How to Fish
First, you require level 15  in any job before you can start fishing. Equip a fishing rod and bait in your ranged and ammo slots. Then, find a body of water, place yourself at the edge, and type /fish, or choose Fish from the menu. Setting a macro by simply typing /fish into an empty macro slot is also possible.
Unlike other crafts, fishing requires a certain degree of interaction to achieve results. Wait a few seconds for a bite. The fish's stamina bar will appear over your head when a bite comes. Arrows will appear on your left and right. Hit the directional keys or move the controller's toggle within the time limit of the arrow appearance to lower the fish's stamina (its HP bar), stop pressing anything when the fish's stamina hits zero (The fish will not thrash if you aren't pressing anything), and press enter (or confirm) to reel it in. If you continue to press a directional key after the fish's stamina hits zero (the stamina bar will go dark), there is a chance that it could regain a sliver of health and break your line upon attempting to reel it in
Golden arrows
While hooking a fish, there is a chance that the normal arrows will be golden instead during the fishing minigame. Hitting these arrows successfully will drain even more of the fish's stamina.
Activation rate
The default chance is 10%.[1] This cannot be below 5% when penalties are applied and it can only be a whole number rounded down.
Skill level
If the fish's skillcap level is higher than the player's fishing level + 7 then decrease the chance by 1% per difference. For example, if the player has a fishing level of 20 and catches a fish with a skillcap of 30, there is a 3% penalty as 30-(20+7)=3. If the player's fishing skill is within 10 levels of the fish's skillcap to be catchable, then increase the chance by 0.05% per level difference. For example if the player's fishing skill is 40 and the fish's skillcap is 20 then the difference is 20 levels which adds 1%.
Angler's keen senses
If angler's keen senses activates then add +50% to the activation rate.
Moon
The phases of the moon, use /clock to see the current phase, will also add to the activation rate randomly between these ranges with an error of ±1% due to rounding:
- New Moon: 18% - 27%
- Waxing Crescent: 12% - 18%
- First Quarter: 6% - 9%
- Waxing Gibbous: 18% - 27%
- Full Moon: 18% - 27%
- Waning Gibbous: 6% - 9%
- Last Quarter: 6% - 9%
- Waning Crescent: 18% - 27%
Time of day
The time of day also plays a factor:
- Between 6:00 to 7:59: +9%
- Between 8:00 to 15:59: +6%
- Between 16:00 to 18:59: +9%
- Between 19:00 to 5:59: +3%
Rod types
If the rod equipped matches the fish size then add +4%, otherwise if the rod that can catch large fish is used to catch a small fish then add +2% instead. If Lu Shang's Rod is used to catch fish add 6%. If Ebisu is used then add +8%.
Fishing gear
If the player equips any of the following:
Angler's keen senses
When a fish is hooked, there is a chance that angler's keen senses will activate where a lightbulb effect will appear on the player's character and a message will display in the chat log saying which fish has been caught. When this happens, golden arrows will have an added 50% chance to appear.
Activation rate
The base chance for activation is 5%.
When the moon phase is Waning Crescent, add 20% to the base chance.
If the player's fishing level starts to be within 4 levels of the fish's skill cap, then add 2% chance per level difference. For example if the player's fishing level is 20 and the fish's skillcap is 10 there is a 14 level difference (as the player's fishing level is within range at level 6 so 20-6=14) so the bonus is 14*2 which is 28% added chance. To simplify, take -4 to the fish's skillcap, minus the player's fishing skill then multiply by 2. This bonus can never be below 0 or above 70%.
If the player does not start within 4 levels of the fish's skill cap then the activation rate is set to 0% and can never activate.
Ebisu fishing rod
If the player fishes with an Ebisu then add +50 to the level difference during calculation. Using the same example, it becomes a 64 level difference (14+50) and the added chance becomes 128% but the maximum is 70%. This also means that the player only needs to be within 54 levels of the fish's skill cap to get a bonus, rather than 4.
Fishing Tips and Info
- Fishing Pools on HorizonXI respawn at 00:00 , 4:00 , 6:00 , 7:00 , 17:00 , 18:00 and 20:00
- Silver arrow (normal icon) shows which direction depletes your catch's stamina. Gold arrow (special icon) depletes more stamina than silver arrow.
- The likelihood of anglers receiving these golden opportunities depends on factors such as characters' fishing skills, the skill differential between characters and their prey, the phase of the moon, time of day, the affinity of prey for one's rod, moglification, and equipment.
- Bait or lures can be used as fishing tackle. One piece of bait is expended each time you get a bite on the line, regardless of the results (with one exception; see below). Lures can be used indefinitely, but they will disappear from your inventory if you get a line snap or a rod break. The type of rod used also determines how well it can withstand potential lost catches, line snaps, or rod breaks; along with fishing skill. The type of bait used determines what kinds of things will bite on the line.
- Fishing skill ultimately determines the depletion and recovery rates of the stamina bar. A higher fishing skill also reduces the chances that the rod will break, a line will snap, or the catch is lost due to skill, after the stamina bar is diminished. If a fish's skill cap is significantly higher than the player's fishing skill level, it will slowly recover stamina while it's on the hook, without any player input. On the flip side, if the fish's skill cap is significantly lower than the player's fishing skill, it will take minimal effort to drain the stamina bar.
- There appears to be skill "Tiers" to auto depletion and regain of the fishes HP bar. The exact breaking points are unknow at this time.
Unlike other crafts, fishing skill level has far less impact on your actual ability to catch the fish. It is entirely possible to hook and catch fish 50 levels above you, or even more. It will just be increasingly difficult to obtain a fish, the more distant it is from a player's fishing skill level.
- It is very difficult to land fish that are not within 10 skill levels of your combined fishing skill. Gear and support are included in this calculation. Even 1 more fishing skill past 10 can cause "lost due to skill" of 20+%, with each point causing even greater losses. It is very unlikely that 50+skill gaps will allow you to land any fish.
- You only have a limited amount of time to attempt to land your catch. This time varies primarily on the type of rod being used, and in some rarer cases, the bait and potential catch on your line. When you receive the warning "You don't know how much longer you can keep this one on the line..." you have exactly 7 seconds remaining to attempt to land the catch, or it will be automatically lost.
- Time is a serious factor when attempting to catch Gugrusaurus or Lik, the two primary fish needed for the quest Indomitable Spirit. These fish are very strong and are designed to not allow you enough time to weaken and catch them under normal circumstances. In order to catch them you must take other measures that normally aren't required for other fish, such as finding and using the special baits Drill Calamary and Dwarf Pugil along with purchasing the key item Mooching, or finding and using the special Penguin Ring and Albatross Ring.
- When the target's stamina is reduced properly before attempting to catch, the catch rate is usually 100%. However, if the fish is too strong for the rod being used, there is a chance for lost catches, or even line/rod breaks, any of which will result in failure to catch the target. A rod break will cause you to lose your lure or bait and leaves your rod in a broken, unusable state until it is repaired, usually via Woodworking or Alchemy. A line break will only cause the loss of your lure or bait. A lost catch will only cause the loss of bait; lures are retained. It is also possible to get lost catches if you are trying to catch small fish using a rod specifically designed for big fish, such as a Composite Fishing Rod. Even if the catch is not successful, as long as you made an attempt for it and weakened the fish's stamina properly before reeling in, you will still be eligible for skillups (assuming the would-be catch was a high enough level to give you any skillups).
- Most types of unstackable fish will have a tag in its item description, similar to signed items made by HQ crystals, indicating the fish's size in ilms (Im) and weight in ponzes (Pz). These statistics are utilized in Fish Ranking contests. They do not affect the item's performance during synthesis, when eaten as food, or used in any other such manner.
- You may cancel your fishing attempt at any time. You will lose any bait you are using, but not lures, and you will not break your rod.
- It is possible to catch "items", things that are generally classified as neither fish nor monsters, such as Rusty Buckets or logs used in Woodworking. If you hook one of these using bait and successfully catch the item, the bait is retained. Any other result (such as canceling the cast with Esc key) results in losing your bait.
- It is important to note that you will lose bait whether you cancel or fish up a monster when caught. (Needs verification!)
- Items and monsters do not possess a fishing skill cap, and therefore cannot yield skillups upon being caught.
 Fishing bonuses during certain times/moon phase:
- Full Moon Fishing results improve (-4 second on bite rate).
- New Moon Fishing results improve (-4 second on bite rate).
- From 5:00 to 5:59 and 17:00 to 17:59 -1 second to bite rate
Fishing Messages
You will receive two messages upon getting a bite which will indicate the size and type of your potential catch. The first message are as follows:
Small fish: "Something caught the hook!"
Large fish: "Something caught the hook!!!"
Non-fish targets: "You feel something pulling at your line."
Monsters: "Something clamps onto your line ferociously!"
For the second message or your "gut feeling", you will receive one of the following:
- "You have a (good/bad/terrible) feeling about this one!" = The fish is 7 levels or less higher than your skill+gear or you're above its skill cap. The bad/terrible messages seem to only happen if you're below skill cap and indicate a higher chance of your line or rod breaking if you aren't both using a rod that doesn't break to the fish and depleting stamina to zero. You can ignore it if you do both of those.
- "(You're fairly sure you don't/You don't know if you/You're positive you don't) have enough skill to reel this one in." = The fish is 8+ levels above your skill+gear. You can still reel it in until about 30+ above your level, where even if you deplete its stamina, it might cancel out with something along the lines of "your skill is too low to reel this one in".
- "Your keen angler's senses tells you that this is the pull of X." = A critical bite. You get Angler's Discernment, the fish recovers less stamina for incorrect button presses, and most buttons will be gold.
- "This strength... You get the sense that you are on the verge of an epic catch!" = This message typically means a high level legendary fish, but has a rare chance of showing up on lower level fish. It doesn't change anything about catching the fish.
Guild Locations
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Guild Test Items
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Fishing-Related NPCs
The Fishermen's Guilds in Windurst and Selbina are open 3:00 - 18:00. The Fishermen's Guild (Aht Urhgan Whitegate) is open 1:00 - 18:00. The sea routes (Selbina - Mhaura, Al Zahbi - Mhaura and Al Zahbi - Nashmau) are open 1:00 - 23:00.
They are closed for holiday on Lightningsday.
Port Windurst C-8
Selbina H-9
Bibiki Bay H-7
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Aht Urhgan Whitegate H-11
Ferry: Mhaura / Selbina
Ferry: Mhaura / Al Zahbi
Ferry: Al Zahbi / Nashmau
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Guild Point Items
| Points
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Item
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Req. Rank
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Notes
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| 1,500
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Robber Rig
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Novice
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A fishing apparatus comprised of several luminescent hooks. The hooks are designed to latch on to the fish's scales.
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| 30,000
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Frog Fishing
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Novice
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This special technique requires the use of a live fly on your line. It is perfect for catching amphibious prey.
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| 10,000
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Fisherman's Belt
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Apprentice
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A belt that has Enchantment: Fishing Support. Hidden: (-1 second to bite time)
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| 70,000
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Waders
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Journeyman
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A pair of shoes that gives +2 to your Fishing skill.
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| 100,000
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Fisherman's Apron
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Artisan
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An apron that reduces your chances of fishing up items.
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| 95,000
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Serpent Rumors
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Adept
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A compilation of data retrieved from sightings of a giant snake-like beast living in the depths of Vana'diel's waters. There is enough information here to shed light on where you may find it...
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| 115,000
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Mooching
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Veteran
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Mooching is a legendary technique used by anglers across Vana'diel. It involves using live fish as bait to attract those more "finicky" big targets.
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| 150,000
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Fishing Hole Map
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Veteran
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A piece of Furniture that gives Moghancement: Fishing Skill.
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Fish by Level
1-10
| Fish |
Skill Cap |
Location |
Bait |
Rods
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| Phanauet Newt
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4
|
|
|
|
| Cobalt Jellyfish
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5
|
|
|
Will Possibly Break:
|
| Denizanasi
|
5
|
|
|
|
| Crayfish
|
7
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- Al Zahbi
- Bastok Markets (Waterway)
- Bastok Mines (Moat)
- Carpenters' Landing (Central, North, South)
- Dangruf Wadi
- Davoi (Cascade, Ponds)
- Dragon's Aery
- East Ronfaure
- East Sarutabaruta (Pond)
- Eastern Altepa Desert
- Ghelsba Outpost
- Giddeus (Pond, Spring)
- Jugner Forest (Maiden's Spring, Lake Mechieume, Vadout Brook & Tisaret River)
- Korroloka Tunnel (Pond)
- La Theine Plateau
- North Gustaberg (Cascade, River/Ocean)
- Northern San d'Oria
- Oldton Movalpolos
- Ordelle's Caves
- Palborough Mines
- Pashhow Marshlands
- Phanauet Channel (Landing to Landing)
- Port San d'Oria
- Rabao
- Ranguemont Pass
- Rolanberry Fields (Lake, Pond)
- Ro'Maeve
- Tavnazian Safehold
- Temple of Uggalepih
- West Ronfaure (Knightwell, Pond)
- Windurst Walls
- Windurst Waters
- Windurst Woods
- Yuhtunga Jungle (Pond, Underground)
- Zeruhn Mines (Pond, River)
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Will Possibly Break:
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| Bibikibo
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8
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|
|
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| Bastore Sardine
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9
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|
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Will Possibly Break:
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| Hamsi
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9
|
|
|
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11-20
21-30
31-40
41-50
51-60
61-70
71-80
81-90
91-100+
Guides
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