Line-Breaks and Skill-ups

[Batrachophagus]

I was fishing for 30 minutes or so yesterday, starting on the docks in Selbina, and then on the ferry.

I had 4 line-breaks in 10 minutes, and lost 1 rig and 3 lures. All were on small fish ("Something caught the hook!" plenty of rod movement). Now I'm a new fisherman (skill 7), but I thought the only way for the line to break is if I tried to reel the fish when it's stamina bar wasn't depleted - can someone confirm please, because if that is the case it must be down to lag.

Having lost my Shrimp Lure, and suspecting lag, I bought lugworms to avoid the cost of any further line-breaks.

What happened next, was I got 9 skill-ups in under 30 minutes catching Bastore Sardines and Quus. Normally I fish Noble Ladies and Nebonites for profit, but rarely get any skill-ups (maybe 1 every couple of hours) and so my question is:

If you target fish way above your skill level, do skill-ups slow down dramatically, or was I just very lucky yesterday (well apart from the line-breaks)?

Thanks.

[LyonheartLakshmi]

Now I'm a new fisherman (skill 7), but I thought the only way for the line to break is if I tried to reel the fish when it's stamina bar wasn't depleted - can someone confirm please, because if that is the case it must be down to lag.

Even if you deplete stamina, the fish might break the line if the fish is simply too big for the type of rod you are using. If you are worried about losing a lure or a rig, the best thing to do is research all possible fish in the spot you are fishing, and pick a rod that can handle all of them. For a beginner fisher, I would suggest Hume Rod or Halcyon Rod.

What happened next, was I got 9 skill-ups in under 30 minutes catching Bastore Sardines and Quus. Normally I fish Noble Ladies and Nebonites for profit, but rarely get any skill-ups (maybe 1 every couple of hours) and so my question is:

If you target fish way above your skill level, do skill-ups slow down dramatically, or was I just very lucky yesterday (well apart from the line-breaks)?

I don't have any hard evidence to support one conclusion over another. And it's been a long time since I fished for skill ups. But at my level, I had better luck getting skill ups on stuff that was quite a ways over my level (Bastore Bream) than I did with stuff only a few levels above me (Gold Lobster, Shall Shells).

You could do Noble Ladies for the next 60 levels, but that would get rather boring, wouldn't it? I'd suggest picking fish closer to your level, just so you can change scenery every so often.

[KoukiRyu]

Umm, with my experience so far...mind I don't have fishing very far, it's similar to skilling up a normal craft. For example, you want something that is above your skill level, but not drastically. The difference with fishing is that you can only line break, or catch the fish, and with crafting, your chance of making something much higher is extremely low, and skill up is low. So simply, for more skill ups, do something that is anywhere from 3-9 levels higher than you are for best results. This is just from my experience, and no hard facts or evidence.

[Batrachophagus]

Thanks for the advice.

I am using a Halcyon rod and cancelling all large fish / monsters ("Something caught the Hook!!!") for fear of breaking it.

Are there small fish / items on the ferry that could cause a line-break? Or is it random?

[LyonheartLakshmi]

Kida's FFXI Fishing Database

Apparently, Rusty Subligars and Noble Ladies can snap the line on Halcyon, and even break a Hume Rod.

Btw, what in the world is behind that woman's hand in your avatar?

[Jei]

Halcyon on Ferry
- Noble ladies can break your line. About 1/10 chance.
- Rusty Subligar will always break your line.
These 2 are small fish.

About skill up. It's all luck. Just keep catching whatever is higher than your skill.

[Batrachophagus]

Lyonheart, my avatar is a young lady milking a cow, and enjoying some unpasteurised milk. If it looks like anything else, then I cropped it badly lol.

[Icemage]

Skillups are pretty random, BUT...

Staying within 10 levels of your current skill will generate more consistent skillups over time.

That said, there are going to be days when you wonder whether you're even targetting the right fish due to lack of skillups. This is normal. Don't panic when it happens (because it will).


Icemage

[Lucky and Elizabeth]

Skillups are pretty random, BUT...

Staying within 10 levels of your current skill will generate more consistent skillups over time.

That said, there are going to be days when you wonder whether you're even targetting the right fish due to lack of skillups. This is normal. Don't panic when it happens (because it will).


Icemage

Once it took me a few weeks of fishing just to get to lv 0.9

then in one 1hour I got to 2.2

I guess I got lucky that one hour

[Evion]

Necro!!!!!!! Seriously though, you need to catch the right fish to get skill-ups... Try fish that are not too far above your level and don't break lines and can sell and bla bla bla... Catch Moat Carp with Halcyon Rod and insect paste till level 11? Should take a couple of days only...