Fishing

To be able to start fishing, one only needs to obtain a fishing rod, available exclusively from the Lighthouse Keeper. After either bringing him a small collection of moths to obtain the 'starter' rod or purchasing one of the three he sells, simply approach any of the five fishing spots found throughout the world and cast out a line. At first glance, there will be multiple unknown potential targets at each location, each target governed by a percentage chance; there are several variables that determine what chance the player has at catching any particular fish.

Fishing itself is a minigame; after selecting a bait, hold 'E' to commit to a cast and browse each of the three sub-areas unique to each location, releasing 'E' in order to cast the line into a desired sub-area. Occasionally, the fishing float (bobber) will move vertically, signaling a bite and requiring the player to left-click at that precise moment in order to hook a fish. Completely missing this time-window will only inflict a penalty based on cast-cost, while a failed attempt will end the cast and use-up the bait. Once the fish is hooked, the player, by either pressing 'E' or left-clicking, is then required to keep a weighted yellow bar over an animated fish in order to eventually reel it in, the progress of which is indicated by a green bar. The species of fish, the quality of that fish, and the type of fishing rod used by the player will all affect how difficult this process will be. Players having difficulty hooking fish might find it easier to watch the character's arm and clicking when the rhythm changes.

As of v1.027, the in-game clock stops while fishing, allowing the player to fish at length during a desired time of day, without having to worry too much about active effects timing out or various daily visits. Interestingly, this does not stop various cooldowns, such as the Teleportstone, or passive movement, such as zombie workers. Note that this includes the donkey who will drop off a corpse earlier than the normal time of sundown, and that corpses still decay while fishing.

Fishing Rods
While any fishing rod is the only requirement to fish, the type of fishing rod chosen will determine several things, including the size of the yellow bar during the minigame; the better the rod, the larger the bar, the easier it is to reel in the fish. It will also impact what species of fish are available, and often influence the odds of catching specific tiers of fish, as well as their inherent quality. For example, lower tiers of fish - such as the Gudgeon and Tilapia - will generally respond well to a lower tier rod, while potentially ignoring the high tier. Vice versa, higher tiers of fish - such as the Salmon and Gold crucian - will prefer, if not require, a high tier rod, while ignoring the low tier. Lastly, there are a few fish - such as the Perch and Bream - that generally have no preference when it comes to rods, in which case other variables, such as the chosen bait and sub-area competition, will have a greater influence.

Bait
While a particular fishing rod may provide the potential to catch certain fish, the choice in bait is often the greatest determining factor in regards to the chance in catching a particular fish. Similar to the various types of rods, all fish have certain preferences in regards to bait, and will often ignore an attempt made with an undesirable choice. This can prove challenging, in either finding the particular bait that a certain fish might require, or determining which bait a desired fish prefers over another fish in the same competitive sub-area. Bait can be equipped during the casting screen using the left and right arrows at the bottom.

Effects
A simple way to gain a temporary advantage during fishing is by consuming white-fish food, purchased from Horadric or crafted through cooking, the recipe for which can be unlocked after talking with the Lighthouse Keeper. For more information on helpful buffs, see effects.

Fish
There are currently sixteen(16) different species of fish to be found in-game. They each have different preferences when it comes to fishing rods and types of bait, and are only available at certain locations. They can also be roughly categorized into low, mid, and high tiers, based mostly on their preferred rod, difficulty to reel-in, processed materials, and the tier at which they're sold to the Lighthouse Keeper.

Locations
There are a total of five(5) fishing spots found in-game. The following is an extensive breakdown of each location, by species of fish, maximum achievable chance, recommended equipment for that chance, and any relevant notes in regards to each particular fish at each specific location.

Village Pond
In the north-eastern part of the village, there is a small pond with a fishing pier.

Sea
The sea requires you to travel east all the way through the village to the beach, north of the lighthouse.

Waterfall
The waterfall can be found by traveling directly north after crossing the stone bridge west of the graveyard.

Swamp
The swamp is found across the stone bridge to west of the graveyard. The fishing spot is south-west of the witch's hut.

River
After removing mountain-pass blockages, either north-west of your home or by following the path west on the other side of the river, one can access this spot by following the river north through the forest.

Angeln