How can I get to level 5 fishing on day 3?

[50Pack]

Any tips on getting to level 5 fishing on day 3? I am very close to level 2 at the beginning of day 3 ( only need a few fish to get to level 3. ) after level 3 I am struggling. I am fishing in the river and I am losing a TON of xp because I literally can’t catch catfish. They are so erratic and I literally can’t catch them. Since I can’t catch them I can barely make it to level 4 by the end of the day. I am on an endless cycle of not being able to get to level 5 and having to restart the day. Any tips?

 

[WanderingWendaline]

Is there a specific reason you have to fish at the river? The lake might be a little easier

 

[50Pack]

Is there a specific reason you have to fish at the river? The lake might be a little easier

I was told river because of the cat fish. They sell for more money. Would it be better to fish somewhere else to level to 5 ?

 

[WanderingWendaline]

Well, it's only day three so I imagine you don't have many resources like tackle or fishing foods available. So I'd say either try sacrificing the extra money + xp for something easier, or keep practicing catching the catfish. It might take a few tries, but it's not impossible

 

[Ereo]

I was told river because of the cat fish. They sell for more money. Would it be better to fish somewhere else to level to 5 ?

well, if you can’t catch catfish this is pointless. I’d try the lake.

 

[Gamer1234556]

Any tips on getting to level 5 fishing on day 3? I am very close to level 2 at the beginning of day 3 ( only need a few fish to get to level 3. ) after level 3 I am struggling. I am fishing in the river and I am losing a TON of xp because I literally can’t catch catfish. They are so erratic and I literally can’t catch them. Since I can’t catch them I can barely make it to level 4 by the end of the day. I am on an endless cycle of not being able to get to level 5 and having to restart the day. Any tips?

Funnily enough I actually have been trying this and I have actually succeeded at getting Level 2 at Day 3, and then reaching Level 4 at Day 4.

My general rule of thumb is that having Trout Soup on Day 2. You want enough money to eat one and then after the effect runs out you buy another one to eat and then fish more till that runs out too. That way you can reach Level 2 easily for the Fiberglass Rod + Bait. Ideally you would rather get Bait through chests but if you have to then just buy it from Willy with whatever remaining money you have.

As for Catfish, well… Day 3 tends to be a rainy day, so there I would just go to the beach and try my luck with eels instead because they tend to be slightly easier to catch, but I usually get my catfish in the Town near the two bushes at Jodi’s house. Using a Sea Jelly you get from Day 2 fishing tends to help because it gives you the same effect Trout Soup does, but if you didn’t get one then you may as well buy it.

Usually the point of hardcore fishing early on is to get enough money to afford both the Fiberglass Rod and then the backpack upgrade before the mines open. The backpack upgrade makes the mines go by a lot smoother since you get a lot of stuff there and you can craft or sell more.

 

[NotSoSnarky]

I tend to get level 5 fishing on day 5. In order to get it on day 3 you need to look out for Fish Taco, Trout Soup, Dish O' the Sea, Fish Stew, Shrimp Cocktail, or Chowder, which will up your fishing level (for that day, not forever). Check the Salon every day, Gus can sell various dish of the day, which one could potentially be a fishing buff. Plus, Willy always sells Trout Soup.

Mountain Lake is best for Bullhead and Largemouth Bass. Beach is a little harder unless your fishing level is up one. Bullhead is pretty smooth catch compared to other fish out there.

You can get Catfish at fishing level 1 (I have), but I also haven't. It just highly depends. Save gold for trout soup, that could help with catching catfish.

Also, day 3 isn't the only day it rains either. If I was unlucky on day 3 (which I have been unlucky), I'll pick another day to get the catfish.

I would fish to get enough gold for the fiberglass rod, so you can put bait on it. Willy will also sell different fish bait every day, including but not limited to catfish bait.

I tend to fish aggressively for the fish bait maker at fishing level 6, which outside a few random fish, usually catches whatever fish you put in the bait maker.

 

[Setrux]

I always reach fishing level 5 on the fourth day easily using the strategy I'm about to tell you:

On the SECOND day, I take Willy's fishing rod and go straight to the mountains, where I place my chest in the lower corner of the map, where Sebastian smoked every day. There, I weigh non-stop until midnight, then I go back home and sell all the fish. (Trust me, you'll understand!) Always end the day with fishing level 2...

On the THIRD day, I take advantage of the rain and go to the beach, where I weigh eels and snails. If you didn't get 2000g of fish on the second day, fish on the beach until 4 PM and then go to Willy's house and sell the fish you caught, buy the fiberglass rod and use the rest for bait.

Q: But why do you do that?

A: Getting the fiberglass fishing rod quickly makes you fish faster > more fish > more chests > more experience > more money!

So, with the fishing rod in hand, I fish until 1:50 AM, store all the fish in the beach chest, and pass out. That way, I reach fishing level 4!

On the fourth day, I return to the mountains and fish in the same spot until 2 AM, when I pass out with all my fish, thus reaching fishing level 5! Then, I go to Willy with the fish and sell everything on the fifth day.

Following this strategy, I sell everything at once because the fish from the mountains go straight to my inventory, and the fish from the beach stay there waiting for me to sell the first batch and collect them. Besides reaching fishing level 5, I usually get 7,000 to 10,000 gold with this strategy on the fifth day! You decide if you want to hurry up and get the mine, spend the day planting seeds, fish a little more... Anyway, I hope this helped!

 

[WorstDecorator]

Catfish are great for money, but poor for XP gain, especially since you are not, realistically speaking, going to Perfect Catch any of them. the key to getting Level 5 fishing ASAP is prioritizing experience gain, not money gain. The money will come later.

Mountain Lake fishing is superior even on that first rainy day because Carp are EASY. Basically guaranteed perfect catches, and to get Fishing 5 on Day 3 you need to prioritize XP, not G (the money will come later). Bullheads also have a simple pattern you'll be able to start recognizing and predicting as well.

Generally speaking I advise ship-selling as much forage as you can at the end of Day 1, so you can get the 1800 G for a fiberglass rod before Willy closes on Day 2 even if you spend the day perfect catching cheap ocean fish (which I recommend, to cut down on time lost running around the map on this day). Also, make an extra chest or 2 on Day 1 because you'll want one outside Willy's door and up by the lake to deal with the fact that you'll be catching way more stuff than you have inventory slot for. Late night Spring ocean fishing means Halibut, which are decent money and not too difficult to reel in. Fishing 3 is very doable. GET THE TRAINING ROD. It's only 25 (less than the resale value of a herring!) and will make it much easier to rack up perfect catches early.

Day 3 I like to fish outside Willy's until 9, sell everything I stored overnight in the chest as soon as he opens, load up on bait (and get the fiber rod if i couldn't afford it on day 2), get to the lake around 1030-11 game time, set a chest up there and fish until I pass out. Carp are EASY, virtually guaranteed perfect catch, and Bullheads have a very simple and predictable pattern that you'll get used to before long.

A little luck with bubbles and/or treasure chests or even an early artifact spot never hurt anyone, either. :)

 

[FilthyGorilla]

I totally agree with the above comment by @WorstDecorator if your aim is levels and an overall better fishing experience. If you're really struggling to catch catfish at level 4, level 5 probably won't make that massive a difference, and you'll want to follow that advice, you'll inevitably get better at fishing for later runs, too. That being said, it looks like you're intending for the level 5 to be more of a means to an end, and that end being money in the very first few days, rather than a continued fishing journey.

Accounting for that, you absolutely want to do as setrux has already advised and invest early in a fiberglass rod, but would try to do so even earlier. While fishing at the beach is slightly worse, you more than make up for it by being able to sell directly to Willy on day 2, and don't waste time running to and fro. Let yourself to pass out every early night, you should try to keep your funds low, and since you're levelling up fishing a lot, you won't suffer from any energy loss. If you're fast enough, you should be able to nab the fiberglass rod effectively immediately as soon as you level up on day 2, though it probably depends on how well you can perfect catch at early levels (you'll want ~1400-1500g from fishing + whatever foraging you did on day 1 alongside your 500 starting cash to afford it and some bait).

Secondarily, you'll ideally want some trout soup for the first catches on day 3, but it can mean buying it in the morning of day 3 if you bought the fiberglass rod day 2, as it's definitely a tight squeeze to afford that. The cooldown on the buff should be enough to last you until a level up, and ideally a bit longer, which may allow you to catch a few catfish.

If you notice you still aren't able to catch that many catfish (try for at least a catchrate of >40-50%, of you're really just wasting your time), eel are also decent money in the ocean, and have a pretty good window of the afternoon and all of the night.