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A while ago Truvy made this post called Bait and Lures: A new focus. I have just read the post again and it does not take into account the fact that some fish prefer certain bait. I know that all fish will bite any bait/lure as long as it is the right kind of water but some fish will prefer bait/lures. I thought it would be great to get all information on these things. The information currently in the database is not complete and very lacking. I would love to have the data accurate and meaningful so that we can say with out doubt what bait/lure to use when trying to target a certain fish.

So I have attached a list of all the fish in the game so far. Let me know if you know what kind of bait/lures they prefer...

Crayfish
Bites on: Freshwater bait and lures
Preferred: Syrphid Basket, Chocobo Fly

Maiden Carp
Bites on: Freshwater bait and lures
Preferred: Syrphid Basket, Rat Tail, Wildfowl Fly

Tiger Cod
Bites on: Saltwater bait and lures
Preferred: Floating Minnow, Goby Ball

Merlthor Goby
Bites on: Saltwater bait and lures
Preferred: Sinking Minnow, Crab Ball, Goby Ball

Malm Kelp
Bites on: Saltwater bait and lures
Preferred:

Tree Toad
Bites on: Freshwater bait and lures
Preferred:

Striped Goby
Bites on: Freshwater bait and lures
Preferred: Syrphid Basket, Crayfish Ball, Wildfowl Fly

Pipira
Bites on: Freshwater bait and lures
Preferred: Syrphid Basket, Crayfish Ball, Rat Tail, Wildfowl Fly

Ocean Cloud
Bites on: Saltwater bait and lures
Preferred:

Brass Loach
Bites on: Freshwater bait and lures
Preferred: Syrphid Basket, Rat Tail, Topwater Frog

Rainbow Trout
Bites on: Freshwater bait and lures
Preferred:

Vongola Clam
Bites on: Saltwater bait and lures
Preferred: Goby Ball, Sinking Minnow

Coral Butterfly
Bites on: Saltwater bait and lures
Preferred:

Ala Mhigan Fighting Fish
Bites on: Freshwater bait and lures
Preferred: Wildfowl Fly, Syrphid Basket, Rat Tail

Yugr'am Salmon
Bites on: Freshwater bait and lures
Preferred: Bass Ball

Sea Cucumber
Bites on: Saltwater bait and lures
Preferred: Crab Ball

Miter Shell
Bites on: Saltwater bait and lures
Preferred:

Razor Clam
Bites on: Saltwater bait and lures
Preferred:

Black Eel
Bites on: Freshwater bait and lures
Preferred:

Helmet Crab
Bites on: Saltwater bait and lures
Preferred: Cagefeeder

Sandfish
Bites on: Freshwater bait and lures
Preferred:

White Coral
Bites on: Saltwater bait and lures
Preferred: Rat Tail, Floating Minnow

Bianaq Bream
Bites on: Saltwater bait and lures
Preferred: Spoon lure, Rat Tail, Floating Minnow

Dark Bass
Bites on: Freshwater bait and lures
Preferred:

Black Ghost
Bites on: Freshwater bait and lures
Preferred:

Sea Pickle
Bites on: Saltwater bait and lures
Preferred:

Lava Toad
Bites on: Freshwater bait and lures
Preferred: Syrphid Basket

Blue Coral
Bites on: Saltwater bait and lures
Preferred: Rat Tail, Goby Ball

Nautilus
Bites on: Saltwater bait and lures
Preferred:

River Crab
Bites on: Freshwater bait and lures
Preferred: Chocobo Fly

Nether Newt
Bites on: Freshwater bait and lures
Preferred: Crow Flies

Rothlyt Oyster
Bites on: Saltwater bait and lures
Preferred:

Box Turtle
Bites on: Freshwater bait and lures
Preferred:

Lamp Marimo
Bites on: Freshwater bait and lures
Preferred:

Ash Tuna
Bites on: Saltwater bait and lures
Preferred: Cage Feeder, Rat Tail

Hammerhead Shark
Bites on: Saltwater bait and lures
Preferred: Spoon lure, Rat Tail, Herring Ball

Monke Onke
Bites on: Freshwater bait and lures
Preferred:

Bone Crayfish
Bites on: Freshwater bait and lures
Preferred: Syrphid Basket, Crayfish Ball

Blowfish
Bites on: Saltwater bait and lures
Preferred:

Silver Shark
Bites on: Saltwater bait and lures
Preferred: Herring Ball

Indigo Herring
Bites on: Saltwater bait and lures
Preferred: Spoon lure

Blindfish
Bites on: Freshwater bait and lures
Preferred: Syrphid Basket

Southern Pike
Bites on: Freshwater bait and lures
Preferred: Syrphid Basket

Red Coral
Bites on: Saltwater bait and lures
Preferred: Rat Tail, Goby Ball

Saber Sardine
Bites on: Saltwater bait and lures
Preferred:

Crimson Crayfish
Bites on: Freshwater bait and lures
Preferred: Wildfowl Fly, Syrphid Basket, Snurble Fly

Northern Pike
Bites on: Freshwater bait and lures
Preferred: Wildfowl Fly, Syrphid Basket

Haraldr Haddock
Bites on: Saltwater bait and lures
Preferred: Spoon lure, Rat Tail

Velodnya Carp
Bites on: Freshwater bait and lures
Preferred: Wildfowl Fly, Syrphid Basket

Black Sole
Bites on: Saltwater bait and lures
Preferred: Rat Tails, Sinking Minnow, Floating Minnow

Wahoo
Bites on: Saltwater bait and lures
Preferred:

Edited by user Tuesday, February 22, 2011 1:39:28 AM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Well based on the current "bug" in the Grade 10 fishing area, it's safe to assume that Maiden Carp, Pipira, Brass Loach and Striped Goby like Syrphid Baskets since they bite on them like crazy. This would need to be tried in another area (Grade 5 or below) to verify this though.

I'm going to try some more live bait here this week to see if these fish will react the same because it's kind of a pain to farm up the syrphid flies. I'm hoping some of the cooking crafted bait such as crayfish balls respond well because the materials to make them are easily accessible.

I haven't done any extraneous fishing but the last session was strictly with Goby Ball +1 (About 73 casts) at the ferry port in Thanalan (Waxing Crescent I believe) and Tiger Cods seem to like this bait a lot since I catch them more than the Hammerhead at the shark's sweet spot but I also catch a lot of Hammerheads as well. I would say roughly 60% Tiger Cod and 40% Hammerheads. I do not catch anything else with this bait at that particular location and in that sweet spot.

OP updated.

Thank you Orophin... The overlaps are no problem at all

Helmet Crabs like Cagefeeders.

Red Coral / Haraldr Haddock / Ash Tuna / Blue Coral = Rat Tail

Red Coral / Blue Coral = Goby Ball

Edited by user Tuesday, February 15, 2011 5:21:04 PM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Yeah I feel your pain on this. Looking back at fishing in general...Talk about a complex and mysterious system! Its a wonder we can catch any fish at all! :p

Of all the things that factor into fishing, NONE of it seems to give any real "proven" benefit. Examples of 'things' that affect fishing:

Bait and Lures
==============
Types - Fresh and Salt (ok, these NOW do affect bites...so that's 1 I guess)

Rank - There is 'some' indication as to what the rank of a bait affects when fishing a given pool, but lots of that data is clouded togeher with effects from other factors.

Quality - +1,+2 and +3 baits and lures. Very hard (for me anyways) to tell how this factors in catching fish. Espically for consumable baits since getting a LOT of HQ baits is difficult and limits your testing pool. (Again, results clouded by lots of

Favor - There is no denying that certain fish "favor" one bait over another. The consistancy of this though is frustrating. Some times i can go 10+ sucessful bites on X bait for Y fish, and then the next time I get the same Y fish using the same X bait, but now "The fish seem to be biting on X". Very random indeed.

Gear and DoL Stats
==================
Condition - If your gear is not abover 50% you get a reduced effect from the stats it provides. Confirmed recently by SE, this relates to Gathering and Output for DoL. (Perception and Scanning were NOT specifically mentioned, but it seems to reason they would suffer as well)

Stats - Recently clarified by SE for us we now know for sure that Gathering = Depletion rate of Remainder Bar, Perception = Effect on Quality (HQ) of items gathered, and Output = effect on number of times you can gather from a node AND time you have to wait between bites.

Char Stats - Str, Vit, Dex, Pie, etc... The stat as it relates to a given class main or offhand tool is known. What it DOES for you is not.

Grades and Ranks
================

There is no set formula of what # of Gathering points you need to have to collect from Grade X. Its more a 'feel' sorta thing. Generally speaking, they sorta go in order...0-10 Grade 1, 11-20 Grade 2, etc. However it 'appears' that there is an effect of the Rank of the fish in the water to your ability ti sucessfully fish there.

Case in point. (see prior thread of fast leveling from 30-50) Just because Grade 10 waters have low rank fish in them, doesn't mean you can at R10 Fishing drop a line and expect to level up. In fact, bites would be near non-existant (assumption from what i've heard from others...never tried it myself as I was 50 before i realized there was waters higher than Grade 5). It is believe that perhaps BITE RATE is based more on your Rank, and sucessful Jigging is based more on the combination of Gathering/Scanning as it relates to the fish. (Once you HAVE a Merthor Goby on the line...its difficulty in reeling it in is NO DIFFERENT if its Grade 2 or Grade 10) [NOTE: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE correct me if I am wrong in that assumption, at R50 its hard to tell the difference, but I DID test specifically the Merthor Goby from Isle of Umbra (Grade 10) vs Off the shore of Skull Valley and the remainder depletion to reel it in (and jig positions) were identical for me.]


o.O

No real point trying to be made, just that i feel your pain about the randomness of fishing and its mechanics. Factor into it Weather, Moon Cycles, Days of the week, etc....and it gets a little much for this poor lalafell to wrap her brain around.

Random is now a programming failure? Jesus.

OT, I got the 'the fish seem to be biting on floating minnows' for both Bianaq Bream and White Coral.

Thanks for all the new info... OP has been updated.