Watch: Equipment and Pools
This 2 and a half minute movie illustrates the guide written below.
Read: Equipment and Pools
1. School of Fish
Most pools (or schools) of fish contain one type of fish. Like ore veins, they are fished empty after a few catches. You must keep on moving to find fresh pools. Pools are normally a quicker way to catch a specific fish than open water: From open water you will catch many different type of fish, so spend more time catching the one you want. However, not all fish can be found in pools, and pools cannot be found in every zone. The picture (left) shows a Bluefish School.
Tips: ((You can tell what type a pool is by mousing-over it and viewing the tooltip.)) You can show fresh pools on your mini-map once you know the Find Fish ability. That is learnt from a Weather-Beaten Journal.
2. Avoid Catching Junk
Your trained personal fishing skill can be increased temporarily using equipment (poles and fishing gear) and lures. Even with the maximum trained fishing skill, you may need to use these to stop catching junk, like Weeds. You will learn precisely how much more skill you need in the next section. In this case, El's trained fishing skill is 375, but 475 is needed to fish in this part of Nagrand without catching junk.
We do not need the special poles, gear and lures described below because we are fishing pools. We need them because the no-junk fishing skill in Nagrand is too high for us.
Tip: The Fish Finder shows what effective fishing skill you need to fish without catching junk.
3. Pole with Fishing Skill Bonus
A basic Fishing Pole is sufficient for most waters, however some poles have bonuses to fishing skill. The example shows Seth's Graphite Fishing Pole, which gives a +20 bonus. This is a level 62+ quest reward, but there are some poles with bonuses available at lower level, such as the +5 bonus Strong Fishing Pole (from most fishing suppliers).
Tip: A full list of poles with fishing bonuses can be found in the equipment chapter.
4. Gear with Fishing Skill Bonus
You can also wear items such as hats and boots that give fishing skill bonuses. These bonuses stack with the pole bonus. Of course you can only wear one hat at a time! The example shows the Lucky Fishing Hat, which gives a +5 bonus. And it sports a wide brim that keeps the rain and sun off.
Tip: Gear with a fishing skill bonus is quite hard to gain. For a complete list of everything available, read the Fishing Gear section of the equipment chapter.
5. Apply Lure
Both fishing gear and poles give a bonus so long as the items are equipped. Lures are consumables: A fresh lure must be applied to your pole every 10 minutes. The skill bonus from lures is far higher than from poles or gear - up to 100. Bonuses from lures stack with poles and gear. Only one lure can be active at a time.
((To apply a lure, open your backpack, right-click on the lure, and then right-click on your pole. Luring takes a few seconds, during which you must not move.))
The example shows a +75 Bright Bauble applied to Seth's Graphite Fishing Pole. El's total effective skill is now 375 (trained) + 20 (pole) + 5 (hat) + 75 (lure) = 475. At skill 475 we can fish in this part of Nagrand without catching junk.
Tips: Some lures are available at low level: Shiny Bauble (+25) can be purchased from fishing suppliers and used at skill 1. The lures section of the equipment chapter list other lures. Skill bonuses are calculated when you cast, so if the lure expires while waiting for the bobber to splash, you do not need to re-lure until after you reel in.
6. Cast so Bobber Lands in Pool
Many pools can be fished without using special poles, gear or lures. This particular pool is an exception, because the skill required to fish is too high for us. The fishing skill required to fish pools is precisely the same as the water the pool is found in.
To fish from a pool, stand a short distance from the pool, feet touching the ground. Turn towards the pools and cast as normal. Watch where the bobber lands. The bobber needs to land visually on or within the surface circle of the pool (highlighted yellow on the picture, left). If the bobber lands outside the pool, immediately re-cast until it lands correctly. If the bobber lands outside the pool and you wait for it to splash, you will catch the fish found in open water, not the pool. As normal, wait for the bobber to splash, then reel in your catch ((click the bobber)).
Tip: There is no way to control precisely where the bobber lands, except to change your position or facing. You will eventually "get a feel" for where to stand to reduce the proportion of casts that miss the pool. (For the curious, Vetchinkin's tests show how bobbers are distributed.)
7. Beyond Fish
Not all pools of fish contain fish. The picture (left) shows a pool of Pure Water... no, really - they contain Mote of Water. Instead of fish, look for a glowing mass of gas on the surface. Floating Wreckage Pools are also common: Look for groups of boxes floating around.
Tip: The Fish Finder contains a full list of the zones different pools can be found in. You may not always be able to find pools - others may fish them faster than they respawn. For a detailed explanation of why, read the Pool Appearance topic.
Excellent! You have mastered the art of fishing pools, and know that lures and gear can help you raise your effective fishing skill. But how much more skill will you need?Learn More
- Equipment - Describes equipment used to bolster your fishing skills and help you fish.
- Pools and Wreckage - This chapter will help you fish among schools and floating debris.
- Also in the Getting Started chapter: Why Fish?, Your First Catch, (Not) Catching Junk, Fishing Skill, Skill and Locations, and FAQ.
