How to Fish in Sports Story

I’ve been fishing in real life maybe… twice? But I’ve fished a lot in video games before, so I think I’m more than qualified to dispense fishing advice. At least a hyper-specific kind of fishing advice that isn’t applicable in any other situation. Here’s how to fish in Sports Story.

How to Fish in Sports Story

After you arrive at Pelican Waters, you can buy your very first fishing rod at the nearby pro shop. Afterward, you’ll be directed toward a handful of fishermen out and about that will teach you to spot and fish up certain kinds of fish. You need to talk to these guys in order to make fish visible in the water, though some of the specifics of the fishing process are a tad ambiguous. Here’s a detailed explanation of the process.

Related: How to Get a Sinker Lure in Sports Story

Firstly, your fishing kit is made up of four components:

• The Rod: The actual physical rod
• The Lure: Affects how your hook sits and moves in the water
• The Line: Affects how well you can reel in fish
• The Bait: Determines whether a fish bites or not

If you’re in Pelican Waters, you can purchase Bait and Lines from the small cooler under the blue tarp next to the green-tarped stand. Lines are multi-use, but will gradually weaken and snap, while Bait is single-use. Your Rod and Lure are equipped from your pause menu like your other sporting gear, while your Line and Bait are equipped during the fishing process.

Different Lines are necessary for different fish. The Standard Line is good for docile fish, but can’t stand up to the tough guys. A Steel Line can handle stronger fish, but rusts easily and degrades faster. Bait is also important, as fish won’t take Bait with flavors they don’t like. If a fish doesn’t like the Bait you used, your character will let you know, so try something else.

The Fishing Process

To actually fish, walk around watery areas until you see the shadow of a fish in the water. The color of the shadow will determine what kind of fish it is, though you can also check before you cast your line. Standing next to the water, press Y to pull out your fishing rod and begin aiming your cast. Move the target over the fish’s shadow; when you’re locked on to it, a window will appear in the bottom-right corner of the screen with a distinctive beep sound, displaying info about the fish. From top to bottom, the info means:

• How strong the fish is
• How hard it’ll fight back against you
• How deep it swims
• Its bait preference (if you know it) will be under its name

Once you’ve got a lock, press A. A power meter will appear, so press A again when the pip is lined up with the shadow for a perfect cast. For weaker fish like Coddlers, another power meter will appear a moment later, so just line it up again, and you’ll reel it in right away.

For stronger fish like Salmon and Gilligans, though, this is the part where a Tussle begins. A circular meter will appear and start moving around; use the left stick to keep your pip centered on the red symbol to weaken the fish. When it gets weak enough, the power meter will appear, and you can reel it in. If the Tussle lasts too long or you go too far out of the red zone, your Line will snap and the fish will get away. Remember to press Y while you have your rod ready to manually reset your Line and Bait if they break/run out, as the game won’t do it for you.

Some fish swim too far below the surface for your regular Bobber lure. In this case, you’d use the Sinker lure. When using the Sinker, the process is generally the same, but with the added wrinkle of a depth meter after you cast your line. As the line sinks, press A again to land a fish at the right depth. Boglets, for instance, usually hang out at a depth of 9, so press A around there to start the Tussle and hook it.

Don’t be afraid to catch all the fish you come across, as they can be traded to NPCs for cash or to start certain sidequests!

Fishing is just one of the many sports to master in Sports Story! Before you can master more, though, you’ll need to know how to level up your Sport License. If you need a refresher on the basics, check out our Beginner’s Guide. Swing by our Facebook page too, while you’re at it.