In Depth Fishing Guide

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Disclaimer
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This guide was in no way written or influenced by the BreganDaerthe linkshell. This was copied in its entirety from akirus’ guide located at www.titanictus.com/viewtopic.php?t=752.
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About this Guide
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This guide is an accumulation of everything I have learned about fishing from my own experience and that of other players, and is basically everything I wish someone had told me when I started leveling fishing way back when Final Fantasy XI was first released in North America. Would you believe it if I told you that dinosaurs roamed the earth back then? How about if I told you that a level 1 fisher had to wait an agonizing 14 seconds between casts? Or that a Rusty Cap (not a repaired Padded Cap) sold to vendors for 1656 gil? Or that a mid level fisher with a Lu Shang's Rod could make nearly as much as a level 100 fisher? Or that you could expect as many as 8 "you didn't catch anything" messages in a row? Or that any NPC in the game would gladly pay you over 1000 gil for a Bastore Bream or Black Sole? Or that in nearly 70 levels of fishing I didn't loose a single lure? Or that it used to be possible to fish entirely by sound?

Well it was all true (except for the part about the dinosaurs), but several patches and the last major update have drastically changed fishing, in my opinion for the better. But don't take my word for it, next time you are in Port Windurst stop by and talk to Laughing Lizard by the Fishing Guild. He'll tell you:
Quote:
"Hmph! You dang kids these days ain't got no respect for your elders. Can't you see I'm trying to learn this new fandangled fishin' method? In my day, all we had to do was cast a line and wait for the baby to tug. Why, back then it was so easy. I could catch a fish while I was sleepin'! But now you gotta work for your meal! Let me tell you how it's done..."


Since the update most of the fishing guides and online resources are a little outdated, so I've decided to compile a complete list of what I feel are the best locations and rod/bait combinations for leveling fishing 0-100 depending on whether you want to focus on completing the Lu Shang's Quest, making money, or skilling up as quickly as possible.

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Table of Contents
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I. Why Fish?
II. Fishing Basics
a. How do you Fish?
b. How Can you Tell what Caught the Hook?
c. Summary: What Caught my Hook and What Should I Do?
d. Fishing Tips
e. Fishing Rods
f. Is the Lu Shang's Fishing Rod Really Necessary?
g. Breaking Fishing Rods
h. Is Woodworking Required for Leveling Fishing?
i. Fishing Bait
j. Fishing Gear
k. Fishing for Items/Rusty Items
l. Fishing in Areas with Higher Level Monsters
m. Fishing Fatigue
n. Skill Cap Test Fish
III. The Guide
a. Fishing 0-50 while Catching Moats for the Lu Shang's Quest the Entire Time
b. Fishing 0-50 in the Places that will Skill you up the Fastest
c. The "No Brainer" Fishing Guide 0-50
d. Fishing 50-60
e. Fishing 60-96 for Gil
f. Fishing 60-96 for Skill
g. Fishing 96-100
IV. Fishing Links and Online Resources

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I. Why Fish?
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The main reason to level fishing is that fishing is profitable. But fishing is not the only way to make gil in this game. There are many other profitable crafts like Alchemy, Woodworking, and Goldsmithing, and most of these are a greater source of income in the highest levels than high level fishing. But these crafts also require huge gil investments in order to level them up to the point where they are highly profitable, while fishing merely requires an investment of time. This makes fishing an ideal craft for new players since they start the game with very little gil, but plenty of time.

In addition, with fishing you can actually make significant profits while you skill up, unlike the other crafts in the game in which it's usually best to separate your skillup sessions from your profit sessions. Also, from what I've heard the HQs and failures of other crafts can feel a little like a roller coaster, but fishing is more of a steady climb.

In other words, with fishing you'll never craft a Haubergon +1, but you'll never lose a Damascus Ingot either, and you don't have to dump millions into something before it begins showing returns.

Harvesting, excavation, logging, mining, and farming are also popular ways to make gil, but once you locate the logging/mining/mob spawn points and familiarize yourself with the particular area, you are not guaranteed to make any more profit per hour after your 100th hour harvesting/excavating/logging/mining/farming than you made after your first. But every hour you spend fishing will potentially raise your fishing skill, and a higher fishing skill has the potential to increase your profits per hour. What this means is that every hour you spend fishing can be considered an investment.

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II. Fishing basics
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The last update made fishing a lot more interactive, and as a result a lot of players are interested in giving it a try. This section will cover a lot of the basics for those that are just starting out, as well as provide some more advanced information and strategies.

a. How do you Fish?
In order to fish your character must be facing an unobstructed body of water and have a fishing rod and bait equipped in the ranged and ammo slots. Once these conditions are met you can begin fishing by typing "/fish" or by hitting a fishing macro. The most common fishing macros are:
Code:
/fish This will cast your line
/equip range "Lu Shang's F. Rod" This equips a Lu Shang's as your fishing rod
/equip ammo "Shrimp Lure" This equips a Shrimp Lure as your bait


Once you have cast your line into the water, you will need to wait for the "Something caught the hook!/!!!" message and then attempt to fight your catch until the stamina bar is depleted enough for you to reel it in successfully. It is important to note that in most circumstances it is not worth attempting to reel in a catch until the stamina bar is completely depleted since there is a good chance your line will snap if any stamina remains.

According to the Playonline Update Notes, under the new system once something catches the hook your rod will be pulled sharply to the left or the right. You can deplete the stamina bar of the fish, item, or mob at the other end of your line by pressing the 4 or 6 keys on the numeric pad in the opposite direction of the rod's movement. While the rod is in the neutral position pressing the 4 or 6 keys will actually allow your catch to regain stamina.

However, it seems that there are actually 5 distinct rod positions that correspond to 10 o'clock, 11 o'clock, 12 o'clock, 1 o'clock, and 2 o'clock on the face of an analog clock. The rod may stay in positions 10, 12, or 2 for several seconds, but will only occupy positions 11 or 1 for a moment.

My own experience and that of the other fishers I've talked to seems to indicate that the most effective way to deplete the stamina bar depends on what exactly caught the hook:

-For items, mobs, and fish at or below your level, it is best to hold the 4 or 6 keys down when the rod is in the 10, 11, 1, or 2 positions, while being careful not to press 4 or 6 while the rod is in the neutral position.

-For high level fish or fish that cap significantly higher than your current skill level, it is best to rapidly tap the 4 or 6 keys when the rod is in the 10 or 2 positions, and be sure to stop tapping as soon as the rod moves into the 11, 12, or 1 positions. This minimizes your chances of pressing the 4 or 6 keys at the wrong time and allowing your catch to regain stamina unnecessarily.

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 exactly what type of catch has hooked your line 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.

-If you get a positive message (ie 1, 2, or 3) followed by one exclamation mark (!), then you have hooked an item or a small fish.*
____________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.

-If you get a positive message (ie 1, 2, or 3) followed by three exclamation marks (!!!), then you have hooked a monster or a large fish (message 6 with three exclamation marks is a very good indication that you have hooked a large fish. Also, 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).*
____________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) 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 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.

-If you get a negative message (ie 4, 5, or 6) followed by one exclamation mark (!), then you have hooked an item or a small fish.*
____________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.

-If you get a negative message (ie 4, 5, or 6) followed by three exclamation marks (!!!), then you have hooked a monster or a large fish.*
____________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) 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 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.

*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
three exclamation marks(!!!)__/ pressing any direction keys = monster
\ (RELEASE)
\___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)
___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.

Skillups 0-50
You will notice in the guide that I don't list the Lu Shang's as a recommended rod for any specific target fish or location during these levels. The only reason for this is that I don't really expect anyone to have one that early. But if they did, they should definately use it in place of the other rods since the Lu Shang's is simply the best rod in the game regardless of what fish you are targeting or where you will be fishing. The only time I would not recommend using a Lu Shang's is on the Ferry targting fish capapable of breaking it if you haven't leveled Woodworking to 80+ so that you can repair it. For these levels breaking Composite Rods is generally the best option if you don't have sufficiently leveled Woodworking since there is a good demand for busted Composites from level 80ish Alchemists looking to skill up by repairing them. But again, in all other circumstances at all other levels the Lu Shang's is the rod of choice.

If you do have a Lu Shang's starting from 0 you will have an advantage over the other fishers who don't, but this advantage is fairly slight pre-50. Using a Mithran/Halcyon pre-50 will allow you to get the same bite rate and skillups as a Lu Shang's, though you will have more rod breaks. On the other hand, if you use the Composite Rod pre-50 you will also get the same bite rates and skillups, but you will lose many of your catches to the "too small" message. So all the Lu Shang's really does for you pre-50 is save you money on rod breaks or line snaps, and make you money on catches that would have otherwise been lost to the "too small" message.

Skillups 50-60
Here the advantage of having a Lu Shang's picks up significantly, especially targeting small fish like Bluetail. The Mithran/Halcyon will break on many fish that can be found in the same area as Bluetail, so you won't really want to use it due to the frequent breaks. But the Composite will lose too many of the Bluetail to the "too small" message, so it is not really efficient either. So for some target fish during this stretch you will need a rod with both a great catch rate for small fish and great durability for large fish, and again the Lu Shang's is the only rod in the game that fits this description. Still, during this stretch there are other target fish that will skill you up like Shall Shells or Red Terrapin that you can catch with the Mithran/Halcyon in areas where breaks are rare, so you can kind of get away with not having a Lu Shang's in the early 50s though it isn't ideal. And in the later 50s you can breakfish for skillups on the Ferry using Willows, so here again you can get away with not having a Lu Shang's, but you will be at a slight disadvantage during these levels since you won't be able to target the optimal skillup fish in the best areas given how many rods you will break or what a large percentage of your catches you will lose to the "too small" message.

Skillups 60+
A Lu Shang's will pretty much feel required in terms of skillups after 60. In almost every area you will fish for skillups you will be targeting both small fish that the Composite will not be able to land frequently and large fish that will snap the Mithran/Halcyon very frequently. Quifim Island South fishing for Black Sole and Three-eyed Fish is a great example. You will lose all but a few of the Black Sole to the "too small" message if you fish with the Composite, and you will lose all but a few of the Three-eyed Fish to rod breaks if you use a Mithran/Halcyon. And unfortunately at this level there are not many alternative locations or rod/bait combinations that will get you by without a Lu Shang's like there were in the earlier levels. You can still technically continue to level losing catches or breaking rods every other cast, but it will stop being worth it pretty quickly. If you enjoy fishing and plan on taking it past 60 you will pretty much end up with a Lu Shang's somehow. Getting the Lu Shang's may seem like a hassle, but after a certain point fishing without one is just as big a hassle.

Profits 60+
In my experience the most profitable fishing spots in the game require both a relatively high fishing skill and a Lu Shang's Fishing Rod. Two examples are Sea Serpent Grotto and Qufim Island.

In Sea Serpent Grotto you will be targeting Nebimonites, Bastore Bream, and Grimmonite for profit, along with a few items. Nebs and Bream are small fish, which means if you try fishing here with a Composite you will lose too many of your catches to the "too small" message to take full advantage of your profit potential since the Composite is a big fish rod. But if you use the Mithran/Halcyon rods you will end up losing too many of your catches to rod breaks from Grimmonites since Grims are big fish. What this means is that in order to take full advantage of the profit potential of Sea Serpent Grotto, you need a rod that both excels at catching small fish and is durable enough not to break frequently on big fish, and again, the Lu Shang's is the only rod in the game that fits this description.

And in Qufim you will be targeting Gigant Squid and Black Sole or Three-eyed Fish and Black Sole for profit. Gigant Squid and Three-eyed Fish are large fish, which means if you use the Mithran/Halcyon you will either end up releasing them all or breaking your rod every time you try to reel them in, and Black Sole are still technically small fish, but they behave like big fish in that they break most of the small fishing rods in the game. What this means is that if you use the Mithran/Halcyon Rod you will most likely lose too many of your catches to rod breaks to be efficient, while if you use the Composite Rod you will most likely lose too many of your catches to the "too small" message. So here again a Lu Shang's is pretty much required if you want to take full advantage of the profit potential of Qufim Island.

If you don't have a Lu Shang's at your disposal then you can consider Moat Carp, Nebimonite, Shall Shells, and Noble Lady for profit, but unfortunately you will not be able make nearly as much as a fisher with a Lu Shang's. The Lu Shang's Quest requires a huge investment of both time and gil, but it definately pays off in the long run if you have the patience to stick it out.

Again, you can still technically continue to level or make gil losing catches or breaking rods every other cast, but it will stop being worth it pretty quickly. It's not really a question of can you continue making profit/skilling up swapping between the Halcyon and Composite or trying to use other rods, but a question of will you be willing to. I would know, I tried to continue fishing for quite some time instead of completing this quest, and it came down to a decision between getting the Lu Shang's Rod or quitting fishing. I went with the first choice and never looked back.

g. Breaking Fishing Rods
While most fishers generally try to avoid rod breaks, broken fishing rods are used in several Woodworking and Alchemy synths, which means many crafters will actually try to break fishing rods on purpose in order to level their craft by repairing them.

However, under the new fishing system, rods are generally significantly more difficult to break.

Before the last major fishing update all you had to do to snap a Composite Fishing Rod, for example, was hook a fish capapble of breaking it and hit enter. Though the Composite Rod is the second most durable rod in the game, many Alchemists could hook fish capapable of snapping it on the Ferry fairly consistently, even with a very low fishing skill.

However, under the current system, pressing enter before the stamina bar is completely depleted will merely snap your line 99% of the time. This means that in order to break a Composite Rod you now have to not only hook a fish capable of breaking it, but have a high enough fishing skill to completely deplete that fish's stamina.

In addition, according to the patch notes provided by SE, "the durability of wooden fishing rods designed for catching small fish has been substantially increased", making them a little harder to snap as well.

However, there are still many items in the game that are capable of snapping several fishing rods, and since your fishing skill is not taken into consideration when catching items, leveling Woodworking and Alchemy by breaking and repairing rods yourself can still be a viable alternative to more expensive synths, even for players with 0 fishing skill. Unfortunately, there are currently no items in the game that are heavy enough to break the Composite or Lu Shang's fishing rods, so if you decide to level Alchemy or Woodworking by repairing them you will need to find a fisherman on your server with a moderately high fishing skill and offer to supply them with rods or bait in exchange for breaking the rods. Since you can still get skillups on rod breaks, chances are you might be able to find a fisher who could get skillups targeting the fish that will break the specific rod you are looking to repair, and so you can actually set up an arrangement that will be mutually beneficial. For example, If you are a level ~80 Alchemist looking to skill up by repairing broken Composite Rods, you should be able to find a level ~80 Fisher who could get skillups targeting Ryugu Titan and Titanictus on the Ferry with a Composite Rod and Meatballs, and both of these fish are capable of breaking the Composite. If you bring about 5-10 Composite Rods and several stacks of Meatballs and head out to the Ferry, the Fisher could keep casting and trade you the broken Composite Rods a few at a time, while you trade him the repaired rods at the same time. This way the Fisher could be fishing and you could be synthing pretty much the entire time, and both of you would be getting consistent skillups.

Below is a list of the synthetic and wooden fishing rods that can be repaired with Alchemy or Woodworking, the level cap of the repair synth, and what is in my opinion the easiest way to break them depending on whether you have moderately high fishing skill, or no fishing skill whatsoever.

Zero Fishing Skill
Code:
Willow Fishing Rod Woodworking 10
Bamboo Fishing Rod Woodworking 15
Yew Fishing Rod Woodworking 20
Glass Fiber Fishing Rod Alchemy 25
Carbon Fishing Rod Alchemy 49
Fastwater Fishing Rod Woodworking 52
Tarutaru Fishing Rod Woodworking 63
Single Hook Fishing Rod Alchemy 69
Hume Fishing Rod Woodworking 72
Clothespole Woodworking 73

The fastest way to break the rods listed above with zero fishing skill is to fish in the small ponds at G-6, H-6, or I-6 all the way in the back basement of Gusgen Mines with Meatballs (which you can purchase from the Fisherman's Guild at C-8 in Port Windurst for ~52 gil each).
Code:
Halcyon Rod Alchemy 72
Mithran Fishing Rod Woodworking 83

The fastest way to break the rods listed above with zero fishing skill is to fish at the small greenish ponds at I-9 in the Labyrinth of Onzozo with Little Worms (which can be purchased for about 4 gil from any of the merchants listed here), or Peeled Crayfish (which can be purchased from the Fisherman's Guild at C-8 in Port Windurst).

NOTE: If you are planning on breaking fishing rods with zero fishing skill, I highly recommend placing Rusty Buckets or Commodes in your Moghouse in order to obtain Moghancement: Fishing, which increases your chances of catching items.

Moderate/High Fishing Skill
Code:
Willow Fishing Rod Woodworking 10
Bamboo Fishing Rod Woodworking 15
Yew Fishing Rod Woodworking 20
Glass Fiber Fishing Rod Alchemy 25
Carbon Fishing Rod Alchemy 49
Fastwater Fishing Rod Woodworking 52
Tarutaru Fishing Rod Woodworking 63
Single Hook Fishing Rod Alchemy 69
Hume Fishing Rod Woodworking 72
Halcyon Rod Alchemy 72
Clothespole Woodworking 73
Mithran Fishing Rod Woodworking 83

The fastest way to break the rods listed above with moderate/high fishing skill is to fish from the cliffs at H-9 in Qufim Island South with Sliced Cod (which you can purchase on the auction house or synth yourself with only 13 cooking skill and a Wind Crystal by catching Tiger Cod in Qufim Island South with the Shrimp Lure).
Code:
Lu Shang's Fishing Rod Woodworking 80
Composite Fishing Rod Alchemy 85

The easiest way to break the Lu Shang's or the Composite with moderate/high fishing skill is to fish from the Selbina -> Mhaura Ferry with Meatballs (which can be purchased from the Fisherman's Guild at C-8 in Port Windurst for ~52 gil). It should be noted that Ryugu Titan are currently the only non-Ebisu fish on the Ferry capable of snapping the Lu Shang's, but unfortunately most fishers are unable to land them consistently until they reach the late 70s to early 80s.

h. Is Woodworking Required for High Level Fishing?
Before the major fishing update, most higher level fishermen also had high level Woodworking, mainly so that they could repair their Lu Shang's Fishing Rod in case they broke it accidentally while fishing on the Ferry. And believe it or not, back then accidentally breaking your Lu Shang's was a relatively frequent occurrence. It is important to remember that under the old system, there were no single vs tripple exclamation marks, no fishing instinct messages, no rod movement, no stamina depletion rate. In fact, under the old system the only way to distinguish small fish and items from large fish and monsters was to study your character's sweat levels when something caught your hook. But unfortunately, all large unstackable fish in the game resulted in the same exact sweat level. What this meant is that it was literally impossible to distinguish the large unstackable fish on the Ferry that are not capable of snapping the Lu Shang's (like Gugru Tuna, Bhefhel Marlin, Titanictus, and Sea Zombie) from Ryugu Titan, which break the Lu Shang's frequently. Also, under the old system you didn't have to wear your catches down before reeling them in, all you had to do was hit enter, which meant even very low level fishers could land Ryugu Titans and break the Lu Shang's frequently, while under the current system most fishers are unable to catch Ryugu Titans consistently until they reach the late 70s/early 80s.

Basically, under the old system, if you were fishing on the Ferry with the Frog Lure, Meatballs, the Minnow, Peeled Lobster, Rotten Meat, the Shrimp Lure, the Sinking Minnow, Slice of Bluetail, or Sliced Sardine and hooked a fish that resulted in "large sweat", there was literally no way of knowing if you had a Ryugu Titan, which could easily snap your Lu Shang's, or any one of the other harmless fish that couldn't break your rod on the other end of the line without gritting your teeth, rolling the dice, and hitting enter. Sometimes you would discover you had actually hooked a Gugru Tuna, Bhefhel Marlin, Titanictus, or Sea Zombie and were safe, sometimes you would get lucky and bring in a Ryugu without snapping your rod, but frequently you would cross your fingers and hope you had hooked a harmless fish, only to watch the top half of your rod go flying off into the big blue yonder, and there was nothing you could do about it.

I just have to say that I hope new fishers appreciate the new fishing system...back when I started there was virtually no way to tell for certain what you had on the other end of your line, but the major fishing update has introduced an element of skill in terms of recognizing what has caught your hook in order to avoid monsters, rod breaks, line snaps, or worthless fish, that simply didn't exist before. Under the current system, fish that could potentially snap your rod are easily recognized and avoided, and as a result, Woodworking is by no means necessary for leveling fishing.

And as far as I'm concerned, the optimal fishing path involves catching small fish with the Halcyon (which is a synthetic rod) until the mid 50s while avoiding the large unstackable fish and heavy items that could break it, and then switching to the Lu Shang's sometime in the late 50s, earlier if possible. What this means is that under the current system, the only real reason to level Woodworking is so that you will be able to repair your Lu Shang's Fishing Rod.

But basically there are (currently) only 7 fish in the game capable of breaking the Lu Shang's, all of which are easily recognized and avoided, and you can still make a great profit and skill up to 100 without catching any of them. So under the current system, the only reason you will need 80ish Woodworking as a fisher is if you plan on regularly targeting one of the following fish:

-Ryugu Titan
Of all the fish that can break the Lu Shang's, these are the ones that are most likely to make you feel like you are "missing out" on something by not having sufficiently leveled Woodworking since they sell for a relatively good profit on most servers (roughly 20k-40k each), and since there is a small chance Zaldon will find a Mercurial Sword (which sells for 1.5 mil to 5 mil depending on server) when gutting them. It is important to realize that these fish are extremely difficult to reel in for most fishers until the late 70s/early 80s, and the chance of actually getting the Mercurial Sword is very small.

-Giant Chirai
There is very little use for this fish other than putting it up in your Bazaar (which is what I did), or turning it into Zaldon since there is a small chance he will find a Twinthread when gutting them. Giant Chirai are not used in any recipes that I'm aware of, and there is virtually no market for them on any auction house as far as I've seen. From my own experience and from what I've heard from other fishers, these break the Lu Shang's only very rarely.

-Cave Cherax
These are used in the Indomitable Spirit Quest for the Ebisu Fishing Rod. Huckster wrote a great walkthrough of the quest that you can check out here. I've had a couple of these in my bazaar for a week or two that I've been trying to sell at 5k each. So far no bites. As with Giant Chirai, these break the Lu Shang's very rarely (I've heard estimates at as little as 1 in 100 with high level fishing skill).

-Titanic Sawfish
Another trophy fish that looks good in your bazaar, but unfortunately you can only catch these on the Manaclipper, and the window is only about 5 minutes out of a 25+ minute ride. They are used in only one recipe I know of, The Big One, a furnishing that grants the same Moghancement: Fishing Skill as the Fishing Hole Map (obtainable with 150,000 Guild Points). The Big One currently sells for ~500k on Shiva.

-Tricorn
This one is an absolute pain to catch from what I've heard, and requires the Key Item: Frog Fishing, which is otherwise a complete waste of Guild Points.

-Lik
Also used in the Ebisu Quest, the Lik is allegedly the hardest fish in the game to reel in. There are many 100+ fishers I've heard from that still haven't managed to land a single Lik despite hours of trying. This fish requires the Key Item: Serpent Rumors, and only bites on Dwarf Pugil, a rare/ex bait obtained by gutting Cave Cherax.

-Gugrusaurus
Another fish used in the Ebisu Quest, the Gugrusaurus requires the Key Item: Serpent Rumors, and only bites during pirate attacks on the ferry on Drill Calamary, a rare/ex bait obtained by gutting Sea Zombie.

Thats it. Only go through the trouble of leveling Woodworing if you are committed to completing the Ebisu Quest, or really want to catch one of the above fish regularly. Otherwise it is probably not worth your time, especially considering Irmilant at G-7 in Rabao will repair your Lu Shang's for you if you bring him two Light Crystals and a piece of Ancient Lumber should you happen to break it accidentally.

Otherwise, there is still a great profit to be made in Qufim, Sea Serpent Grotto, or Den of Rancor catching fish that cannot snap the Lu Shang's, and you can always cap out at 100 skill catching Armored Pisces, Titanictus, Sea Zombie, or Takitaro without having to worry about breaks.

i. Fishing Bait
Bait and location determine what exactly will catch your hook, while the fishing rod you are using, your current fishing skill level, and your reflexes determine whether or not you will actually be able to successfully reel it in.

Fishing Bait can be synthesized, obtained from certain mobs, and purchased on the Auction House or from various NPCs. There are three distinct types of bait for you to choose from based on which fish you decide to target and which area you will be fishing in: 1. Live Bait, 2. Lures, and 3. Rigs.

1. Live Bait (examples: Insect Paste, Sliced Cod, Little Worm)
Pre-update using Live Bait usually resulted in a better bite rate (ie more bites from fish in the same amount of time) compared to using Lures or Rigs. While this is still true to some degree, ever since the update fish seem willing to bite on just about anything, and they bite very frequently. The one major disadvantage of using Live Bait is that an entire fishing session worth of bait takes up a lot of inventory space, and if you decide to fish in a remote area it is possible that you could run out of bait early and be forced to stop fishing and return to a town to restock.

2. Lures (examples: Shrimp Lure, Sinking Minnow, Fly Lure)
The major advantage of using a Lure is that they take up very little inventory space, and you don't have to worry about running out of bait while using them, provided you know what you're doing and are comfortable with the new fishing system. Pre-update Live Bait usually offered a better bite rate than Lures (with a few notable exceptions such as the Shrimp Lure in Sea Serpent Grotto or Quifim Island, or the Minnow on the Ferry), but now most Lures offer competitive bite rates regardless of what you are targeting or where exactly you are fishing. Currently the major drawback of using Lures is that they can be very expensive, and under the new system you have a fairly high chance of losing your Lure to a line snap even on a low level fish if you hit Enter before completely depleting the stamina bar. If you decide to fish with a Lure it is most likely best to play it safe and only hit Enter when the stamina bar is completely depleted, and if you are unable to wear your catch down entirely you should consider hitting the Esc key, which allows you to give up and reel in your line, saving your Lure. However, you still run the risk of losing your Lure to line snaps (even when the stamina bar is completely depleted) while using certain rods to target fish that cap significantly higher than your current fishing skill or heavy items like Coral Fragments.

3. Rigs (examples: Rogue Rig, Robber Rig, Sabiki Rig)
While the Rogue Rig is technically capable of catching most fish, it is actually much better at catching items like Rusty Caps and semi-item fish like Shall Shells. The Robber Rig is similar to the Rogue Rig in that it seems to specialize in landing items, though it has a slightly better chance to land fish than the Rogue. The Sabiki Rig is something of an exception since it lands certain fish fairly regularly, and is even capable of pulling up several fish at the same time. As with Lures, the major drawback of using Rigs under the current system is that they are expensive and can be easily lost even to low level fish if you are not paying attention or attempt to reel in whatever caught your hook before the stamina bar is completely depleted.

j. Fishing Gear and Fishing Key Items
In addition to the basic rods and bait, there are several pieces of fishing gear and a few key items available through crafting, the Auction House, or the Fishing Guild that can improve your fishing results.

Standard Fishing Gear
The standard fishing gear offers +4 Fishing Skill total and is available to level 1 players with 0 Fishing Skill. It is divided into four pieces that are worn in the body, hands, legs, and feet slots:

-Fisherman's Tunica
Def: 2, Fishing Skill +1
-Fisherman's Gloves
Def: 1, Fishing Skill +1
-Fisherman's Hose
Def: 1, Fishing Skill +1
-Fisherman's Boots
Def: 1, Fishing Skill +1

This +Fishing Skill increases your operative Fishing Skill, not your actual Fishing Skill. What this means is that if you are a level 50 fisher targeting Shall Shells (which cap at 53) with the full set of fishing gear, you will catch them as if you were a 54 fisher, but can still get skill ups since your actual Fishing Skill is still 50.

There is also a HQ version available called the Angler's set, which offers additional Def and has a level 15 requirement. This HQ version offers no additional Fishing Skill.

III. The Guide:
There is no one "best" way to level fishing from 0-100. But what I have tried to do with this guide is provide you with what I feel are the best suggestions in terms of location and rod/bait combinations that will allow you to level up fishing depending on whether you decide to focus on completing the Lu Shang's Quest, making money, or skilling up as quickly as possible. Yes there are other options, and I encourage you to research them at each stage of your fishing career, but I feel that the suggestions below represent the best choices out of all the alternatives based on my own experiences and that of other fishers.

Please note that I don't really like recommending one specific rod, bait, and location for any single fish since much of the enjoyment of fishing comes from heading out to all the different areas and experimenting with rod/bait combinations yourself, but I will try to indicate what has seemed to work out best for me personally.

Basically I would recommend that you try to learn the basics about the rods and bait in the game as early as possible in your fishing career so that you can begin to make educated decisions for yourself regarding which rod/bait to use for a specific fish. Recommendations from fellow fishers are always great, but eventually you will find that your final decision should be based on your own fishing experience, and if you lack experience the easiest way to get it is to head out to the various locations with a few different rods/bait and try things out for yourself.

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Key
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Target Fish: Fish Name (Optimal Skill Level/Skill Cap)
Recommended Locations/Bait, Rod may break in these locations
comments

a. Fishing 0-50 while Catching Moats for the Lu Shang's Quest the Entire Time
Quite some time ago I decided as a level 51 fisher that it would be a good idea for me to target Shall Shells with a Composite Fishing Rod for skillups and profit. So I headed out to Buburimu Peninsula with my Rogue Rig and tried fishing from the cliffs. After 5 "You lost your catch. Whatever caught the hook was too small to catch with this rod" messages in a row, it occured to me that I had officially hit the level 50+ fishing wall. I thought about my options for a while and realized that every fish I could target for gil or skill seemed to require a Lu Shang's Rod in order to be caught with any kind of regularity. So I was forced to take a temporary vacation from leveling my job or raising my fishing skill until I completed the Lu Shang's Quest, and when I was about 3/4 of the way done I was about ready to commit gob assisted suicide for having put this off for so long.

So I decided to write this section of the guide for those of you who intend to take fishing past level 50+, but are smart enough not to avoid the Lu Shang's Quest as long as I did.

This section of the guide basically provides you with locations and rod/bait combinations that will allow you to get consistent skill ups by targeting specific fish, while catching Carp that you can turn in for the Lu Shang's at the same time. Ideally if you plan ahead and begin collecting Carp early, by the time you hit level 50 you should have the majority, if not all, of the fish you need to get your Lu Shang's. As far as I can tell this is the easiest way to complete this very difficult quest.

I will attempt to provide several alternate areas for different level fishers.

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Level 0-11
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Target Fish: Crayfish (0/7), Moat Carp (0/11)
Location: Bastok Markets (Waterway), Eastern Altepa Desert, Jugner Forest (Lake/River), Korroloka Tunnel (Pond), La Theine Plateau, North San d'Oria, Rabao, Rolanberry Fields (Pond), West Ronfaure, West Ronfaure (Knightwell), West Saratubaruta (Pond), Windurst (Walls/Waters/Woods), Yhoator Jungle (Underground), Zeruhn Mines (River)
Rod: Carbon, Clothespole, Composite, Fastwater, Glass Fiber, Halcyon, Hume, Mithran, Single Hook, Tarutaru, Willow, Yew
Bait: Little Worm, Robber Rig, Rogue Rig
Outdoor areas yield better Carp rates than cities, but at the increased risk of broken poles and caught monsters. Knightwell is my personal favorite for this stretch with good bite rates and easy access to Little Worms (purchased from Lusiane at F-8 in South San d'Oria), as well as quick Moat Carp turn ins. Tricolored Carp, Gold Carp, and Giant Catfish can break Carbon/Hume Rods, so you will most likely be better off using the Mithran/Halcyon in certain areas, but be aware that the occasional Arrowhead Log in Jugner Forest, West Ronfaure, or the jungles could snap it. If you are concerned about rod breaks use the Composite. You should also be aware that fishing in higher level zones usually means that you can catch higher level monsters. For example, you can catch mobs that range up to level 53 in Yhoator Jungle, 51 in Eastern Altepa Desert, 37 in Korroloka Tunnel Pond, and 36 in Rolanberry Fields, so plan on Sneak/Stamina Fishing in these locations if monsters in this level range pose a serious threat. In all other outdoor areas the fishable mobs are under level 30. Once you reach level 7 fishing skill, you should consider switching from Little Worms to Insect Balls in order to isolate Moat Carp.

Favorite Setup: Hume Rod + Little Worm at Knightwell (G-10) in West Ronfaure cancelling all catches followed by three exclamation marks (!!!) since they are either Arrowwood Logs or monsters. At level 7 fishing skill switch to Insect Balls.

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Level 11-21
=======================
Target Fish: Forest Carp (15/21)
Location: Yhoator Jungle (Underground), Yuhtunga Jungle (Pond/Underground)
Rod: Carbon, Composite, Halcyon, Hume, Mithran
Bait: Little Worm, Insect Ball
Now that both Moat Carp and Forest Carp can be turned in for the Lu Shang's, using Insect Balls in these jungle locations means that every fish you catch can be turned in for this quest. However, several fishers have reported that Forest Carp can be extremely difficult to land consistently, so if you have trouble bringing them in you might want to consider one of the alternative locations for this stretch. Forest Carp can snap Carbon/Hume Rods, and you will most likely lose a large percentage of your catches to the "too small" message when using the Composite, so the Mithran/Halcyon is your best bet here. You can catch monsters ranging up to level 55 in the jungles, so plan accordingly.

Favorite Setup: Halcyon Rod + Insect Balls at the underground ponds in Yhoator Jungle cancelling all catches followed by three exclamation marks (!!!) since they are either Arrowwood Logs or monsters.

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Level 11-33
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Target Fish: Tricolored Carp (12/27), Dark Bass (18/33), Gold Carp (41/56)
Location: Davoi (Pond), Jugner Forest (Lake)
Rod: Carbon, Clothespole, Composite, Fastwater, Glass Fiber, Halcyon, Hume, Mithran, Single Hook, Tarutaru, Willow, Yew
Bait: Little Worm, Insect Ball, Robber Rig, Rogue Rig
By far one of the best fishing locations in the game, the lake in Jugner Forest is very active, offers frequent bites, and allows you to target multiple fish for fast skillups. Using Little Worms is your cheapest option in terms of bait, but you will also catch many Crayfish. Use Insect Balls for better Moat Carp bite rates if you are willing to shell out some additional gil or can craft them yourself. Gold Carps will be rare, but are still catchable even 23-45 levels under the cap. Here again Tricolored Carp and Gold Carp can break Carbon/Hume Rods, so you will most likely be better off using the Mithran/Halcyon, but be aware that the occasional Arrowhead Log in Jugner Forest could snap it. If you are concerned about rod breaks, use the Composite. Monsters range up to level 47 in Davoi, but only 29 in Jugner.

Favorite Setup: Halcyon Rod + Insect Balls at Lake Mechieume (H-5) in Jugner Forest cancelling all catches followed by three exclamation marks (!!!) since they are either Arrowwood Logs or monsters.

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Level 33-47
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Target Fish: Black Eel (32/47), Gold Carp (41/56, Bastok Markets only)
Location: Bastok Markets (Storage of Water), Korroloka Tunnel (Pond), Zeruhn Mines (River).
Rod: Carbon, Halcyon, Hume, Composite, Mithran
Bait: Little Worm, Rogue Rig
Things will slow down here again, but fortunately Black Eels sell fairly well on the Auction House if someone happens to be leveling cooking by synthing Eel Kabobs. Black Eel bite a little less often in Bastok Markets (Storage of Water), but you will also land Gold Carp here so it evens out a little. Carbon/Hume Rods break on Black Eels, so the Mithran/Halcyon is the best option, and you don't have to worry about Arrowhead Logs in any of these locations, though Coral Fragments could break a Mithran/Halcyon in Korroloka Tunnel. If you are concerned about rod breaks, use the Composite. You won't catch monsters in Bastok Markets or Zeruhn Mines, but the monsters in Korroloka Tunnel range up to level 37.

Favorite Setup: Halcyon Rod + Little Worm at the river (H-7) in Zeruhn Mines cancelling all catches followed by three exclamation marks (!!!) since they are Giant Catfish.

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Level 47-50
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Target Fish: Sandfish (35/50)
Location: Eastern Altepa Desert, Korroloka Tunnel (Pond), Rabao, Western Altepa Desert
Rod: Carbon, Composite, Glass Fiber, Halcyon, Hume, Mithran
Bait: Little Worm, Insect Ball
Rabao is simply not what it used to be, but the Oasis of Garidav located by the outpost in Eastern Altepa Desert is almost as good, and remains one of the best Moat Carp spots in the game. It may also be possible to catch Monke-Onke (36/51) and Giant Donko (34/49) in some of these locations, but there is still some debate over what exactly they bite on. Using a Carbon/Hume or Mithran/Halcyon is relatively safe in Eastern Altepa Desert since Giant Donko do not bite very often, though they are capable of snapping either rod. In Rabao the only thing that will break the Carbon/Hume Rod is 100 gil, which is a very rare catch. If you are using Little Worms in Korroloka Tunnel Pond you could catch Black Eel, which can snap the Carbon/Hume. Rusty Subligar can also break the Carbon/Hume here, and Coral Fragments can snap a Mithran/Halcyon, and if you use Little Worms in Western Altepa Desert you could loose your Carbon/Hume Rod to Giant Catfish. As far as monsters are concerned, in Eastern Altepa Desert you can fish up monsters as high as level 51, and the oasis is surrounded by gobs that could still aggro a level 55+, so plan accordingly. In Western Altepa Desert you can land monsters ranging all the way up to level 58, so fishers with lower level main jobs should consider Sneak/Stamina Fishing or should think about trying their luck elsewhere.

Favorite Setup: Hume Rod + Insect Balls at the Oasis of Garidav (F-9) in Eastern Altepa Desert cancelling all catches followed by three exclamation marks (!!!) since they are monsters.

By the time you hit 50 you will hopefully have the majority of Carp you need to finish the Lu Shang's Quest. If you are still a little short, you can either fish exclusively for Moat Carp at the eastern pond in Rolanberry or the oasis in Eastern Altepa Desert, which are in my opinion the two best Carp locations in the game (although some recommend Rabao, the small ponds by the Valkurm Dunes entrance in La Theine Plateau, and some of the ponds in Korroloka Tunnel on the north map south of the Western Altepa Desert exit near the giant clam), or you can continue fishing for skill and Moat Carp by heading to Windurst Walls/Waters/Woods with a Mithran/Halcyon or Composite and Insect Balls, which will allow you to target Moats and Gold Carp that will skill you up to level 56.

b. Fishing 0-50 in the Places that will Skill you up the Fastest
I strongly recommend starting the Lu Shang's Quest as early on in your fishing career as possible, I certainly wish I had. But unfortunately there are many fishing spots that will skill you up faster than the locations where you can catch Moat Carp for your Lu Shang's. The key to leveling fishing quickly at this stage is finding the right locations and rod/bait combinations that will allow you to target several fish that are each capable of skilling you up. A fishing spot with five target fish capable of skilling you up, for example, will help you raise your skill faster than if you fished in an area with only two target fish capable of skilling you up.

Here are the areas and rod/bait combinations that I would suggest if you are trying to skill up to 50 as quickly as possible. There are many alternatives for each level listed below due to the large number of target fish capable of skilling you up, but these options do thin out a little as your fishing level increases. Again, there are even more alternatives available that aren't listed below, so feel free to try them out, but in my opinion these are the best options.

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Level 0-11
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Target Fish: Crayfish (0/7), Moat Carp (0/11)
Location: Bastok Markets (Waterway), Eastern Altepa Desert, Jugner Forest (Lake/River), Korroloka Tunnel (Pond), La Theine Plateau, North San d'Oria, Rabao, Rolanberry Fields (Pond), West Ronfaure, West Ronfaure (Knightwell), West Saratubaruta (Pond), Windurst (Walls/Waters/Woods), Yhoator Jungle (Underground), Zeruhn Mines (River)
Rod: Carbon, Clothespole, Composite, Fastwater, Glass Fiber, Halcyon, Hume, Mithran, Single Hook, Tarutaru, Willow, Yew
Bait: Little Worm, Robber Rig, Rogue Rig
Outdoor areas yield better Carp rates than cities, but at the increased risk of broken poles and caught monsters. Knightwell is my personal favorite for this stretch with good bite rates and easy access to Little Worms (purchased from Lusiane at F-8 in South San d'Oria), as well as quick Moat Carp turn ins. Tricolored Carp, Gold Carp, and Giant Catfish can break Carbon/Hume Rods, so you will most likely be better off using the Mithran/Halcyon, but be aware that the occasional Arrowhead Log in Jugner Forest, West Ronfaure, or the jungles could snap it. If you are concerned about rod breaks use the Composite. Be aware that fishing in higher level zones usually means that you can catch higher level monsters. You can catch mobs that range up to level 53 in Yhoator Jungle, 51 in Eastern Altepa Desert, 37 in Korroloka Tunnel Pond, and 36 in Rolanberry Fields, so plan on Sneak/Stamina Fishing in these locations if monsters in this level range pose a serious threat. In all other outdoor areas the fishable mobs are under level 30. Once you reach level 7 fishing skill, you should consider switching from Little Worms to Insect Balls in order to isolate Moat Carp.

Favorite Setup: Hume Rod + Little Worm at Knightwell (G-10) in West Ronfaure cancelling all catches followed by three exclamation marks (!!!) since they are either Arrowwood Logs or monsters. At level 7 fishing skill switch to Insect Balls.

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Level 11-17
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Target Fish: Yellow Globe (2/17), Cone Calamary (33/48)
Location: Qufim Island (North)
Rod: Bamboo, Carbon, Clothespole, Composite, Fastwater, Glass Fiber, Halcyon, Hume, Mithran, Single Hook, Tarutaru, Willow, Yew
Bait: Sabiki Rig
Both Yellow Globe and Cone Calamary sell for a decent profit on most servers since they are used in popular Alchemy and Cooking recipes, and using the Sabiki Rig (which can be purchased from the Fishing Guild at C-8 in Port Windurst for about ~$2,394 gil) to target them will actually allow you to catch multiple fish at the same time, which can increase your profits and how often you get skillups. Unfortunately, Qufim Island North can be a pretty dangerous place for lower level fishers, especially at night or during lightning storms when elementals tend to hang around the cliffs. Catchable mobs in Qufim range up to level 40, so plan accordingly.

Favorite Setup: Halcyon Rod + Sabiki Rig at the cliffs (G-6) in Qufim Island North cancelling all catches followed by three exclamation marks (!!!) since they are monsters.

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Level 11-19
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Target Fish: Quus (4/19)
Location: Bibiki Bay (Purgonorgo Isle), Den of Rancor, East/West Sarutabaruta (Sea), Ferry (Normal), Ferry (Pirates), Kazham, Korroloka Tunnel (Pond/River), Lower Jeuno, Manaclipper (Dhamel Rock), Manaclipper (Dhamal Rock/Maliyakaleya Reef), Norg, Port Bastok, Port Windurst, Sea Serpent Grotto (Lake), Selbina, South Gustaberg, Valkurm Dunes
Rod: Bamboo, Carbon, Clothespole, Composite, Fastwater, Glass Fiber, Halcyon, Hume, Mithran, Single Hook, Tarutaru, Willow, Yew
Bait: Lugworm, Sabiki Rig
Quus bite frequently even in the cities, and once again using the Sabiki Rig to target them will actually allow you to catch multiple fish at the same time, which can increase how often you get skillups. Port Windurst is a good place to skillup at this point in your fishing career since the close proximity of the Fishing Guild will allow you to get Advanced Support from the guild NPCs, which can make the early levels noticably easier. You will also catch Bastore Sardines with this setup, and while they won't be able to skill you up past level 10, you can turn them in to Tokaka at C-8 in Port Windurst for some gil and a little fame. If you would like to isolate Quus and avoid catching Bastore Sardines, use Sardine Balls, but you will miss out on catching multiple Quus at once, so it is a bit of a trade off. Since Port Windurst is a city you do not have to worry about catching monsters here.

Favorite Setup: Halcyon Rod + Sabiki Rig at the docks (C-8) in Port Windurst.

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Or
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Level 0-19
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Target Fish: Cobalt Jellyfish (0/5), Bastore Sardine (0/10), Greedie (0/14), Quus (4/19)
Location: Selbina
Rod: Bamboo, Carbon, Composite, Glass Fiber, Halcyon, Hume, Mithran, Tarutaru
Bait: Lugworm
You can purchase Lugworms for about 12 gil from any of the merchants listed here. Using this setup you will have five target fish capable of skilling you up (six if you count Fat Greedies, which are a semi rare catch but can skill you up to 23), which makes Selbina a very good place to start your fishing career if you don't mind the inconvenience of being so far from your Moogle or an Auction House. However, as your fishing skill increases fewer target fish will be capable of skilling you up, so feel free to try one of the other locations if you need a change of scenery, or you can try to isolate Quus in one of the locations mentioned above by switching to Sardine Balls. Most of these target fish and Rusty Subligar can break a Carbon/Hume Rod, so Mithran/Halcyon is your best bet here. And of course since Selbina is a city you do not have to worry about catching any monsters.

Favorite Setup: Halcyon Rod + Lugworm near Isacio (G-10) in Selbina.

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Or
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Level 11-21
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Target Fish: Cheval Salmon
Location: East Ronfaure, Jugner Forest (River)
Rod: Carbon, Clothespole, Composite, Fastwater, Glass Fiber, Halcyon, Hume, Mithran, Single Hook, Tarutaru
Bait: Fly Lure, Minnow, Sinking Minnow, Trout Ball
If you went the Crayfish/Moat Carp route in Knightwell and you aren't too tired of Ronfaure yet, you might think about river fishing for Cheval Salmon. However, there is only one target fish capable of skilling you up using this set up, which means you would most likely be able to level fishing a little faster elsewhere. But Cheval Salmon are easy to catch and bite pretty frequently, so I am including them as an alternative. Salmon can snap Carbon/Hume, so Mithran/Halcyon will offer the best catch rate without breaks, provided you are able to recognize and avoid Arrowwood Logs. You won't catch any mobs in Jugner Forest River, and all fishable monsters in East Ronfaure are less than level 12 or so.

Favorite Setup: Halcyon Rod + Fly Lure near the waterfall (I-8) in East Ronfaure cancelling all catches followed by three exclamation marks (!!!) since they are either Arrowwood Logs or monsters.

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Level 19-27
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Target Fish: Nebimonite (12/27)
Location: Ferry (Normal), Ferry (Pirates), Sea Serpent Grotto (Lake)
Rod: Carbon, Composite, Fastwater, Halcyon, Hume, Mithran, Tarutaru
Bait: Crayfish Ball, Peeled Lobster, Shrimp Lure, Rogue Rig
There is nothing like fishing on the Ferry. Let's be honest, fishing is not really that thrilling, but Pirate attacks, random monsters appearing on deck, and the deadly Sea Horror will keep you as entertained as possible. The lake in Sea Serpent Grotto boasts its share of deadly mobs and excitement as well, and both locations are excellent for catching Nebimonite. Even though Nebs are the only target fish likely to skill you up consistently using this setup in either location, they bite very frequently (especially in Sea Serpent Grotto), are easy to catch, and sell very quickly for a good profit on the Auction House. Mithran/Halcyon is the rod of choice in both locations, but large fish in both places and Coral Fragments in Sea Serpent Grotto are capable of snapping it. In addition, if you plan on using a Shrimp Lure in either locatation, be aware that you run the risk of losing your lure to the occassional line snap from Coral Fragments in Sea Serpent Grotto and Noble Lady on the Ferry (which are very profitable and cap at 66) even when the stamina bar is completely depleted. If you can't seem to deplete the stamina bar no matter how hard you try, simply press Esc or do not press Enter after getting the "You don't know how much longer you can keep this one on the line" message. If you fish from the Ferry you can catch monsters as high as level 28, and the fishable mobs In Sea Serpent Grotto range all the way up to 67, while the lake itself is surrounded by mobs that will aggro anyone below level 59, so plan on Sneak/Stamina Fishing and being extremely careful.

Favorite Setup: Halcyon Rod + Shrimp Lure on the Selbina-Mhaura Ferry cancelling all catches followed by three exclamation marks (!!!) since they are either large fish or monsters.

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Level 53-55
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Target Fish: Bluetail (40/55)
Location: Batallia Downs, Bibiki Bay (Purgonorgo Isle), Buburimu Peninsula, Den of Rancor, East Sarutabaruta (Sea), Ferry (Normal/Pirates), Manaclipper (Maliyakaleya Reef), Qufim Island (Ice Pond), Qufim Island (North), Qufim Island (South), Sauromugue Champaign, Sea Serpent Grotto (Lake), West Sarutabaruta (Sea)
Rod: Carbon, Composite, Halcyon, Hume, Lu Shang's, Mithran
Bait: Minnow, Peeled Lobster, Robber Rig, Rogue Rig, Sliced Sardine
Bluetail are pretty good, but not that great. They usually have a decent bite rate though they put up a pretty big fight for their level, and unfortunately there are not that many alternatives that will skill you up to the mid 50s. The Mithran/Halcyon rods may break on the following fish: Bhefhel Marlin (which you could catch on the Ferry using anything other than Sliced Sardine), Bladefish (which you could catch in East/West Saratubaruta using Sliced Sardine or Rogue Rig), Three-Eyed Fish (which you could catch in Quifim Island South using the Minnow or Rogue Rig), Bastore Bream (which you could catch in Sea Serpent Grotto or East/West Saratubaruta using any of the bait listed above), Grimmonite (which you could catch in Sea Serpent Grotto using the Rogue Rig), Gigant Squid (which you could catch in Quifim Island (North) using the Minnow or Rogue Rig), Black Sole (which you could catch while fishing in Batallia Downs, Quifim, Or Sauromugue Champaign using Peeled Lobster or either Rig), Titanictus (which you could catch on the Ferry using Peeled Lobster or the Rogue Rig), and the Sea Zombie (which you could catch on the Ferry while it is under attack from the pirates while using the Rogue Rig). In other words if you target Bluetail there is a good chance you could accidentally break your Mithran/Halcyon Rod. Unfortunately, though the Composite Rod will not break on any of these fish excluding the legendaries, if you decide to use one you will lose a large percentage of your catches to the "too small" message, though you can still potentially get skill ups on each lost catch. This is one of the specific circumstances in which not having a Lu Shang's is a distinct disadvantage.

Favorite Setup: Lu Shang's + Minnow at the cliffs (F-11) in West Saratubaruta cancelling all catches followed by three exclamation marks (!!!) since they are monsters.

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Level 55-60
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Target Fish: Bhefhel Marlin (46/61), Silver Shark (61/76)
Location: Ferry (Normal), Ferry (Pirates), Sauromugue Champaign
Rod: Composite, Halcyon, Hume, Lu Shang's, Mithran, Willow Rod
Bait: Robber Rig, Rogue Rig, Slice of Bluetail
Bhefhel Marlins can break all rods excluding Composite, Ebisu, and Lu Shang's, so I recommend fishers without the Lu Shang's use the Composite or Willow Rods since they are extremely cheap (about 51 gil each from the Fishermen's Guild at C-8 in Port Windurst, or about 74 gil each from Lusiane at F-8 in Southern San d'Oria), and since you won't mind breaking them. Breakfishing on the Ferry is a little less viable post-update since under the new system you will actually have to completely deplete the stamina bar in order to break your rod and get a skillup, while under the old system all you had to do was hook a certain fish and hit Enter. Also the whole point of using Willow Rods pre-update was to avoid accidentally snapping your Lu Shang's on Ryugu Titans, but post-update they are very easily recognized and avoided, which means no more accidental Lu Shang's breaks. Pre-patch you could also get fairly consistent skill ups using Willow Rods and Meat Balls, which allowed you to target Silver Sharks, Titanictus, and Ryugu Titan. This is what I did during this stretch, and I had no way of knowing when I was actually landing Titanictus or Ryugus since my Willow Rod broke every single catch. But post-update it is very unlikely that you could actually deplete the stamina bars of either of these legendary fish in order to catch them or break your rod trying to reel them in, which means that there is very little chance that you could skill up on them, so in effect Meatballs will only allow you to target Silver Sharks. Still, I mention Meat Balls as an alternative since they are what many fishers used during this stage. If you decide to target Silver Sharks in Sauromugue Champaign you will miss out on the opportunity to skillup from Bhefhel Marlin and will generally suffer from a reduced bite rate compared with the Ferry. You can catch monsters as high as level 40 in Sauromugue Champaign, and once again the fishable mobs on the Ferry range up to level 28.

Favorite Setup: Lu Shang's + Slice of Bluetail on the Selbina-Mhaura Ferry cancelling all Ryugu Titan and Sneak/Stamina fishing to avoid monsters.

Well there are not many options for this stretch, especially 55+. The extremely limited options for profit or skillups made this the most painful section of my entire fishing career to date, so if you are getting discouraged, hang in there, every higher level fisherman has had to endure these levels, and things are about to get a lot better.

e. Fishing 60-96 for Gil
Congratulations on making it to 60, but somewhere around this level you will need to make a few adjustments in terms of your attitude regarding fishing. From this point on skillups slow down considerably, and somewhere along the line I realized that I would be much better off if I decided to fish almost exclusively for profit, and just regarded any skillups as a bonus. You've invested a lot of time and effort in order to get your fishing to 60, and now would be a good time for that investment to pay off a little. I've found that if you try to set any specific goals regarding skilling up to a certain level by a certain time you will most likely end up feeling disappointed, while if you decide to fish primarily for profit, you will most likely end up feeling like all the time and effort you have invested into this craft was worth it. I'm not really going to tell you that a Lu Shang's Fishing Rod is required from this point on, but I will say that if you enjoy fishing, plan on making a profit from it, and plan on taking it past 60, you will end up with a Lu Shang's eventually.

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Level 60-90
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Target Fish: Nebimonite (12/27), Bastore Bream (71/86), Grimmonite (75/90), Coral Fragment (N/A), Damp Scroll (N/A), Norg Shell (N/A)
Location: Sea Serpent Grotto
Rod: Lu Shang's
Bait: Crayfish Ball, Shrimp Lure
Sea Serpent Grotto may not be the most inconvenient place to fish in the game, but it is definitely a runner up. Fortunately, it is extremely profitable. Nebs, Breams, and Grims all sell quickly and for a great profit on either the Jeuno or Windurst Auction Houses since they are used in several Cooking recipes. Even the items in Sea Serpent Grotto are profitable since Damp Scrolls and Norg Shells are used in quests and Coral Fragments are used in many high level Bonecraft recipes. The bottom line is that Sea Serpent Grotto features not only extremely profitable fish and items, but one of the best bite rates of any fishing spot in the game. Unfortunately, not everyone can fish here. The lake in Sea Serpent Grotto is surrounded by mobs that will aggro anyone below level 59, and you can catch monsters as high as level 67 here, which means you must also have a sufficiently leveled mage main or sub job capable of casting Sneak so you can Sneak Fish, or must be very comfortable with your ability to Stamina Fish since a single mistake can result in a death. If you are under level 59 or can't cast Sneak and do not have much experience Stamina Fishing, I do not recommend Sea Serpent Grotto since the Sahagins, Crabs, and especially Stygian Pugils will eat you alive.

Favorite Setup: Lu Shang's + Shrimp Lure at the lake (J-12) in Sea Serpent Grotto Sneak/Stamina fishing to avoid monsters.

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Level 60-91
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Target Fish: Bluetail (40/55), Gigant Squid (76/91), Mythril Sword (N/A), Silver Ring (N/A)
Location: Quifim Island (North)
Rod: Lu Shang's
Bait: Minnow
Since the major fishing update Quifim Island (North) has actually been almost as profitable as Sea Serpent Grotto, not to mention the fact that its close proximity to Jeuno makes it about a thousand times more convenient. Gigant Squid are used in the recipes for Squid Sushi, a very popular food for damage dealers, and Black Ink, an Alchemy ingredient used to make Shihei. As a result, they sell very quickly and for a great profit on most servers. Bluetail are only used to make bait, but surprisingly they seem to sell for a decent profit at a decent rate. I personally prefer cancelling everything except squid when fishing Qufim Island North in order to maximize my profits, but whether or not you want to take the time to catch Bluetail is up to you personally and should depend on the current market on your server. You can catch Kraken and Pugil types in Quifim that range up to level 40 so plan accordingly.

Favorite Setup: Lu Shang's + Minnow at the cliffs (G-6) in Quifim Island (North) Sneak/Stamina fishing to avoid monsters.

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Level 60-96
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Target Fish: Three-eyed Fish (63/78), Black Sole (81/96), Mythril Sword (N/A), Silver Ring (N/A)
Location: Quifim Island (South)
Rod: Lu Shang's
Bait: Sliced Cod
If there is an abundance of Gigant Squid or Grimmonite at the Auction House, you might want to consider fishing for Three-eyed Fish and Black Sole with Sliced Cod in Qufim Island (South), which is all you will catch with this setup (excluding items). Black Sole are an ingredient in Sole Sushi, one of the best damage dealing foods in the game, and Three-eyed Fish are used in the recipe for Paralysis Dust, a popular skillup synth for Alchemy. As a result, there is a strong market for both fish, and the close proximity of the Jeuno Auction House will ease the strain of filling your inventory up with unstackable fish like the Three-eyed. You can catch Kraken and Pugil types in Quifim that range up to level 40 so plan accordingly.

Favorite Setup: Lu Shang's + Sliced Cod at the cliffs (H-9) in Quifim Island (South) Sneak/Stamina fishing to avoid monsters.

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Level 60-96
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Target Fish: Nebimonite (12/27), Noble Lady (51/66), Ryugu Titan (85/100)
Location: Ferry (Normal)
Rod: Lu Shang's
Bait: Shrimp Lure
While it is possible to make a good profit here as a level 60s fisher catching Nebimonites and Noble Lady (though not quite as good as what you could be making in Quifim or Sea Serpent Grotto), it will be practically impossible to land a Ryugu Titan at this level. What this means is that there will be a kind of "dead spot" in terms of skillups after you cap out on Noble Lady at 66 since at that point you will still be too low to wear down Ryugu Titans enough to bring them in successfully and get a skillup. However, once you hit the 80s you might want to think about coming back since you may be able to start landing Ryugus, which sell for a great profit in addition to what you will be making off Nebs and Ladies. In the meantime (66-80+) I would recommend trying either Quifim or SSG. Nebimonites are used in several Alchemy and Cooking recipes, Noble Lady are required in the recipes for Tavnazian Salad and Dorado Sushi, and Ryugu Titans regularly sell for 20-40k+ each since there is a small chance Zaldon will find a Mercurial Sword (which sells for 2-5 mil depending on server) when gutting them, making the Ferry a great place to fish for gil. You will also catch Gugru Tuna with this setup, and unless you have tons of extra inventory space you will most likely be best off selling them to the NPCs on the Ferry for about 100 gil each or cancelling them as soon as they catch your hook. You might want to consider sticking to Sea Serpent Grotto or Quifim Island North if don't have Woodworking leveled to 80 in order to repair your Lu Shang's, which will break occasionally on Ryugu Titans. As usual you can catch monsters as high as level 28 while fishing from the Ferry, not to mention the mobs that randomly appear on deck.

Favorite Setup: Lu Shang's + Shrimp Lure on the Selbina-Mhaura Ferry Sneak/Stamina fishing to avoid monsters.

Since you will be spending so much time in these three areas, it is probably best to alternate between each of them depending on how much time you have to fish and which catches are in low supply on your server at any given moment.

There many other profitable fish in this level range, but they usually require you to track down crafters that need a specific fish in large quantities (ie Gavial Fish, Titanictus), or wait for a certain fish to come up as the Guild Fish of the Day (ie Zebra Eel, Jungle Catfish), while there is a relatively constant demand for Nebimonite, Noble Lady, Three-eyed Fish, Gigant Squid, Grimmonite, and Black Sole.

f. Fishing 60-96 for Skill
If you get tired of making a great profit (I suppose it's possible), or just need a temporary change of scenery and would like to focus more on those target fish that will skill you up as quickly as possible, here are what I consider to be your best options, though I feel it's important to clarify that the locations that offer you the most in terms of quick skillups will not skill you up that much faster than the locations that offer you the most in terms of profit per hour. In other words, you can either get very slow skillups while making a lot of money, or slow skillups while making a little money. This is the whole reason why most fishers decide to shift their focus to profit 60+.

In the earlier levels the key to leveling fishing quickly is finding locations and rod/bait combinations that allow you to target several fish capable of skilling you up. Unfortunately, this gets increasingly difficult as you get higher level, so at this stage the key to skilling up as quickly as possible is targeting fish that cap at approximately 10-15 levels above your current fishing skill. The common consensus among most high level fishers is that fish about 10-15 levels above your current fishing skill have the greatest chance to skill you up, while fish either only a few levels higher than your current skill or much higher than your current skill will only provide occasional skillups. In other words, if your current fishing skill is at level 60, catching 100 level 70-75 fish will end up providing you with more skillups than catching either 100 level 63 fish or 100 level 83 fish. In addition, fish significantly higher than your current fishing skill will most likely be too difficult to wear down and catch on a consistent basis to be truly efficient. It is still somewhat difficult at level 60+ to find fish that are approximately 10-15 levels above your current skill and have a decent bite rate, but here are what I feel are the best options.

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Level 60-66
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Target Fish: Noble Lady (51/66)
Location: Ferry (Normal)
Rod: Lu Shang's
Bait: Minnow, Shrimp Lure, Sinking Minnow, Sliced Sardine
If you decide to use Minnows (which you can purchase directly from the NPCs on the Ferry for about 270 gil each) or Sliced Sardine you can also catch Gugru Tuna (which are not worth much), Bluetail (which put up a pretty big fight for their level), and Ryugu Titan (which will most likely be impossible for you to land until much later in your fishing career but can snap the Lu Shang's). If you opt for the Shrimp Lure you will catch Nebimonite instead of Bluetail, while if you use the Sinking Minnow you will only target Gugru, Nobles, and Ryugu. I personally recommend the Minnow since they are so convenient to pick up on the Ferry, or the Shrimp Lure since it allows you to isolate Nebs and Noble Lady (both of which sell for a good profit) by cancelling all catches followed by three exclamation makrs, but feel free to test out the alternatives yourself. Unfortunately Gugru Tuna can't really be avoided by bait choice here, and they don't stack, so you will most likely be best off selling them to the NPCs on the boat for 100 gil each cancelling them as soon as they catch your hook. Again, the catchable mobs on the Ferry range up to level 28 so plan accordingly.

Favorite Setup: Lu Shang's + Shrimp Lure on the Selbina-Mhaura Ferry cancelling all catches followed by three exclamation marks (!!!) since they are either Gugur Tuna (which are relatively worthless and to not stack), Ryugu Titan (which can break the Lu Shang's), or monsters.

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Level 66-76
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Target Fish: Silver Shark (61/76)
Location: Ferry (Normal)
Rod: Lu Shang's
Bait: Meat Ball, Robber Rig, Rogue Rig, Slice of Bluetail
Silver Shark get a fairly bad rap among most fisherman, but they are actually pretty catchable. You will also catch Ryugu Titan and Titanictus with this setup, and since Ryugu Titan could snap your Lu Shang's you might want to think about letting these go if you don't have level 80+ Woodworking. It should be fairly easy for you to tell the difference between Titanictus and Ryugu Titan based on the extremely fast rod movement and the rapid depletion rate of the stamina bar. While it used to be possible to land Silver Sharks in Batallia Downs and Sauromugue Champaign, I've heard reports that SE recently removed them from all areas except the Ferry. However, the bite rate was always significantly better on the Ferry anyway, and the catchable monsters are generally lower level (ranging up to 28).

Favorite Setup: Lu Shang's + Meat Ball on the Selbina-Mhaura Ferry cancelling all Ryugu Titan and Sneak/Stamina fishing to avoid monsters.

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Level 76-86
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Target Fish: Bastore Bream (71/86), Grimmonite (75/90)
Location: Sea Serpent Grotto
Rod: Lu Shang's
Bait: Crayfish Ball, Shrimp Lure
Bastore Bream seem to bite more frequently in Sea Serpent Grotto than any other location, and you can also target Grimmonite here so this is the only location I'm recommending for this stretch. Again, the lake in Sea Serpent Grotto is surrounded by mobs that will aggro anyone below level 59, and you can catch monsters as high as level 67 here, which means you must also have a sufficiently leveled mage main or sub job capable of casting Sneak so you can Sneak Fish. If you are under level 59 or can't cast Sneak, I do not recommend fishing in Sea Serpent Grotto, but if you would still like to target Bastore Bream during this stretch I recommend East/West Saratubaruta Sea or South Gustaberg with Crayfish Ball, Shrimp Lure, Minnow, Sinking Minnow or Sliced Sardine, but you will miss out on Grimmonite in these areas since they are only found in Sea Serpent Grotto. You can also try Peeled Lobster but it is generally too expensive to be worth using, and as usual the Robber Rig and Rogue Rig will have a pretty miserable bite rate for actual fish. The Saratubarutas and Gustaberg are considered low level areas, so the catchable monsters there will be under level 20.

Favorite Setup: Lu Shang's + Shrimp Lure at the lake (J-12) in Sea Serpent Grotto Sneak/Stamina fishing to avoid monsters.