This Guide is designed to get you from 1-100 fishing as fast as can be done. To get the most out of this guide you must fish as often as you can as long as you can, hitting hard fatigue as often as you can. This guide reflects exactly where I fished and at what level. As the opportunities present themselves I will add new locations and fish to catch. When I level fishing on my mule I will add a 0-30 section for max skillups. However, 0-30 can be done almost anywhere. At low levels it is not hard to find fish to skill up on.
A. Fishing Mechanics.
B. Fishing instinct
C. Fatigue
D. Rings
E. Lu Shang's
F. In Depth Guide
G. Quick Reference
H. Words of Warning
I. Ebisu
J. Final Note
A. FISHING MECHANICS
Fishing in FFXI can be fun and challenging. In the old days all you had to do is wait for a bite and hit the enter key. Now you actually have to fight the fish.
It's pretty simple actually. You cast your line and wait for something to catch the hook. Once you have something on the hook the rod will move to the left and right.
While looking at your character from behind use the arrow keys or the joy stick on your controller to pull the rod in the opposite direction than which the fish is pulling.
If you prefer your character facing you these directions will be reversed.
Once the stamina bar is depleted you can hit enter or the action button on whatever controller you might be using to land your catch.
Be careful not to try to land it too soon or your line will break and if your fishing with a lure this can be a pain. Simple huh?
B. FISHING INSTINCT
Fishing instinct is the little message that shows up telling you that there is something on your line. It is a very helpful tool when trying to determine if it's a fish, item or monster on your line.
if you receive the message "Something caught the hook!" (note only 1 exclamation point) it is either a fish or an item. There are two fairly easy ways to tell the difference.
If the rod is held in the 12 O'clock position for a second or two after you receive the message it is probably an item. Fish generally start tugging to the left or the right immediately. There is an exception to this though, some shellfish tend to hold their position for a second or two before beginning the fight.
If you receive the message "Something caught the hook!!!" (note the 3 exclamation points." you either have a fish, a monster, or an arrowwood log on your line. Again, there are a couple easy ways to tell between a fish and a monster or log.
The first way is just reading the text. If "Something caught the hook!!!" is accompanied by "You have a good feeling about this one." or "You don't know if you have enough skill to reel this one in." you have a monster on the line.
If "Something caught the hook!!!" is accompanied by "You have a terrible feeling about this one" or "You are positive you don't have enough skill to reel this one in." you have a fish on the line. Wouldn't it be easy if that was all you had to do?
There is still one more message. If "Something caught the hook!!!" is accompanied by "You're fairly sure you don't have enough skill to reel this one in." it could be either a monster or a fish. The only way to tell is to pay attention to the stamina bar. If the stamina bar drains easily and drains on it's own it is probably a monster. As your level increases the "Fairly sure" message yeilds more fish than monsters.
C. FATIGUE
There are two types of fatigue, soft fatigue and hard fatigue. The first measure against RMT by SE was to implement what now is called soft fatigue.
Basically if you stay in one area for too long your bite rate suffers and you can hardly catch a thing. I believe soft fatigue has many factors at play, namely how big the type of fish you are targeting is, how many levels higher than your skill it caps at, and what level you are in general. To fix this simply zone for a few seconds then go right back to fishing.
The other type of fatigue is called hard fatigue. When soft fatigue wasn't fixing the RMT problem SE introduced hard fatigue. Basically hard fatigue is a set cap on how many fish you can catch per day. That number happens to be 200.
A lot of people are confused by this, "If you release the fish does it count against your total for the day?", "Do Items and monsters count against you total for the day?". The answers are simple, No released fish do not count against your total for the day.
A lot of people argue with me about this. I have tested it, they don't. Secondly, yes monsters and items do count against your fatigue total for the day. If you reel it in, it counts. The only thing that can reset hard fatigue is waiting until Japanese midnight.
D. RINGS
Fishing rings... Pelican, Albatross, and Penguin. You don't need them but they help. With these rings I went from 55 fishing to 100 in under 2 months.
The Pelican Ring is the most important. With this ring I got a minimum of a level a day all the way to 100. Albatross Ring and Penguin Ring are good if you need a little extra time or a bit more muscle.
Both the Penguin Ring and Albatross Ring are obtained by trading a Bhefhel Marlin to Zaldon in Selbina. There is a chance you will recieve either a Pirate's Chart or a Brigand's Chart. If you get the Pirate's chart you trade it to the ??? at Whitebone beach in Valkrum Dunes to enter a 3 man fight capped at 20. The Albatross Ring is a 100% drop if you win the fight.
The Brigand's Chart is traded to the ??? at Khoonta Dunes in Buburimu Peninsula. There is no fight involved with this chart. your level is capped at 20 and you have a time limit to catch as many boxes as you can. The Penguin Ring is not a 100% drop. You usually get it on the 4th or 5th box.
It would be a good idea when doing both of these charts to bring a high level along to take care of the Goblin Bounty Hunters and if you should reel in a monster with the Brigand's chart.
The Pelican ring is a little different. Once a month (RL month) there is a contest held in the fishing guild in Selbina. If you talk to Chenon behind the counter at the guild she will explaine the current rules.
Basically they pick a new fish every month and you either have to bring in the largest or the smallest. the people who turn in the top 20 fish win a Pelican Ring, perhaps the best ring of all. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place win a small cash prize and a title along with their ring.
I would however recommend saving the Penguin and Albatross rings for the Ebisu Fishing Rod quest if you plan to do it.
E. LU SHANG'S
Lu Shang's Fishing Rod is a must, especially for this guide. Get it as soon as you can, period. I'm sorry, but if you complain about slow skillups or "too small"/"lost catch due to lack of skill" messages and you don't have the Lu, it's your own fault. Stop trying to skill and get it. At around level 30 fishing I got tired of getting messages instead of fish so I stopped leveling and started questing. This was my strategy...
1. Farm a decent amount of gil in comparison to how much Lu is selling for(1/3-1/2 AH selling price).
2. Head out to Knightswell in West Ronfaure with as much insect Insect paste as you can hold while still being able to hold your fish.
3. Fish your 200 a day limit and turn them in.
4. Head over to the AH and buy every reasonably priced stack of moat carp you can and turn them in.
5. Repeat step 4 at every other Auction House.This is what I did and I had my Lu in about 2 weeks.
I'm sure some people out there cant afford, refuse to, or are just too lazy to farm and/or spend
any gil on this rod. That's fine, more power to you and good luck.
F. IN DEPTH GUIDE
Now that you have a Lu in your possession and assuming you are in the neighborhood of level 30 fishing (I'm not going into detail on places to fish pre 30 because you can skill almost anywhere at those levels.).
Head to the Ferry in either Selbina or Mhaura. Your first target will be Gugru Tuna, you can catch these with Minnow, Sinking Minnow, Peeled Lobster, Sliced Sardine or Shrimp Lure I suggest using a minnow lure because it will catch the next 2 fish on my guide as well, resulting in a higher chance for skillups. they will get you to level 41.
Now I feel I must pause and explain something. I mentioned earlier about the Pelican Ring being a godsend. However, I do not recommend using this ring on the Ferry. To me it just seemed wasteful. I went through 2 of these rings from 66+.
Lets move on shall we, Next I would suggest Cone Calamary, these cap at 48, and they skill you up fast. I do believe catching these gave me the fastest skillups out of any other fish. And again you will be using a Minnow Lure.
Now you can go one of two ways, Bluetail or Shall Shells. If you need a break from the Ferry now is the time to jump ship. you can head over to Buburimu Peninsula with either a Rogue Rig or a Robber Rig. If you are content with the Ferry you can stay aboard and fish for Bluetail, your bait of choice will be a Minnow lure. (go figure). These cap at 55, they can be a bit of a pain to catch sometimes though. I would recommend saving these fish as you will need them for bait for our next target. If you have cooking skill of at least 14 (probably even a little lower) grab some wind crystals and head back to the Ferry.
Your next target is Bhefhel Marlin and you will be catching them with Slice of Bluetail. These cap at 62. You will also catch Silver Sharks, they cap at 76 land em if you can. Cancel all Ryugu Titans (you will know them).Now with these marlin I would suggest turning them into Zaldon in the selbina Fisherman's guild to get the Pirate's Chart and Brigand's Chart needed to get the Albatross Ring and Penguin Ring.
An alternative to Marlin would be Trumpet shells in Vunklerl Inlet [S]. You can catch them off any of the bridges. These cap at 63. Personally I would stick with marlin so you can get your pirate's chart and Brigand's chart, but if you don't plan on questing Ebisu Trumpet Shells are definitely a more profitable choice.A friend let me use his account to fish for them (he was level 55 fishing). You can catch them at 55 but they push the timer to the limit and some are just a little too tough. With an Albatross or Pelican ring you can catch them easily at 55. On average I caught about 9-10 every 20 minutes until soft fatigue set in. I managed to pull in about 2 and a half stacks before soft fatigue set in. I would recommend zoning around that time.
Next on the list is Noble Lady, these cap at 66 and you can catch them with a Minnow, Sinking Minnow, or Shrimp Lure. I would suggest catching these until you are capped on them at 66.
Now is where my guide is probably gonna swerve off the beaten path. If you don't already have one, go pick up a Shrimp Lure and head to Nashmau. You will be targeting Mercanbaligi which cap at 86 and Ahtapot which cap at 90. Here is where your Pelican Ring will really shine. I was getting 1-4 levels a day here.
These fish are the ToAU equivelant to Bastore Bream and Grimmonites. However, the bite rate is much better and there is no aggro or fished up monsters to deal with. If you have a Penguin Ring or an Albatross Ring you can use either of these along with your Pelican Ring to make bringing them in a bit easier if you are having trouble.
Just NPC these fish, Mercanbaligi sell for 600 gil each and Ahtapot sell for 700 gil each to NPC. I am 100 fishing and I still catch these as my money makers when the Auction house is flooded. You avoid the AH all together, Instant gil, no dealing with undercutters or RMT influence on the AH. I would stay here until as close to 90 as you can.
Next on our list is Black Sole. These cap at 95. I fished them in Qufim Island using a Sinking Minnow to single them out. The bite rate on these guys is horrible. I think the only fish with worse bite rates are Lik and Gugrusaurus. Be persistent and don't give up. Your Pelican Ring and Penguin Ring or Albatross Ring will prove their worth to you here yet again. I recommend staying here until 95 depending on Black Sole prices on your server. If they aren't worth the time involved I would recommend skipping this step.
Now that we are ending our journey it is becoming harder and harder to find reliable fish to skill on but fear not, I have the answer. We will now be heading back to Nashmau. This time we will be targeting Pterygotus. they cap at 99. You will need to pick up some Lugworms which can be purchased conveniently enough on the ship to Nashmau from the fishing guild on the ship. These are another fish that you can just NPC right there on the dock for a decent price, and again you can get plenty of use out of your Fishing rings.
Now it's time to grab some Meatballs and head back to the Ferry. You will be targeting Ryugu Titans and Titanictus for that last killer level. I highly recommend 74+ Woodworking from here on out. Especially if you are planning to quest the Ebisu Fishing Rod.
G. QUICK REFERENCE
Below is a quick reference guide so you don't have to skim through the in depth guide trying to find what to catch, where and with what bait, when your on the fly.
30-41: Gugru Tuna > Ferry > Minnow
36-48: Cone Calamary > Ferry > Minnow
48-53: Shall Shells > Buburimu Peninsula > Rogue Rig, Robber Rig
48-55: Bluetail > Ferry > Minnow
55-62: Bhefhel Marlin > Ferry > Slice of Bluetail
55-63: Trumpet Shells > Vunklerl Inler [S] > Robber Rig
60-66: Noble Lady > Ferry > Minnow, Sinking Minnow, and Shrimp Lure
66-86: Mercanbaligi > Nashmau > Shrimp Lure
66-90: Ahtapot > Nashmau > Shrimp Lure
86-95: Black Sole > Qufim Island > Sinking Minnow
90-99: Pterygotus > Nashmau > Lugworm
99-100: Ryugu Titans and Titanictus > Ferry > Meatball
H. WORDS OF WARNING
Nobody wants to lose their Lu Shang's fishing rod. Below are some tips that will insure that you don't have any accidents while fixing your Lu Shang's.
1. Don't forget the "Command/blockaid on" when fixing your Lu Shang's.
2. Make sure you don't try to fix your Lu Shang's close to docking.
3. Don't attempt a fix if there is anything on board that can aggro you.
4. If your Synth is interrupted you can say goodbye to your Lu Shag's.
5. Staying out of parties is also a good preventative measure to insure
safe Lu Shang's synthing due to the fact that some AoE job abilities and songs/spells
can also interrupt your synth.
I. EBISU
Congratulations on 100 or close to it!!! This is the turning point when you decide if you want to spend countless hours of frustration catching fish that will not only break your Lu Shang's but also your heart.
You could get lucky and get your Opal Silk and Saber Shoot quickly, or you can end up like most of us spending months fishing hundreds of them.
For me Lik was the most unforgiving. It took me 528 catches until I finally got my opal silk. The very next day I set out after Gugrusaurus gritting my teeth and mumbling obscenities to myself. However I only ended up spending a couple of hours on that ferry. Out of my first batch I got my Saber Shoot after turning only 12 Gugrusaurus in.
I have heard of people having to catch over 1000 or either type of fish to get only 1 of the items needed for the rod. Keep in mind that you will probably only catch about 30 on a good day... Spending the entire day fishing. I'm talking like 6-8 hours.
I don't mean to bore you with stories nor am I trying to scare you out of questing this spectacular rod. I am just trying to prepare you for what's ahead. So, still want this rod? If not, you can stop reading now. If the answer is yes keep reading.
There are a few elements involved in even being able to get the items this rod requires. First you need to have opened the "inside the belly" quest in Selbina. This is a quest line meaning there are a few quests you must complete before you can trade your fish to Zaldon. You must also be level 30 fishing. I Am not going to go into detail about the quests, I will tell you that the quest line starts with the "Under the Sea" quest in Selbina.
The "Inside the Belly" quest is needed not only obtain the items needed for the Ebisu rod, but also the Pirate's and Brigand's charts I have mentioned earlier in my guide.
I did not buy the Mooching key item from the guild for this quest. These rings are essential to catch these fish without Mooching, and very possibly essential with the key item.
Now you can trade certain fish to Zaldon for items. Of course you will need access to Lufaise Meadows at some point so you have to do the main 3 Promyvions from the CoP mission line.
Next, You need to achieve Adept rank in fishing, and purchase the "Serpent Rumors" key item from the fishing guild with guild points. Without this key item the Lik and Gugrusaurus won't even bite your line.
Now you have to head to Rabao and speak to Irmilant at G-7 to open the "Indomitable Spirit" quest. He will ask you to bring him a spool of Opal Silk and a Saber Shoot.
The Opal Silk is Obtained by trading Lik to Zaldon, and the Saber shoot is obtained by trading Gugrusaurus to Zaldon.
I am just going to tell you how I did the quest. Like I said earlier I did not buy the Mooching key item from the guild, so I did not fish for Sea Zombies and Cave Cherax for the EX bait to catch these fish. Personally I quested 4 Albatross rings and 4 Penguin rings.
Lik can be caught in Lufaise Meadows at Leremieu lagoon with a Minnow. These Lik will break your Lu Shang's often 74+ Woodworking is highly recommended at this point.
If you cant level Woodworking your next best option is to find someone that you trust that can skill off of fixing your Lu or doesn't mind sitting around for hours watching your blood pressure rise. If neither of these options are possible your final option is to take your broken Lu Shang's along with 2 light crystals and a piece of ancient lumber to Irmilant back in Rabao and he will fix your Lu Shang's for you.
This is a last ditch option because your Lu Shang's is going to get broken a lot and before you know it you will be spending more time traveling than fishing.
OK, lets assume you have your woodworking at the appropriate level and you are ready to fish. I used to spend entire days fishing for Lik so I would empty my inventory down to my rod, fishing armor, and a weapon (Just in case) and head to the fishing guild in Port Windurst.
I bought around 30 minnows from the guild for around 300 gil each.
Now it's time to fish, when fishing for lik I always enter Lufaise Meadows from Valkrum Dunes and click on the Luck Rune that is on the way to Leremieu lagoon. I know it sounds stupid but it's my thing lol.
Once you make it to the Lagoon use both your Albatross ring and your Penguin ring. Just fish until your inventory is full or you run out of bait. When you are done fishing for the day you have 2 options, 1 Send your Lik to a mule to be stock piled for one big turn in spree or head back to Selbina and hope Zaldon takes pitty on you. I personally turned them in as I caught them.
Now on to Gugrusaurus. Gugrusaurus can be caught on the ferry between Selbina and Mhaura only during pirate rides (They can be caught the entire ride, not just only when pirates are present.), the Open Sea Route all the time, and the Manaclipper to Purgonorgo Isle between 9:48-10:16 and 21:48-22:16.
I caught mine on the Open Sea Route using Meatballs as bait and again using both my Penguin Ring and Albatross Ring. Again, don't forget your light crystals and about 12 stacks of Meatballs.
Once you have your Opal Silk and your Saber Shoot trade them to Irmilant in Rabao. You have to wait until after the following Conquest Tally to pick up your Ebisu rod.
J. FINAL NOTE
I hope you get as much use out of this guide as I did. If you have any questions or comments feel free to leave me a message here.
You can also contact me in game on the Kujata Server, my characters name is Sledge. I hardly ever log out so if you don't get a reply I am not ignoring you, keep trying.
The road to 100 can be a long one. You just have to keep your chin up and be persistent. Good Luck to all you Fishermen and women out there, Keep fighting the good fight.
A. Fishing Mechanics.
B. Fishing instinct
C. Fatigue
D. Rings
E. Lu Shang's
F. In Depth Guide
G. Quick Reference
H. Words of Warning
I. Ebisu
J. Final Note
A. FISHING MECHANICS
Fishing in FFXI can be fun and challenging. In the old days all you had to do is wait for a bite and hit the enter key. Now you actually have to fight the fish.
It's pretty simple actually. You cast your line and wait for something to catch the hook. Once you have something on the hook the rod will move to the left and right.
While looking at your character from behind use the arrow keys or the joy stick on your controller to pull the rod in the opposite direction than which the fish is pulling.
If you prefer your character facing you these directions will be reversed.
Once the stamina bar is depleted you can hit enter or the action button on whatever controller you might be using to land your catch.
Be careful not to try to land it too soon or your line will break and if your fishing with a lure this can be a pain. Simple huh?
B. FISHING INSTINCT
Fishing instinct is the little message that shows up telling you that there is something on your line. It is a very helpful tool when trying to determine if it's a fish, item or monster on your line.
if you receive the message "Something caught the hook!" (note only 1 exclamation point) it is either a fish or an item. There are two fairly easy ways to tell the difference.
If the rod is held in the 12 O'clock position for a second or two after you receive the message it is probably an item. Fish generally start tugging to the left or the right immediately. There is an exception to this though, some shellfish tend to hold their position for a second or two before beginning the fight.
If you receive the message "Something caught the hook!!!" (note the 3 exclamation points." you either have a fish, a monster, or an arrowwood log on your line. Again, there are a couple easy ways to tell between a fish and a monster or log.
The first way is just reading the text. If "Something caught the hook!!!" is accompanied by "You have a good feeling about this one." or "You don't know if you have enough skill to reel this one in." you have a monster on the line.
If "Something caught the hook!!!" is accompanied by "You have a terrible feeling about this one" or "You are positive you don't have enough skill to reel this one in." you have a fish on the line. Wouldn't it be easy if that was all you had to do?
There is still one more message. If "Something caught the hook!!!" is accompanied by "You're fairly sure you don't have enough skill to reel this one in." it could be either a monster or a fish. The only way to tell is to pay attention to the stamina bar. If the stamina bar drains easily and drains on it's own it is probably a monster. As your level increases the "Fairly sure" message yeilds more fish than monsters.
C. FATIGUE
There are two types of fatigue, soft fatigue and hard fatigue. The first measure against RMT by SE was to implement what now is called soft fatigue.
Basically if you stay in one area for too long your bite rate suffers and you can hardly catch a thing. I believe soft fatigue has many factors at play, namely how big the type of fish you are targeting is, how many levels higher than your skill it caps at, and what level you are in general. To fix this simply zone for a few seconds then go right back to fishing.
The other type of fatigue is called hard fatigue. When soft fatigue wasn't fixing the RMT problem SE introduced hard fatigue. Basically hard fatigue is a set cap on how many fish you can catch per day. That number happens to be 200.
A lot of people are confused by this, "If you release the fish does it count against your total for the day?", "Do Items and monsters count against you total for the day?". The answers are simple, No released fish do not count against your total for the day.
A lot of people argue with me about this. I have tested it, they don't. Secondly, yes monsters and items do count against your fatigue total for the day. If you reel it in, it counts. The only thing that can reset hard fatigue is waiting until Japanese midnight.
D. RINGS
Fishing rings... Pelican, Albatross, and Penguin. You don't need them but they help. With these rings I went from 55 fishing to 100 in under 2 months.
The Pelican Ring is the most important. With this ring I got a minimum of a level a day all the way to 100. Albatross Ring and Penguin Ring are good if you need a little extra time or a bit more muscle.
Both the Penguin Ring and Albatross Ring are obtained by trading a Bhefhel Marlin to Zaldon in Selbina. There is a chance you will recieve either a Pirate's Chart or a Brigand's Chart. If you get the Pirate's chart you trade it to the ??? at Whitebone beach in Valkrum Dunes to enter a 3 man fight capped at 20. The Albatross Ring is a 100% drop if you win the fight.
The Brigand's Chart is traded to the ??? at Khoonta Dunes in Buburimu Peninsula. There is no fight involved with this chart. your level is capped at 20 and you have a time limit to catch as many boxes as you can. The Penguin Ring is not a 100% drop. You usually get it on the 4th or 5th box.
It would be a good idea when doing both of these charts to bring a high level along to take care of the Goblin Bounty Hunters and if you should reel in a monster with the Brigand's chart.
The Pelican ring is a little different. Once a month (RL month) there is a contest held in the fishing guild in Selbina. If you talk to Chenon behind the counter at the guild she will explaine the current rules.
Basically they pick a new fish every month and you either have to bring in the largest or the smallest. the people who turn in the top 20 fish win a Pelican Ring, perhaps the best ring of all. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place win a small cash prize and a title along with their ring.
I would however recommend saving the Penguin and Albatross rings for the Ebisu Fishing Rod quest if you plan to do it.
E. LU SHANG'S
Lu Shang's Fishing Rod is a must, especially for this guide. Get it as soon as you can, period. I'm sorry, but if you complain about slow skillups or "too small"/"lost catch due to lack of skill" messages and you don't have the Lu, it's your own fault. Stop trying to skill and get it. At around level 30 fishing I got tired of getting messages instead of fish so I stopped leveling and started questing. This was my strategy...
1. Farm a decent amount of gil in comparison to how much Lu is selling for(1/3-1/2 AH selling price).
2. Head out to Knightswell in West Ronfaure with as much insect Insect paste as you can hold while still being able to hold your fish.
3. Fish your 200 a day limit and turn them in.
4. Head over to the AH and buy every reasonably priced stack of moat carp you can and turn them in.
5. Repeat step 4 at every other Auction House.This is what I did and I had my Lu in about 2 weeks.
I'm sure some people out there cant afford, refuse to, or are just too lazy to farm and/or spend
any gil on this rod. That's fine, more power to you and good luck.
F. IN DEPTH GUIDE
Now that you have a Lu in your possession and assuming you are in the neighborhood of level 30 fishing (I'm not going into detail on places to fish pre 30 because you can skill almost anywhere at those levels.).
Head to the Ferry in either Selbina or Mhaura. Your first target will be Gugru Tuna, you can catch these with Minnow, Sinking Minnow, Peeled Lobster, Sliced Sardine or Shrimp Lure I suggest using a minnow lure because it will catch the next 2 fish on my guide as well, resulting in a higher chance for skillups. they will get you to level 41.
Now I feel I must pause and explain something. I mentioned earlier about the Pelican Ring being a godsend. However, I do not recommend using this ring on the Ferry. To me it just seemed wasteful. I went through 2 of these rings from 66+.
Lets move on shall we, Next I would suggest Cone Calamary, these cap at 48, and they skill you up fast. I do believe catching these gave me the fastest skillups out of any other fish. And again you will be using a Minnow Lure.
Now you can go one of two ways, Bluetail or Shall Shells. If you need a break from the Ferry now is the time to jump ship. you can head over to Buburimu Peninsula with either a Rogue Rig or a Robber Rig. If you are content with the Ferry you can stay aboard and fish for Bluetail, your bait of choice will be a Minnow lure. (go figure). These cap at 55, they can be a bit of a pain to catch sometimes though. I would recommend saving these fish as you will need them for bait for our next target. If you have cooking skill of at least 14 (probably even a little lower) grab some wind crystals and head back to the Ferry.
Your next target is Bhefhel Marlin and you will be catching them with Slice of Bluetail. These cap at 62. You will also catch Silver Sharks, they cap at 76 land em if you can. Cancel all Ryugu Titans (you will know them).Now with these marlin I would suggest turning them into Zaldon in the selbina Fisherman's guild to get the Pirate's Chart and Brigand's Chart needed to get the Albatross Ring and Penguin Ring.
An alternative to Marlin would be Trumpet shells in Vunklerl Inlet [S]. You can catch them off any of the bridges. These cap at 63. Personally I would stick with marlin so you can get your pirate's chart and Brigand's chart, but if you don't plan on questing Ebisu Trumpet Shells are definitely a more profitable choice.A friend let me use his account to fish for them (he was level 55 fishing). You can catch them at 55 but they push the timer to the limit and some are just a little too tough. With an Albatross or Pelican ring you can catch them easily at 55. On average I caught about 9-10 every 20 minutes until soft fatigue set in. I managed to pull in about 2 and a half stacks before soft fatigue set in. I would recommend zoning around that time.
Next on the list is Noble Lady, these cap at 66 and you can catch them with a Minnow, Sinking Minnow, or Shrimp Lure. I would suggest catching these until you are capped on them at 66.
Now is where my guide is probably gonna swerve off the beaten path. If you don't already have one, go pick up a Shrimp Lure and head to Nashmau. You will be targeting Mercanbaligi which cap at 86 and Ahtapot which cap at 90. Here is where your Pelican Ring will really shine. I was getting 1-4 levels a day here.
These fish are the ToAU equivelant to Bastore Bream and Grimmonites. However, the bite rate is much better and there is no aggro or fished up monsters to deal with. If you have a Penguin Ring or an Albatross Ring you can use either of these along with your Pelican Ring to make bringing them in a bit easier if you are having trouble.
Just NPC these fish, Mercanbaligi sell for 600 gil each and Ahtapot sell for 700 gil each to NPC. I am 100 fishing and I still catch these as my money makers when the Auction house is flooded. You avoid the AH all together, Instant gil, no dealing with undercutters or RMT influence on the AH. I would stay here until as close to 90 as you can.
Next on our list is Black Sole. These cap at 95. I fished them in Qufim Island using a Sinking Minnow to single them out. The bite rate on these guys is horrible. I think the only fish with worse bite rates are Lik and Gugrusaurus. Be persistent and don't give up. Your Pelican Ring and Penguin Ring or Albatross Ring will prove their worth to you here yet again. I recommend staying here until 95 depending on Black Sole prices on your server. If they aren't worth the time involved I would recommend skipping this step.
Now that we are ending our journey it is becoming harder and harder to find reliable fish to skill on but fear not, I have the answer. We will now be heading back to Nashmau. This time we will be targeting Pterygotus. they cap at 99. You will need to pick up some Lugworms which can be purchased conveniently enough on the ship to Nashmau from the fishing guild on the ship. These are another fish that you can just NPC right there on the dock for a decent price, and again you can get plenty of use out of your Fishing rings.
Now it's time to grab some Meatballs and head back to the Ferry. You will be targeting Ryugu Titans and Titanictus for that last killer level. I highly recommend 74+ Woodworking from here on out. Especially if you are planning to quest the Ebisu Fishing Rod.
G. QUICK REFERENCE
Below is a quick reference guide so you don't have to skim through the in depth guide trying to find what to catch, where and with what bait, when your on the fly.
30-41: Gugru Tuna > Ferry > Minnow
36-48: Cone Calamary > Ferry > Minnow
48-53: Shall Shells > Buburimu Peninsula > Rogue Rig, Robber Rig
48-55: Bluetail > Ferry > Minnow
55-62: Bhefhel Marlin > Ferry > Slice of Bluetail
55-63: Trumpet Shells > Vunklerl Inler [S] > Robber Rig
60-66: Noble Lady > Ferry > Minnow, Sinking Minnow, and Shrimp Lure
66-86: Mercanbaligi > Nashmau > Shrimp Lure
66-90: Ahtapot > Nashmau > Shrimp Lure
86-95: Black Sole > Qufim Island > Sinking Minnow
90-99: Pterygotus > Nashmau > Lugworm
99-100: Ryugu Titans and Titanictus > Ferry > Meatball
H. WORDS OF WARNING
Nobody wants to lose their Lu Shang's fishing rod. Below are some tips that will insure that you don't have any accidents while fixing your Lu Shang's.
1. Don't forget the "Command/blockaid on" when fixing your Lu Shang's.
2. Make sure you don't try to fix your Lu Shang's close to docking.
3. Don't attempt a fix if there is anything on board that can aggro you.
4. If your Synth is interrupted you can say goodbye to your Lu Shag's.
5. Staying out of parties is also a good preventative measure to insure
safe Lu Shang's synthing due to the fact that some AoE job abilities and songs/spells
can also interrupt your synth.
I. EBISU
Congratulations on 100 or close to it!!! This is the turning point when you decide if you want to spend countless hours of frustration catching fish that will not only break your Lu Shang's but also your heart.
You could get lucky and get your Opal Silk and Saber Shoot quickly, or you can end up like most of us spending months fishing hundreds of them.
For me Lik was the most unforgiving. It took me 528 catches until I finally got my opal silk. The very next day I set out after Gugrusaurus gritting my teeth and mumbling obscenities to myself. However I only ended up spending a couple of hours on that ferry. Out of my first batch I got my Saber Shoot after turning only 12 Gugrusaurus in.
I have heard of people having to catch over 1000 or either type of fish to get only 1 of the items needed for the rod. Keep in mind that you will probably only catch about 30 on a good day... Spending the entire day fishing. I'm talking like 6-8 hours.
I don't mean to bore you with stories nor am I trying to scare you out of questing this spectacular rod. I am just trying to prepare you for what's ahead. So, still want this rod? If not, you can stop reading now. If the answer is yes keep reading.
There are a few elements involved in even being able to get the items this rod requires. First you need to have opened the "inside the belly" quest in Selbina. This is a quest line meaning there are a few quests you must complete before you can trade your fish to Zaldon. You must also be level 30 fishing. I Am not going to go into detail about the quests, I will tell you that the quest line starts with the "Under the Sea" quest in Selbina.
The "Inside the Belly" quest is needed not only obtain the items needed for the Ebisu rod, but also the Pirate's and Brigand's charts I have mentioned earlier in my guide.
I did not buy the Mooching key item from the guild for this quest. These rings are essential to catch these fish without Mooching, and very possibly essential with the key item.
Now you can trade certain fish to Zaldon for items. Of course you will need access to Lufaise Meadows at some point so you have to do the main 3 Promyvions from the CoP mission line.
Next, You need to achieve Adept rank in fishing, and purchase the "Serpent Rumors" key item from the fishing guild with guild points. Without this key item the Lik and Gugrusaurus won't even bite your line.
Now you have to head to Rabao and speak to Irmilant at G-7 to open the "Indomitable Spirit" quest. He will ask you to bring him a spool of Opal Silk and a Saber Shoot.
The Opal Silk is Obtained by trading Lik to Zaldon, and the Saber shoot is obtained by trading Gugrusaurus to Zaldon.
I am just going to tell you how I did the quest. Like I said earlier I did not buy the Mooching key item from the guild, so I did not fish for Sea Zombies and Cave Cherax for the EX bait to catch these fish. Personally I quested 4 Albatross rings and 4 Penguin rings.
Lik can be caught in Lufaise Meadows at Leremieu lagoon with a Minnow. These Lik will break your Lu Shang's often 74+ Woodworking is highly recommended at this point.
If you cant level Woodworking your next best option is to find someone that you trust that can skill off of fixing your Lu or doesn't mind sitting around for hours watching your blood pressure rise. If neither of these options are possible your final option is to take your broken Lu Shang's along with 2 light crystals and a piece of ancient lumber to Irmilant back in Rabao and he will fix your Lu Shang's for you.
This is a last ditch option because your Lu Shang's is going to get broken a lot and before you know it you will be spending more time traveling than fishing.
OK, lets assume you have your woodworking at the appropriate level and you are ready to fish. I used to spend entire days fishing for Lik so I would empty my inventory down to my rod, fishing armor, and a weapon (Just in case) and head to the fishing guild in Port Windurst.
I bought around 30 minnows from the guild for around 300 gil each.
Now it's time to fish, when fishing for lik I always enter Lufaise Meadows from Valkrum Dunes and click on the Luck Rune that is on the way to Leremieu lagoon. I know it sounds stupid but it's my thing lol.
Once you make it to the Lagoon use both your Albatross ring and your Penguin ring. Just fish until your inventory is full or you run out of bait. When you are done fishing for the day you have 2 options, 1 Send your Lik to a mule to be stock piled for one big turn in spree or head back to Selbina and hope Zaldon takes pitty on you. I personally turned them in as I caught them.
Now on to Gugrusaurus. Gugrusaurus can be caught on the ferry between Selbina and Mhaura only during pirate rides (They can be caught the entire ride, not just only when pirates are present.), the Open Sea Route all the time, and the Manaclipper to Purgonorgo Isle between 9:48-10:16 and 21:48-22:16.
I caught mine on the Open Sea Route using Meatballs as bait and again using both my Penguin Ring and Albatross Ring. Again, don't forget your light crystals and about 12 stacks of Meatballs.
Once you have your Opal Silk and your Saber Shoot trade them to Irmilant in Rabao. You have to wait until after the following Conquest Tally to pick up your Ebisu rod.
J. FINAL NOTE
I hope you get as much use out of this guide as I did. If you have any questions or comments feel free to leave me a message here.
You can also contact me in game on the Kujata Server, my characters name is Sledge. I hardly ever log out so if you don't get a reply I am not ignoring you, keep trying.
The road to 100 can be a long one. You just have to keep your chin up and be persistent. Good Luck to all you Fishermen and women out there, Keep fighting the good fight.
