Glacierfish

[Rhiannon]

So I'm working on catching my last seven fish to complete the collection. I have caught two of rare ones so far (angler and mutant carp). I just spent 1.5 days trying to get the glacierfish and all I got was annoyed. I am level 10 fisher with fisher and pirate specialties. I'm using an iridium rod with cork bobber and regular bait. I'm using the correct spot as explained in the wiki.

The glacierfish was hooked maybe 10-12 times but I couldn't get it reeled in. It would jump to the top, smash down to the bottom and get off the hook before I could even get my "bar" down to the bottom.

Am I doing something wrong in trying to catch this thing? Will I lose my sanity trying to catch the last five rare fish? I don't have much left...

 

[LoveElliotsHair]

You aren't doing anything wrong. Have you made it to GI yet? There's a ingredient you can earn that kicks a food buff up a notch.

 

[Rhiannon]

You aren't doing anything wrong. Have you made it to GI yet? There's a ingredient you can earn that kicks a food buff up a notch.

Can I buff up beyond level 10? I haven't been using any food buffs when I fish. What should I be using?

 

[imnvs]

Okay, the two legendary fish you have caught (Mutant Carp and Angler) are the easiest of the legendary fish, just to warn you.

Crimsonfish is the easiest of the last 3 legendary fish, and at that point you're officially trying to catch fish harder to catch than the lava eel and octopus, the two hardest non-legendary fish...

...and yes, when it comes to the Crimsonfish, Glacierfish and Legend, they'll do exactly as you describe. Sometimes they aren't quite so rambunctious, since their behavior is "mixed", it could be anything. They could float, and then sink, and then dart, and then smooth. They are not easy at all.

Two things you didn't mention, that I feel need mentioning are the Master enchantment available for your fishing rod and Seafoam Pudding. Buffs can bring your skills past 10 with the Master enchantment at +1, and Seafoam Pudding at +4... make it with seasoning and it's a +5 for +6 total. Add on the cork bobber and your fishing bar should be huge, and that's how I personally outfit myself for catching the legendary fish as well as the most difficult non-legendary.

 

[Elenna101]

A few notes:

• Yeah, as imvns said, glacierfish is really hard. Actually a lot of people (me included) feel like it's the hardest fish in the game, even though stats-wise the Legend should be harder. Not sure why.
• As others have said, yes, you can buff your fishing past level 10, and it does make the bar a lot bigger. You should be able to get it to 14 even if you don't have Ginger Island open, if you have the ingredients for Seafoam Pudding (hopefully you saved a flounder or two, since you can't get those in winter).
• Personally I prefer the trap bobber for these really hard fish. My logic is that they can shoot up and down so quickly that they're bound to spend some time not on your bar no matter how big it is, and the trap bobber is good for mitigating that. But there are definitely people who prefer the cork bobber. YMMV
• When it does that thing where it shoots up and down the bar super fast, don't try to follow it. I know, it's a habit, but you aren't going to be able to keep up with it and there's a good chance that it's immediately going to come back down to where it started (and up again, and down again...) and if you just keep the bar there it'll end up back on the bar. So, if it's moving super fast, wait a second and see if it's actually going to stay in a different place.
• Keep trying! If nothing else, eventually the pattern will happen to be easier by random chance. The glacierfish at least has the advantage that it shows up on your rod a lot more often than the Legend.

 

[Rhiannon]

THANK YOU! I didn't know I could go above 10 on my fishing level. I haven't caught the midnight carp so I can't make the seaform pudding. But I'm heading there first thing in the morning. I had grabbed a few seasonings last time I was at the location to get it so I'll save that to buff up my pudding. I have only one prismatic shard so that enchantment is going to wait.

 

[imnvs]

I haven't caught the midnight carp so I can't make the seaform pudding. But I'm heading there first thing in the morning.

Ummm... morning? They're called "midnight" carp for a reason. You'll want to prepare properly and start fishing at 10pm in the valley at the mountain lake or forest pond, or at Ginger Island in a freshwater source either West or North. (I recommend the mountain lake as it has the deepest water available from those four sources.)

 

[Lew Zealand]

You may not even need to wait for Midnight Carp+Flounder for the Seafoam Pudding +4 Fishing buff because the reward you got from completing the Specialty Fish Bundle in the Community Center is 5 Dish O' The Sea, which is +3 Fishing. You may still have those laying around. Combined with the Trap Bobber, you may be able to catch the Glacierfish and wipe that silly grin off his face forthwith.

 

[Giant Octopodes]

Elenna covered the topic wonderfully. The + Fishing buffs definitely help, but they aren't a requirement at all, they just make it easier. This playthrough I got all the legendary fish iridium quality, which for me (since I can't perfect catch them, frankly it seems insane to try) required using the Quality Lure (rather than the vastly superior Trap Bobber or the imho worse for legendary fish but still very good cork bobber). The only one I used a fishing buff for was the Angler, because I needed it to get Iridium quality rather than gold on the catch even with the Quality Lure.

The biggest tip is what Elenna said in regards to not over pursuing. You don't want to spend all your time going up and down between the fish as it darts between the top and bottom. Cover it while it's on your "side" of the bar, and when it flips over, give it a sec to see if it's flipping back immediately, only flip yourself if it's apparent it's sticking around on that side. That exact same behavior you're describing is also exhibited by the Octopus, Legend, and Crimsonfish, so you'll definitely want to get used to the timing of when to pursue vs when to not.

Or you could go the other path, get a cork bobber and the biggest fishing buff you can, and *always* pursue, which is a requirement to perfect catch them if you want to for some insane reason. But that really seems like the way of pain to me, and I think if you practice patience you'll have a much easier time of this one and future fish. No matter what you decide to do I wish you the best of luck and hope you have fun!

 

[Rhiannon]

Got him! Thanks for all your suggestions. I happened to have some Dish 'o the Sea left over and used that. It was enough to catch a slower one. But I did end up with a few midnight carp to make some seaform pudding for the other frustrating ones!

 

[Lew Zealand]

The biggest tip is what Elenna said in regards to not over pursuing. You don't want to spend all your time going up and down between the fish as it darts between the top and bottom. Cover it while it's on your "side" of the bar, and when it flips over, give it a sec to see if it's flipping back immediately, only flip yourself if it's apparent it's sticking around on that side. That exact same behavior you're describing is also exhibited by the Octopus, Legend, and Crimsonfish, so you'll definitely want to get used to the timing of when to pursue vs when to not.

I've got to disagree here: not about the logic, that is spot on and what everyone should do. Instead about the ethos.

You're fishing up the Legends. The top fish in the sea... rivers. lakes. Whatever, the watery bits of the Valley. If you stroll in there all Buffed up with Fishing muscles, flexing your way to catching a Legendary Fish by barely chasing it around, the townspeople simply won't know that they're the Legends. You probably caught their cousins or family in from out of town. Little sisters wearing a bad Legend-shaped Spirit's Eve costume.

No, you need to make a big fat production out of it, chasing that Fish here and there, running up and down the shore like a nutball, lots of whoops and hollers. Maybe let 'em get away once in a while (yeah, I let him get away...) but ultimately hauling in the big catch to great fanfare.

All assuming that anyone's there to see. Your best bet is Sebastian or Abby and all Seb'll do is point and say, "you gonna eat that?"

 

[Johndeere756]

Yes, seafoam pudding is the way to go with the legendary fish. I finally caught every fish, but could not have done it with out it. It was still far from easy for me though, lol.

 

[Hill Myna]

I personally prefer the +3 of Lobster Bisque for catching any of the hard fish. It's fairly easy to cook, requiring 1 Lobster and 1 Milk (which are both non-seasonal ingredients). The best part is that its Buff last for a whopping 16m 47s compared to the 5m 35s of Dish O' The Sea and the minuscule 3m 30s that Seafoam Pudding can provide. I wouldn't bring anything else to help me catch an Octopus, because if you head straight to the Beach, you need 2 Seafoam Pudding or 1.5 Dish O' The Seas to cover the shift as opposed to the 1 Lobster Bisque. The downside is that you either have to wait until 14th of Winter, Year 2 for the Queen of Sauce or convince Willy to share his not-so-secret-recipe at 9 .

 

[Rhiannon]

What about the Curiosity Lure? Has anyone used that to catch a rare fish? I've moved on to the Legend now and was curious (no pun intended).

 

[Boo1972]

I actually have used the curiousity lure. I used it to catch the ice pip and some of Mr Qi’s new legendary fish. There are a few fish that seem to never bite. But, the curiosity lure didn’t seem to increase the bite rate of some rare fish all that much. Even with the curiosity lure, it took me half a day to get one nibble from the scorpion carp. Plus, if you are trying for difficult fish, you have to give up the trap bobber or cork bobber. Still, I always keep a few on hand- just in case.

 

[benjellyman]

I actually caught the glacierfish today. The first attempt I tried, I thought, “nope.” I lost the thing in 3 seconds. (Lvl 10 farmer) And I tried two more times and the dumb thing was insanely hard to catch. So I just ate a fishing buff (fish of the sea) and put a trap bobber on, and I caught the thing in 10 seconds. So I recommend fishing buffs to help catch these fish.

 

[Jennita]

I used Seafoam pudding and Trap bobber to catch Legend.

 

[Lenora Rose]

I'm heavily pro trap bobbers for the legendary level and I can't imagine catching any if them except the anglers without buffs, though the difference between the lobster bisque and the seafoam pudding isn't *as* noticeable as I was afraid of. Maybe someone is goid enough to do it with a bamboo rod and their own chutzpah, but not me.

(going back to a new farmer and the bamboo rod was a reminder just how much the "skill" isn't me getting better but me having real tools)

 

[Lew Zealand]

You can catch the Legends with just a Trap Bobber and no other buff, but you need a bit of luck and maybe tenacity and patience? Having not planned well, I ended up needing to catch the Legend II with only a Trap and lost it twice but got in the third try. I'd much prefer having a Dish o' the Sea or Seafoam Pudding but needs must.

 

[Lew Zealand]

OK okok I said I wasn't gonna do this again but not only did I do this again (%$#@% Qi apparently loves his Legends and nothing else) but true to form, I forgot to craft any Fishing Buffs or bring my Trap Bobbers, which I actually do have. In a Chest. Somewhere.

Probably.

Anyway, 1 Glacierfish Jr. down with no Tackle or Buffs. We'll see how the rest go...