Darkgolem
06-12-2008, 12:53
Fishing in Middle Earth is fun and easy, a nice way to pass time, and can sometimes net you valuable trophies and recipe ingredients. The basics of fishing are very easy to learn, and there are some moderate permutations to the basics which members of the Free People might be interested in learning.
How to Fish
Go To A Hobby Master: There are trainers for hobbies, specifically called hobby masters, found in multiple locations in Middle Earth. Simply talk to them and they will give you a basic fishing pole and the ability to fish. They also will have a basic quest which directs you to a fishing vendor. You should place the icon for fishing from your skill list into one of your hotkey bars.
Go To A Body of Water: The water must be deep enough that you have to swim if you travel through it, otherwise any body of water will do.
Now Fish: face the water, and be close to the water. Equip your fishing pole and click your icon for fishing. Your line will be tossed into the water, and you simply watch for the fishing rod to bob. Then click the icon for fishing (quickly). You will capture a fish.
Fishing NPC Trainers and Vendors
Location Name Function
Estmar Bolger Bird and Baby Inn, The Shire Hobby Master
Haldor Last Homely House, Rivendell Hobby Master
Henry Oakshott Scholar's Stair Archives, Bree-Town Hobby Master
Refkell Thorin's Hall, Ered Luin Hobby Master
Misty Bolger Bywater, The Shire Bait Vendor
Joy Bloomer Staddle, Bree-Land Bait Vendor
Garbert Fords of Bruinen, Trollshaws Bait Vendor
Nokki Noglond, Ered Luin Bait Vendor
Your Fishing Skill
You will catch different fish depending upon your fishing skill which is modified by how good your fishing rod is what (if any) type of bait you are using, and where you are.
Fishing Skill: the higher your fishing skill, the better fish (or objects) you will catch. However, this does not preclude less valuable objects, it just increases the upper end of the range of items you can get.
To increase your fishing skill, you simply have to fish a lot, and (though you can't see your roll) randomly get a fish or object that is difficult at your present range of skill to get. So for example, if the hardest fish at your present skill at fishing you can get are flounder or catfish, then if you catch anything else, you will not increase in skill, but if you catch a flounder or catfish, then you will increase in skill. This means that at the upper tiers of fishing, your skill increases occur dramatically less than when you start fishing. It takes roughly 3-4 hours to gain your last 10 points of fishing skill, and about 20 minutes for your first 10 points of skill. You can only increase your skill by 10 points per day (the "clock" resets at midnight EST), except on your first point of fishing, which does not count to this rule. Your skill bar turns yellow (like increasing a deed) when you have hit your maximum. Since the maximum in fishing skill is 200 points, this means you can reach perfection in fishing in 20 days.
Fishing Rods: Fishing rods can be made by woodworkers, using crafting recipes which are purchased at woodworker crafting supplies. You also gain a basic rod from the hobby master when you gain the fishing hobby. Fishing Rods (beyond the basic starter rod) provide you with a bonus to your skill when you use them, which increases the minimum fish you can get. That is, it won't bring your fishing skill beyond your maximum, but it will increase your roll beyond the lowest it can roll. So if you have a 75 fishing skill, you with a +5 fishing rod, you roll 5 higher for your skill, but cannot pass 75 for your roll. This makes it somewhat more likely you raise your skill, though this is less important at the higher skill levels, and makes it more likely you will receive a rarer object or fish. There are no level ranges on fishing rods.
Fishing Rod Types
Basic Rod No Bonus
Yew Pole +1 Skill Level
Well-Made Yew Pole +3 Skill Level
Lebethron Pole +4 Skill Level
Well-Made Lebrethon Pole +5 Skill Level
Bait: Bait provide you with a bonus to your fishing skill when you use them. They are clickable consumables you purchase, which provide a bonus to all fishing attempts for a period of time. The types of bait available are Leech Bait, Nightcrawler Bait and Red Wiggler Bait. These provide a slight, moderate and great increase in your skill, respectively, though exact numbers of the increase are not known. Bait is not required to fish.
What You Catch
What you catch when fishing depends upon your modified skill level and where you are fishing. There is a general list of fish and objects which you can catch, and unique fish which can be caught only in certain zones. You can catch three different types of things when fishing. These are regular fish, trophy fish, and objects. Objects are junk which sell for various small amounts, ranging from balls of gunk to ancient swords or similar objects. Regular fish are just what they sound like, and some of these fish are used in recipes by cooks. These recipes are available from cooking suppliers plus Suryi-Kyla in Forochel.
Trophy Fish: Trophy fish are fish that can be stuffed at a taxidermist and displayed in your or another's home. Trophy fish are not much use for sale, they don't sell for more than a few silvers in almost any circumstance.
Auction House Trophy Fish
Name
Bright Bitterling Giant Goldfish Barbarous Barbel
Fantastic Flounder Magnificent Minnow Delightful Dace
Perfect Pike Brawny Bullhead Courageous Carp
Big Mouth Bass Superb Smelt Colourful Charr
Great Golden Mullet Ruthless Rudd Cunning Catfish
Huge Houting Gleaming Grayling Nasty Nine-Spined Stickleback
Perfect Perch 2-Pound Salmon Tricky Three-Spined
15-Pound Salmon Note: All fish trophies cost 1S, 38C, and post for 55C. They are barter items.
Regular Fish and Objects: Fish themselves are not particularly profitable for the time spent. You can make some money, but in general, only through recipes and in specific situations like that will you make a true profit from fish. In addition to all regular fish, each individual zone has specific fish you can catch there.
General Catch Chart
Name
Description
Value
Charr
A brown-coloured fish with an orange underside.
1C
Goldfish
A tiny, yellow-coloured fish.
1C
Bitterling
A small silvery fish.
1C
Minnow
A small silvery fish.
1C
Rusty Dagger
This dagger's edge is rusted beyond repair.
1C
Weeds
Congratulations! You caught a bunch of plants!
2C
Ball of Gunk
Completely disgusting and totally useless.
2C
Smelt
A long, slender, silvery fish.
1C
Catfish
A fish named for it's many barbules, which look similar to the whiskers of cat.
1C
Barbel
A white-coloured fish with small black freckles.
1C
Dace
A small silvery fish with a white underside.
1C
Rudd
Once called the golden fish of the lake, this olive-coloured fish has a yellow underside and red tipped fins.
1C
Rusty Hammer
This hammer might have belonged to a smith at one point in time.
1C
Bullhead
This small fish has a large mouth and wide, flattened head.
1C
Brown Trout
A medium sized trout
25C
Dwarf Sturgeon
One of the smallest sturgeons.
25C
Grayling
The grayling has a large dorsal fin that extends for one-third of the fishes total length.
13C
Old Boot
A water-logged boot.
2C
Perch
A perch has an olive-coloured back and gold sides marked by black stripes.
13C
Houting
A long, slender fish that has a silvery-blue color.
13C
Speckled Trout
Speckled trout have elongated bodies and two large canine teeth.
25C
Lake Trout
The lake trout is the largest of all trouts.
25C
Drift Wood
A piece of drift wood.
1S, 70C
Brown Trout
A medium-sized trout.
25C
Rusty Mace
A relic from an unknown battle.
1C
Nine Spined Stickleback
The colour of this fish varies, with each season.
13C
Shovel-nose Sturgeon
Shovel-nose Sturgeon are usually found in rivers with strong currents.
25C
Golden Mullet
A touch of gold on it's gill cover has given this silvery-coloured fish an interesting name.
13C
Three Spined Stickleback
This fish is named for the three spines found in front of it's dorsal fin.
13C
Bandfin Darter
A beautiful bandfin darter.
25C
Flounder
A large flatfish that is often found in shallow waters.
28C
Rusty Sword
This sword has been underwater for a long time.
1C
Carp
The carp is considered by many fisherman to be a difficult catch.
13C
Largemouth Bass
The largemouth bass will often leap from the water in an effort to escape capture.
13C
Dirty Skull
The barnacled skull of an unknown beast.
1S, 70C
Pike
Pike are notoriously known as determined fighters.
13C
Dwarf Sturgeon
One of the smallest sturgeon
25C
Rusty Axe
This rusty axe probably belonged to a forester.
1C
Deeds and Quests
There are some deeds you can acquire as you increase your fishing skill.
These are:
Rank 10: Apprentice Angler
Rank 50: Journeyman Angler
Rank 100: Expert Angler
Rank 150: Master Angler
Rank 200: Lord/Lady of The Streams
There are also fishing quests. At this time, there are only three, one of which is a repeatable favor quest. These are Fisherman's Friend, Empty Larder and (repeatable) Bounty of The Sea. All of these are found in Forochel.
How to Fish
Go To A Hobby Master: There are trainers for hobbies, specifically called hobby masters, found in multiple locations in Middle Earth. Simply talk to them and they will give you a basic fishing pole and the ability to fish. They also will have a basic quest which directs you to a fishing vendor. You should place the icon for fishing from your skill list into one of your hotkey bars.
Go To A Body of Water: The water must be deep enough that you have to swim if you travel through it, otherwise any body of water will do.
Now Fish: face the water, and be close to the water. Equip your fishing pole and click your icon for fishing. Your line will be tossed into the water, and you simply watch for the fishing rod to bob. Then click the icon for fishing (quickly). You will capture a fish.
Fishing NPC Trainers and Vendors
Location Name Function
Estmar Bolger Bird and Baby Inn, The Shire Hobby Master
Haldor Last Homely House, Rivendell Hobby Master
Henry Oakshott Scholar's Stair Archives, Bree-Town Hobby Master
Refkell Thorin's Hall, Ered Luin Hobby Master
Misty Bolger Bywater, The Shire Bait Vendor
Joy Bloomer Staddle, Bree-Land Bait Vendor
Garbert Fords of Bruinen, Trollshaws Bait Vendor
Nokki Noglond, Ered Luin Bait Vendor
Your Fishing Skill
You will catch different fish depending upon your fishing skill which is modified by how good your fishing rod is what (if any) type of bait you are using, and where you are.
Fishing Skill: the higher your fishing skill, the better fish (or objects) you will catch. However, this does not preclude less valuable objects, it just increases the upper end of the range of items you can get.
To increase your fishing skill, you simply have to fish a lot, and (though you can't see your roll) randomly get a fish or object that is difficult at your present range of skill to get. So for example, if the hardest fish at your present skill at fishing you can get are flounder or catfish, then if you catch anything else, you will not increase in skill, but if you catch a flounder or catfish, then you will increase in skill. This means that at the upper tiers of fishing, your skill increases occur dramatically less than when you start fishing. It takes roughly 3-4 hours to gain your last 10 points of fishing skill, and about 20 minutes for your first 10 points of skill. You can only increase your skill by 10 points per day (the "clock" resets at midnight EST), except on your first point of fishing, which does not count to this rule. Your skill bar turns yellow (like increasing a deed) when you have hit your maximum. Since the maximum in fishing skill is 200 points, this means you can reach perfection in fishing in 20 days.
Fishing Rods: Fishing rods can be made by woodworkers, using crafting recipes which are purchased at woodworker crafting supplies. You also gain a basic rod from the hobby master when you gain the fishing hobby. Fishing Rods (beyond the basic starter rod) provide you with a bonus to your skill when you use them, which increases the minimum fish you can get. That is, it won't bring your fishing skill beyond your maximum, but it will increase your roll beyond the lowest it can roll. So if you have a 75 fishing skill, you with a +5 fishing rod, you roll 5 higher for your skill, but cannot pass 75 for your roll. This makes it somewhat more likely you raise your skill, though this is less important at the higher skill levels, and makes it more likely you will receive a rarer object or fish. There are no level ranges on fishing rods.
Fishing Rod Types
Basic Rod No Bonus
Yew Pole +1 Skill Level
Well-Made Yew Pole +3 Skill Level
Lebethron Pole +4 Skill Level
Well-Made Lebrethon Pole +5 Skill Level
Bait: Bait provide you with a bonus to your fishing skill when you use them. They are clickable consumables you purchase, which provide a bonus to all fishing attempts for a period of time. The types of bait available are Leech Bait, Nightcrawler Bait and Red Wiggler Bait. These provide a slight, moderate and great increase in your skill, respectively, though exact numbers of the increase are not known. Bait is not required to fish.
What You Catch
What you catch when fishing depends upon your modified skill level and where you are fishing. There is a general list of fish and objects which you can catch, and unique fish which can be caught only in certain zones. You can catch three different types of things when fishing. These are regular fish, trophy fish, and objects. Objects are junk which sell for various small amounts, ranging from balls of gunk to ancient swords or similar objects. Regular fish are just what they sound like, and some of these fish are used in recipes by cooks. These recipes are available from cooking suppliers plus Suryi-Kyla in Forochel.
Trophy Fish: Trophy fish are fish that can be stuffed at a taxidermist and displayed in your or another's home. Trophy fish are not much use for sale, they don't sell for more than a few silvers in almost any circumstance.
Auction House Trophy Fish
Name
Bright Bitterling Giant Goldfish Barbarous Barbel
Fantastic Flounder Magnificent Minnow Delightful Dace
Perfect Pike Brawny Bullhead Courageous Carp
Big Mouth Bass Superb Smelt Colourful Charr
Great Golden Mullet Ruthless Rudd Cunning Catfish
Huge Houting Gleaming Grayling Nasty Nine-Spined Stickleback
Perfect Perch 2-Pound Salmon Tricky Three-Spined
15-Pound Salmon Note: All fish trophies cost 1S, 38C, and post for 55C. They are barter items.
Regular Fish and Objects: Fish themselves are not particularly profitable for the time spent. You can make some money, but in general, only through recipes and in specific situations like that will you make a true profit from fish. In addition to all regular fish, each individual zone has specific fish you can catch there.
General Catch Chart
Name
Description
Value
Charr
A brown-coloured fish with an orange underside.
1C
Goldfish
A tiny, yellow-coloured fish.
1C
Bitterling
A small silvery fish.
1C
Minnow
A small silvery fish.
1C
Rusty Dagger
This dagger's edge is rusted beyond repair.
1C
Weeds
Congratulations! You caught a bunch of plants!
2C
Ball of Gunk
Completely disgusting and totally useless.
2C
Smelt
A long, slender, silvery fish.
1C
Catfish
A fish named for it's many barbules, which look similar to the whiskers of cat.
1C
Barbel
A white-coloured fish with small black freckles.
1C
Dace
A small silvery fish with a white underside.
1C
Rudd
Once called the golden fish of the lake, this olive-coloured fish has a yellow underside and red tipped fins.
1C
Rusty Hammer
This hammer might have belonged to a smith at one point in time.
1C
Bullhead
This small fish has a large mouth and wide, flattened head.
1C
Brown Trout
A medium sized trout
25C
Dwarf Sturgeon
One of the smallest sturgeons.
25C
Grayling
The grayling has a large dorsal fin that extends for one-third of the fishes total length.
13C
Old Boot
A water-logged boot.
2C
Perch
A perch has an olive-coloured back and gold sides marked by black stripes.
13C
Houting
A long, slender fish that has a silvery-blue color.
13C
Speckled Trout
Speckled trout have elongated bodies and two large canine teeth.
25C
Lake Trout
The lake trout is the largest of all trouts.
25C
Drift Wood
A piece of drift wood.
1S, 70C
Brown Trout
A medium-sized trout.
25C
Rusty Mace
A relic from an unknown battle.
1C
Nine Spined Stickleback
The colour of this fish varies, with each season.
13C
Shovel-nose Sturgeon
Shovel-nose Sturgeon are usually found in rivers with strong currents.
25C
Golden Mullet
A touch of gold on it's gill cover has given this silvery-coloured fish an interesting name.
13C
Three Spined Stickleback
This fish is named for the three spines found in front of it's dorsal fin.
13C
Bandfin Darter
A beautiful bandfin darter.
25C
Flounder
A large flatfish that is often found in shallow waters.
28C
Rusty Sword
This sword has been underwater for a long time.
1C
Carp
The carp is considered by many fisherman to be a difficult catch.
13C
Largemouth Bass
The largemouth bass will often leap from the water in an effort to escape capture.
13C
Dirty Skull
The barnacled skull of an unknown beast.
1S, 70C
Pike
Pike are notoriously known as determined fighters.
13C
Dwarf Sturgeon
One of the smallest sturgeon
25C
Rusty Axe
This rusty axe probably belonged to a forester.
1C
Deeds and Quests
There are some deeds you can acquire as you increase your fishing skill.
These are:
Rank 10: Apprentice Angler
Rank 50: Journeyman Angler
Rank 100: Expert Angler
Rank 150: Master Angler
Rank 200: Lord/Lady of The Streams
There are also fishing quests. At this time, there are only three, one of which is a repeatable favor quest. These are Fisherman's Friend, Empty Larder and (repeatable) Bounty of The Sea. All of these are found in Forochel.