Fishing



Fishing is a mini game where the pirate can test their angling skills and hook fish for gold and maybe even find loot. Various species can be encountered, with varying degrees of difficulty to catch, on up to Legendary Fish.

All it takes a rod, reel, a few lures and some patience.

Fishmasters


On the main islands, there are fishmasters who will help you get started, sell you bait and equipment and even get you a fishing boat. To interact, just walk right up to them and press "shift".

They are easy to spot. They have the Fish icon above their heads.

When you approach them, press "shift" to get the Fishmaster menu. Choose from:


 * Store - Buy more lures for your rod (Common and legendary lure)
 * Update Fishing Rod - Improve your equipment
 * Launch Fishing Boat - Take out the Fishing Dinghy to head for deeper water, it does cost 1,000g to use. (Note- Fishing boats are attainable at level 10 of your fishing skill.)
 * Legendary Fish Story - Hear tales about the Legendary fish, and where they might be hiding.

How to Fish
Fishing requires first to find a location to fish from. You can either fish right off the docks (Port Royal, Tortuga or Padres Del Fuego) or launching your fishing boat. This will entail a cost of 1,000g, but the potential rewards are MUCH higher and you won't likely find a Legendary Fish near the docks.

1) Bait your hook
Select a lure. You can buy the lures from the Fishmaster. You mush first select a lure BEFORE you can cast.

2) Cast your line
To Cast, left-click to start the power bar. It will rise and fall on it's own, the higher the bar level - the farther out you will cast AND the lower the bait will sink. Click again to cast out your line. It may take a little practice to learn the proper distance.

The view will change to underwater. You will be able to guide your bait to some extent.

3) Finding the Fish
Once your bait is in the water, the lure will slowly begin to sink on its own. As it does, you will see the various fish swimming around. The easiest fish to catch tend to stay near the surface, while the bigger and more wily fish swim deeper. If you miss your intended target, pressing the Space Bar will reel your line back quickly.

Above your Line Meter, you will see a number that indicates how far out your line has cast.

You can reel your line in by holding the Left-Mouse button to pull your lure back up or to avoid fish you don't wish to catch. Using skills like Stall or Sink, you can skillfully position your Lure exactly where you want. But, be careful. Moving your lure too much will scare fish away.

4) Reel'em In!
If the bait is close enough to a fish that is interested, you will see a yellow question mark appear and the fish may nibble on your bait. Left-click at just the right moment and HOOK'EM!

Once you start reeling in, a red exclamation point may appear. This means the fish is fighting back and is pulling hard on the line.

If a fish is fighting too hard or your line's health level is red - STOP REELING. If your line's health goes too far down, the bait will break off and your fish will get away. Should the line break, you will lose your lure and have to recast. Using Heal line skill can restore some of the lost line health.

Keep reeling until the fish is pulled out of the water.

Once the fish has been caught, if it is the first time that type has been caught - it is added to your collection. This is simliar to the Treasure inventory.

Fishing Boats
To find the truly Legendary fish, you will have to go for deep, deep waters. And that takes a boat. You can launch your fishing boat from any of the fishing docks.

To launch the fishing boat, approach the Fishing Master and take the Launch Fishing Boat option.

Using the boat's helm wheel, move your ship to position it.

Once in position, you are ready to cast. At this point, it is pretty much the same task as fishing from the docks.

Game Note
Fishing boats can be hit by enemy ship fire! So, be careful where you set up at.

Fishing Skills
You will obtain new fishing skills to help you catch fish more effectively. Increasing your Fishing Skill also opens up access to new rods, lures and the fishing boats. Each fish caught adds to your experience points, but the larger and harder the fish - the more points you earn.

Types of Fish
*Move your cursor over a fish icon to see its rep

*Legendary Lure

Legendary Fish
On rare occasions, a fisherman may encounter a special fish of Legendary proportions or beauty. These are also the hardest fish to catch. Reeling in these beasties will definitely help make you a legendary fisherman, but its always best to release them back into the wilds of the deep.

Fishing Tips

 * Each fish type has a unique personality - how they react to lures and how they struggle once you hook 'em
 * Different fish types give different rep - some "easy" fish give pretty good rep - this may be adjusted
 * If your lure is close to a fish that you DON'T want, wiggle the lure to scare it away.
 * All Fishing ships are sloops
 * Basic members can only get to Fishing Level 7 (Journeyman Rod at Lvl 5)
 * The Sand Tiger Shark usually gives the most gold besides the legendary fish.
 * The Mega Mouth fish gives the most rep out of the regular fish ( 300 rep )
 * The Lump fish is said to give the best loot (It is known to give bright-colored clothing and famed items )