it rains. I've somehow completely missed the mining and only realised it wasn't going to "open up" with a cutscene until I went into the mine so as a result I'm at the end of spring and have barely any copper ore to upgrade. So I figured I'd practice fishing, and use this as a practice run then restart and do a hopefully better job!
                   
                  • UnexpectedParole

                    UnexpectedParole Phantasmal Quasar

                    No worries. The "training rod" is new, we are all still wrapping our heads around it as well. The Bamboo pole is what you are given to start. it is k, and just hard to catch fish at low levels with the small catch bar. I assume having them in the inventory to buy is to give you the option to store fishing poles in different locations and not carry them around? The training rod costs 25 g and gives you a big catch bar but limits your fish to regular quality. if you are new and not trying to min max your run, then I do think there is a serious argument for giving it a try and it will ease the frustrations with the mini game while giving you the skills to use the bamboo pole or other rods. The fiberglass rod allows you to equip bait which increases your strike rate. If you plan on fishing more than just a day or two, then I do think the investment is worth it. You don't want to spend all day real time next to the water without many strikes. The Iridium Rod allows you to attach tackle which give you different effects based upon the item. I don't use them, but I also don't fish much past first year money and cc completion. If you are going to attempt to catch multiples of the harder fish or the legendary fish then it makes sense to buy it and use the appropriate tackle for the targeted fish.

                    The fish don't look different in the mini game as far as I can tell. But their tactics will tell them apart. Especially at the mountain lake where they are pretty different. Carp don't move about much and tend to sink. Bullheads tend to rise, stall then maybe drop a bit or rise a bit, very smoothly. Largemouth mix it up and go up, down, around with some speed. But the chubs dart up and down and do it fast.

                    One example I can think of for a specific tactical decision that can be made. If you determine that a fish is a bullhead because it rose smoothly to about 3/4 the way up and stalled, you can center the catch bar over him to cover the fish if it then drops or rises out of that stall. But if the fish is a chub or because it quickly went up and then started to drop, while you and the fish are dropping you will want the catch bar to be higher on the fish (fish in the bottom of the bar) so that you don't over pursue when the fish turns back to going up on a time. Also, if the fish was a chub you need to be more careful of over-pursuit when it drops rises and it turns out it was a fake rise. Largemouth tend to fake less. Does that make sense?

                    The reason carp seemed to come up more at night in that game is because largemouth stop biting at 7pm. You go from 4 types to catch to 3, and the way it chooses what type of fish is based upon a list for that day. the game checks to see if you catch a certain type of fish first by generating a random number compared to the difficulty of the fish, if the check is a no for the first listed fish, then try for 2nd, 3rd, etc. That day must have had carp listed first. If your rng is aligned you might catch several of the same type to start. I've had games where day 2 was 5 straight largemouth to open the day and never saw a carp until the evening, and others where it was 8 straight carp for perfects to open with nary a largemouth in sight. The heavy chub day 2s are the worst. With the narrow catch window at level 0 or 1 it is sometimes hard to avoid the chub just bouncing above and below the catch window back and forth. I prefer the heavy bullhead days. I find they give a good price, great xp and an awesome chance for perfects on the smooth pattern. Perfect catches increase quality (except on the training rod) and increase the xp earned for that fish by 2.4 times. The treasure chests increase by 2.1, so if it is an easy fish like a carp, you might want to get the thing nearly caught, leave it to catch the treasure chest and then catch the fish. But that is getting into next level fishing tricks you might not need to worry about right now. Work on catching the fish, get what treasure chests it lets you, and the xp will take care of itself.


                    Mining is day 5 when the mine opens. So you'll want to find something else to do on day 3.
                    But you only get one chance to play the game for the first time. So I'm not going to influence you either way. Enjoy it, organically find what your path is. it's a great game with a ton of options. There are plenty of threads on the forums as to what we all think "should be" the path. It's up to you to decide yours.
                     
                    • GreenOaks

                      GreenOaks Orbital Explorer

                      @UnexpectedParole Thanks very much! That's really helpful.

                      Sounds like some of the guides for the 1st spring are very out of date or work better on PC. I'll see if I can get the training rod now with 1.4 that I got today and see if that helps get the technique.

                      Okay, mining for day 5.

                      I got an artefact yesterday that I couldn't seem to donate to the museum, but it was the first of it's type - looks like a vertebra bone and I have donated 2 items previously so not sure what the problem was there. EDIT: Forgot to talk to Gunther first.
                       
                        Last edited: Feb 26, 2020
                      • WilliamZ

                        WilliamZ Phantasmal Quasar

                        Those guides are, specially the ones that says to you repair de beach bridge lol.

                        https://community.playstarbound.com...farming-strategies-for-your-first-day.159542/

                        This discussion is pretty neat without enter into much details, but no one recommends for a first timer to min/max because you will get bored of the game very fast, but I don't see the problem is asking for the best crops or how to increase your income.
                         
                        • GreenOaks

                          GreenOaks Orbital Explorer

                          @WilliamZ Thanks. I think I found that one earlier and will have another read through.
                           
                          • GreenOaks

                            GreenOaks Orbital Explorer

                            Just as an update and for anyone reading in the future I now love fishing. I got the training rod as soon as I could with the 1.4 update and that made fishing easy. I probably used it a bit too long really as by the time I went back to using the bamboo pole I'd levelled up to 4 and the green bar was as big as it was for the training rod. Didn't realise how much levelling up would increase the bar.

                            I got the fibreglass rod about a week ago and I'd already found bait in game so been fishing with that in a few different places and managed to catch most fish. There's just one river fish that I'm coming across around dusk or dark that jumps up and down really fast and I've not yet managed to catch one to find out what it is. It's not one of the usual ones as I've caught rainbow trout which are a bit faster and the more common ones like chub, bullhead, sunfish etc.

                            I'm now level 5 and on my way to 6.

                            Thanks to everyone who gave tips. It's amazing how much depth there is to the game and I'm constantly thinking "I wish I'd known that earlier".
                             
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                            • Elenna101

                              Elenna101 Scruffy Nerf-Herder

                              If you're catching rainbow trout I guess you're in summer now, so off the top of my head it's probably pike? Yeah, those are a pain.
                               
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                              • GreenOaks

                                GreenOaks Orbital Explorer

                                Thanks @Elenna101 I have caught a couple of Pike. It may be that. Yes, near the end of summer now.
                                 
                                • WilliamZ

                                  WilliamZ Phantasmal Quasar

                                  Trap bobber makes fishing those pesky jumping fish very easy, but you need to own a iridium rod to attach bobbers.
                                   
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                                  • UnexpectedParole

                                    UnexpectedParole Phantasmal Quasar

                                    I have to say that the training rod was a very good addition to the game I think. Having a way to learn the fishing game while actually catching fish without starting farms over and over is brilliant for those that need it.
                                     
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                                    • GreenOaks

                                      GreenOaks Orbital Explorer

                                      Thanks @WilliamZ I've just levelled up to 6 for fishing so just unlocked the bobbers recipe. Will work towards the iridium rod and the bobbers.

                                      Yeah, it's made such a massive difference for me. I just couldn't catch fish at the start with the bamboo pole so lost out massively on early money and it has set me back so the training rod was a really nice addition.

                                      I just caught a Ghostfish in the mines. Are they worth hanging onto? Only got the one - the rest was white and green algae.
                                       
                                        Last edited by a moderator: Mar 13, 2020
                                      • UnexpectedParole

                                        UnexpectedParole Phantasmal Quasar

                                        A ghost fish is required for the specialty fish bundle in the CC.
                                         
                                        • GreenOaks

                                          GreenOaks Orbital Explorer

                                          Thanks! Will drop it off when I'm next passing.
                                           

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