Angler's Ledger
What bites where, and when. Sea or pond, day or night, a patient angler eats well -- and once in a very long while, something looks back up the line.
How fishing works
- The rodA Fishing Rod, 40c from Garrick the Smith -- or the free one left at the very end of the pier (another turns up an hour after it's taken). Keep it in your bags.
- CastingFace the water and use Fishing: click it in your Skills window (P), or drag it onto your action bar and press it. A bar shows the cast counting down, about 20 seconds. Cast again any time to recast.
- The castYour bobber lands on water 4-16 paces ahead that's deep enough -- a little differently every cast. Water at sea level is the sea; lakes, ponds and cave pools are fresh water.
- The biteComes after 4-13 seconds: the bobber plunges with a splash. Click the bobber (either mouse button, or press E) to hook it. You have 1.3 seconds at 0 skill, up to 2.4 at 100.
- Reeling inHooked, you reel it in for a moment -- then it either comes in, or throws the hook. See Will it come in? below.
- Too soon, too slowPull too early and the hook comes clean out. Too late and it gets away (you still learn a little, +0.01).
- Walking offWalk away from the water and the line comes in empty.
- What you learnEach catch teaches more the harder the fish is for you. A fish 25 or more points below your skill teaches nothing -- move on to better water.
The fish
| Fish | Water | Skill | Bites from | When | How common | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mackerel | Sea | 0 | 0 | Any time | Very common | 4c |
| Cod | Sea | 10 | 0 | Any time | Common | 6c |
| Sea Bass | Sea | 25 | 15 | Day | Uncommon | 10c |
| Rockfish | Sea | 25 | 15 | Night | Uncommon | 10c |
| Silverscale Eel | Sea | 45 | 35 | Night | Rare | 18c |
| Golden Snapper | Sea | 70 | 60 | Day | Very rare | 30c |
| Perch | Fresh | 0 | 0 | Any time | Very common | 4c |
| Trout | Fresh | 10 | 0 | Any time | Common | 6c |
| Pike | Fresh | 30 | 20 | Any time | Uncommon | 12c |
| Moonlit Carp | Fresh | 50 | 40 | Night | Rare | 20c |
Skill is what the fish needs. It can start biting up to 10 points before that (Bites from), but only half as often, and it's hard to land -- see below.
Every fish comes up raw. Eat it like that for a little Health -- and a 30% chance of food poisoning -- or take it to a fire (see the Cook's Ledger).
Will it come in?
Once a fish is hooked and reeled in, one roll decides whether it's yours. Junk, bottles and the Kragmor don't fight -- they always come in.
- Your skill against the fish'sAt the fish's skill: 60%. Each point you're above it adds 1.5%, up to 97% at 25 points over. Below it (a fish biting early): from 60% down to 10% at 10 points short.
- DexterityA steady hand: +0.5% for every point of Dexterity over 10, up to +10%. Below 10 costs a little, down to -5%.
- A quick hookClick the splash in the first half of your reaction time: +10%.
- The limitsHowever the numbers fall, never below 5% and never above 99%.
- When it gets away"It throws the hook" -- or, on a fish above your skill, "It snaps your line!" with the skill it needs. You still learn a little.
- What you learnThe colours of crafting: a fish at or just above you teaches the most; well beneath you, almost nothing.
Your chances
| Fish | Water | Needs | Bites? | Lands |
|---|
Not every bite is a fish
Junk
Old Boots, Driftwood and Seaweed from the sea; Old Boots and Pond Weed from fresh water. A new angler lands a lot of it -- the better you get, the less often it bites. Junk always teaches you something.
Message in a Bottle
1.5% of bites, any water. Right-click > Open: often a few coins, sometimes a soggy note, and three times in ten a rare recipe scroll.
The Kragmor
Sea only, about 1 cast in 500. Something big surfaces on your line, stares at you -- !? -- and dives again. You'll never land it, but you'll earn the deed Got hooked on you and the title Captain.