| Fish | 6: Skippyjack, Toona, Loovar, Rusty Swordfish, Stowfish, Neptoona |
|---|---|
| Quest giver | Old Wayfarer, Bannan Island |
| You need |  Fishing Rod (reward for the mermaid quest, which needs the Boomerang) |
| Rewards | Big Catch Lure, 2 Ship Parts, 1 Heart Container |
Fishing in Phantom Hourglass is a side quest run by the Old Wayfarer on Bannan Island. After you get the Fishing Rod you can catch six kinds of fish at sea. Show him a Loovar and he gives you the Big Catch Lure, which lets you land the Rusty Swordfish and the legendary Neptoona. The Rusty Swordfish earns a Ship Part, a Stowfish hooked on a big catch earns another, and the Neptoona earns a Heart Container.
Table of Contents
Getting the Fishing Rod
The Fishing Rod is a reward for the mermaid quest on Bannan Island in the Northwestern Sea, so you need the Boomerang from the Temple of Fire first. Talk to the Old Wayfarer in his hut and he says he is waiting for a mermaid. Clear the monsters on the island, then look along the coast from your ship for a “mermaid” in the water and hit her with the Boomerang from a distance. She turns out to be Joanne in a costume and agrees to visit the Old Wayfarer. Go back to him, speak to Linebeck on the ship about what he saw, then return to the hut once more. The Old Wayfarer, delighted that his mermaid came, hands over the Fishing Rod. The full route is in the Northwestern Sea and Isle of Gust chapter.
How to fish
You can only fish from the ship, and only where a fish shadow moves in the water. Sail on top of a shadow, open the menu and tap Fish. The rod then takes over the touch screen.
Slide the stylus down the screen to pull up the rod. When you get a bite, lift up on the rod to set the hook; the timing matters. While the fish fights, the gauge on the top screen drops quickly if you do nothing. Slide the stylus down, away from the fish, to make it rise. When the fish jumps, take the stylus off the screen and ease up, because pulling at that moment lets it escape. Repeat this until the fish is landed. Larger fish take several rounds.
The six fish
Skippyjack
The Skippyjack is the common small fish and the first one you are likely to hook. It earns no reward, and the Old Wayfarer brushes it off as too common to impress him.
Toona
The Toona is a size up from the Skippyjack. The game calls it pretty big among the more common varieties, but it is still not rare enough to earn anything from the Old Wayfarer.
Loovar
The Loovar is rare and can take many tries to find. Bring one to the Old Wayfarer in his hut on Bannan Island. He is thrilled, and he gives you the Big Catch Lure.
Big Catch Lure
The Big Catch Lure is the Old Wayfarer’s reward for the Loovar. Once you own it, the big fish can be hooked at the same shadows, and the Old Wayfarer tells you to come to him whenever you catch something rare.
Rusty Swordfish
The Rusty Swordfish is a big, aggressive fish that only takes the Big Catch Lure and fights longer than a Loovar. Show it to the Old Wayfarer and he muses about staring into the eyes of the Neptoona. He rewards the catch with a Ship Part, which may reach you shortly afterward as a delivery with a note from him at the Bannan Island dock. Check Ship Parts to see which part you got.
Stowfish
The Stowfish is a tiny fish that you cannot target on its own. It sometimes clings to a Loovar or Rusty Swordfish while you reel the larger fish in. Show it to the Old Wayfarer and he gives you a Ship Part.
Neptoona
The Neptoona is the legendary fish, about 17 feet long, far larger than the others and harder to land. Once you have shown the Old Wayfarer the Rusty Swordfish, you can go after it. It lurks at a different, black swordfish-shaped shadow on your Sea Chart and is too big for the rod alone, so be ready to lift it out with the Salvage Arm. Catch it with the Big Catch Lure, then show it to the Old Wayfarer. He gives you a Heart Container, listed in Heart Containers.
Fish chart
| # | Fish | Where | Requirement | Reward |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Skippyjack | Fish shadows at sea | Fishing Rod | None |
| 2 | Toona | Fish shadows at sea | Fishing Rod | None |
| 3 | Loovar | Fish shadows at sea | Fishing Rod | Big Catch Lure |
| 4 | Rusty Swordfish | Fish shadows at sea | Big Catch Lure | Ship Part |
| 5 | Stowfish | Hooked on a large fish | Catch a Loovar or Rusty Swordfish | Ship Part |
| 6 | Neptoona | Black swordfish shadow at sea | Big Catch Lure, Rusty Swordfish shown first | Heart Container |
