Fishing is the first thing every captain learns and the last they stop doing: the open Atlantic is full of fish, and every harbour buys them.
How to fish
- Slow your boat almost to a stop.
- Press F, or the Fish button, to cast.
- When a fish bites, press again at once to hook it.
- Hold to reel and let go to ease the line: keep the tension in the middle band, or the line snaps.
- Sell your catch at any harbour or island exchange.
Better tackle, from your harbour’s sail loft, gives you longer to hook a bite and brings up rarer fish. Fishing stops while a whale is at the surface close by: give it space.
After 3 successful catches, take a 2-minute fishing break. The allowance is shared across the ocean and all island lakes. Missed bites and broken lines do not count; 2 minutes without a catch reset the count. Changing spots or reconnecting does not reset it.
Fish of the open sea
| # | Fish | Rarity | Gold |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mackerel | Common | 45 |
| 2 | Bluefish | Common | 70 |
| 3 | Red seabream | Uncommon | 100 |
| 4 | Atlantic bonito | Uncommon | 125 |
| 5 | Amberjack | Uncommon | 155 |
| 6 | Skipjack tuna | Rare | 190 |
| 7 | Albacore | Rare | 230 |
| 8 | Wreckfish | Rare | 270 |
| 9 | Bigeye tuna | Legendary | 330 |
| 10 | Moonfish · full-moon nights only | Legendary | 420 |
Base prices; bigger fish of a kind are worth more.
Each island’s catch
Every island has a fish of its own that bites best just off its harbour.
- São MiguelBluefish
- Santa MariaAmberjack
- TerceiraRed seabream
- GraciosaMackerel
- São JorgeSkipjack tuna
- PicoAlbacore
- FaialAtlantic bonito
- FloresWreckfish
- CorvoBigeye tuna
Lakes, banks and shoals
Ashore, cast from the marked banks of the main lakes for trout to fill your basket. Smaller neighbouring lakes remain scenery, without extra fishing spots.
Fish beside the Formigas rocks and the Dollabarat bank, or in the shoal of a working fishing fleet, for bigger catches. · Opens at Mate
Twice an hour a fishing derby starts off one harbour: the biggest single fish wins. · Opens at Skipper
Twice an hour the bluefin tuna run in the channels between Faial, Pico and São Jorge: ring the school with other captains and land the giants. · Opens at Mate
Once an hour a shoal of chicharro boils up in open water for a few minutes, twice an hour on a cardume day, and its ring shows on the chart. Fish inside it for quick bites and the bigger fish hunting it, with no fishing break, but mind the blue sharks. · Opens at Mate
Now and then a blue shark grabs the fish you are reeling, most often in a shoal. Let go while it runs and hold to pull while it tires: win and you land the fish with a shark tooth to sell; lose and it bites through.