About _________________________________ During my time in Toontown, I have maxed a total of 4 toons in fishing. For the first two I used Matt Wild Horse’s Fishing plan, for the third I used the method in which you do not fish until you have a gold rod, and then catch all of the ultras first, and finally I used the method that I am about to share with you below. My method is, essentially, a version of Matts plan and the Ultra-First method. I really liked Matts plan and it worked well for me as it lets you feel more progress which helps keep a positive attitude and makes fishing more rewarding. Unfortunately Matts plan took me more fish to complete than the Ultra-First method. Both Matts plan and the Ultras-First method took roughly the same amount of catches for my first two toons, but when I used Matt's guide for the third toon it took significantly more catches while my 4th toon took almost the exact same amount of fish as my first two maxed fishers. This is by no means a statistically significant sample but having discussed fishing with several toons who have also maxed multiple fishers using both methods I think that as a whole neither method is much better than the other most of the time. You should know, however, that I have yet to run into someone with an exorbitant amount of fish caught using the Ultra-First method but I have ran into people (myself included) who had to catch a rather ridiculous amount of fish following Matt's plan. With that said, I believe the optimal use of this guide is actually to start with the Ultra Rares and exclusively catch those fish first with either a steel or gold rod (I use gold). By doing this, you will never find yourself fishing for a fish that you would have caught if you had been looking for an Ultra Rare instead. Once you have all of the difficult fish first, it becomes a piece of cake to track down those few fish that have escaped you. It just makes sense. Don't work for something you'll get for free somewhere else. Why am I making this guide then? Well, I wanted a guide that left the decision in the hands of the toon using it while also educating toons to be able to fish more effectively. Toons all come looking for help and advice at different points in their toons fishing careers. I didn't want a toon who had caught 50+ fish already to feel like they had no hope since the couldn't use the Ultra-First method. I also didn't want a brand new fisher toon looking from place to place not knowing which method to go with. My goal is to make an all encompassing guide to fishing from tips and tricks to actually going to the ponds and looking for specific fish. This guide is meant to streamline Matts plan for those who want to go that route. If you have read Matts guide (it’s very useful) you know that he goes rod by rod but most toons don’t actually start fishing seriously until they have the hardwood, steel, or gold rods. This means that toons are typically beginning to fish when they have rods that could be in the Ultra Rare stage of the guide, but haven’t even caught all of the balloon fish. This guide can be used the same as Matt's going rod by rod and rushing to 50-60+ fish, but it essentially lets you take shortcuts by skipping the lower rods. This guide is also meant to facilitate the Ultra-First method, however you will need to read it differently. While the toons following the traditional route will move chronologically down the guide, you should be focused on difficulty. Therefore, you will start with the Ultra Rares. The overall premise of the guide is this. By taking the fish, and where they can be caught, into account and lumping them all together toons can reduce the number of casts they make in order to catch the fish they need. By fishing from a pier that is more likely to catch an ultra rare, or rare fish they can catch some fish that Matts guide would have had them catch at separate times, and in separate locations. The Ultra-First method takes this a step further by ignoring everything but the Ultra Rare fish until they have been caught. *Edit If you want the theory behind the Ultra-First method, Kitt Kitt Lou has a wonderful guide in this forum that explains why it works.* If you're impatient and want those laff boosts now rather than later, need to see a new species to motivate yourself to fish (or if you never actually plan on catching all 70), or you have already caught 40-50+ fish following this guide in order is likely for you. If you don't mind having less laff at first, want less time overall fishing, and don't mind being confined to a single pond at a time the Ultra-First method is likely for you. General Tips for both Methods _________________________________ I say reducing the number of casts, but the real number that you’re going to be reducing is catches. If it takes you 3 seconds to catch a fish, you will catch 20 fish per minute. That’s a bucket. If it takes you 6 seconds to catch a fish, that’s a bucket every two minutes. It could take you 3 casts to catch one fish, but that doesn’t matter. Its how much time did those 3 casts take. Try to fish at least 30 buckets an hour. That means you’re catching 20 fish, selling them, and are back on the pier once every 2 minutes. Push yourself, try to get faster because it can really help cut down the amount of time to max. 40 buckets an hour is what I am able to do at most ponds, faster at some and slower at others depending on how far I have to run to get to the fisherman. If you want to get faster, try the following Don’t look at the fish, then the yellow circle, then the fish. See the fish, pull it back and let it go. If you missed, don’t wait for it to land just recast. Like above, if you’re close don’t wait for the fish to move, just recast. Go for the closer fish – less travel time easier to hit (probably common sense) Don’t wait for the fish to pop up, if you know you hit, wait for the yellow circle to be clickable again, see the fish, and recast. You will very briefly be able to catch a glimpse of the fish immediately before you click the yellow circle. Look directly below the name for “New Species”. Time yourself, use a stopwatch or your smartphone and click it every time you run up to the fisherman. Don’t let this slow you down, but just make each bucket a “lap” and see if you can keep it under your target time (start with 2 minutes as the target and lower it by 10 seconds as you get better). Remember, a second is a very long time when you’re going to be catching 60,000-150,000 fish (hopefully closer to the 60,000). At an average of 105,000 fish to max fishing, an extra second per fish would total up to a little over 29 extra hours of fishing. In my experience, most toons only fish at about 15-20 buckets per hour. That’s because they wait for the fish to come back, they investigate each fish to see what they caught, and they actually close out of the fish before recasting. Its no wonder that most toons never catch those last few fish. It would take them 2-3 times as long as it takes me and it is very discouraging as they almost never see the fruits of their labor. Try to fish in the same place every time. I fish in the same district and on the same dock until I get the fish I’m looking for. Pick a district you like (and can remember) and make that your fishing district, always fish there, and stick to the same dock. I feel like it helps, but don’t worry if someone else has your dock. Just take a different dock and keep fishing without making a scene. Sometimes karma can really work out. I caught the Grand Piano Tuna the first cast after helping a low toon with a building in the middle of a session once. Try to fish frequently and a decent amount of buckets at a time. When I’m trying to max a toon, I will typically try to fish at least 25 buckets a day. You never know when they might be biting! I have fished 200 buckets in a single sitting before, but I don’t recommend it. 100 is more than enough, if you plan on doing 100 or more break the amount in half and take a break in the middle. The Guide _________________________________ If you are following the Ultra-First method please jump to the Ultra Rare section. For a modified version of Matt's plan continue here. These are the fish you should concern yourself with while having the following rods. I do not list the Twig and Bamboo rod, as most serious fishers will have a higher level rod. Since most of the Ultra Rares are not catchable until the steel rod I put very few fish in the Hardwood Rod. Most of the fishing to max a toon should be done with a steel or gold rod. Note: Having a larger rod than the section of the guide you are in will not in any way affect your results. In fact, it makes zero difference other than the amount of beans you will be using. I do suggest, however, that when you start fishing for an Ultra Rare that you catch it before upgrading rods. Upgrade your rod immediately after catching it and begin the next fish. The Hardwood Rod _________________________________ Toontown Central Most toons will have fished in TTC prior to this guide. Most toons get at least 10 fish just casually fishing for jellybeans etc. The only fish you should make a point to get in TTC is the Water Balloon Fish as it tends not to turn up while fishing for other fish. Silly Street Water Balloon Fish 10 buckets +/-10 (1– 400 fish) *Loopy Lane Red Balloon Fish 10 buckets +/-10 (1–400 fish) *If you want to get the Red Balloon Fish, you can get it on Loopy Lane, but you shouldn’t need to, it can be caught while fishing for ultra rares in other ponds. Donald’s Dock In my experience, Donalds Dock should be fished in this order. This is because you are likely to catch the Scurvy Cutthroat Trout AND the Captain Cutthroat Trout while catching the Old King Crab but not necessarily the other way around. I personally have almost always caught at least one Scurvy and Captain Cutthroat Trout on Lighthouse Lane while fishing for the Old King Crab but I have never caught the Old King Crab anywhere but Lighthouse Lane. Lighthouse Lane Old King Crab 50 buckets +/-50 (1–2,000 fish) Seaweed Street Scurvy Cutthroat Trout 50 buckets +/-50 (1–2,000 fish) Barnacle Boulevard Captain Cutthroat Trout 25 buckets +/-25 (1–1,000 fish) Minnie’s Melodyland With the Hardwood Rod, you will likely catch the Upright and Player Piano Tunas when getting the Baby Grand. You should also get the Florence Nurse Shark and may even get the Clara Nurse Shark despite being on Tenor Terrace. If you don’t don’t worry about them, you will almost certainly get them while fishing for the Grand Piano Tuna later. Tenor Terrace Baby Grand Piano Tuna 75 buckets +/-75 (1-3,000 fish) Florence Nurse Shark 25 buckets +/-25 (1–1,000 fish) Anywhere (Minnie’s Melodyland) Upright Piano Tuna Player Piano Tuna The Steel Rod _________________________________ This is where most of your fishing will take place. The Steel Rod can catch everything except for the Bull Dog Fish. I suggest staying on this rod, as it only costs 4 jellybeans to cast and there is no difference between the Gold and Steel rod. *edit I have recently changed my mind and actually began upgrading to the gold rod. Do whatever you feel is best, but wait to catch your next fish BEFORE upgrading the rod. I've found it helps.* Daisy Gardens Why Leave the Siamese Cat Fish until the steel rod when you can catch it with the twig? It’s simple; there is only two reasons to go to Daisy Gardens to fish: The Siamese Cat Fish, and the Arabian Sea Horse. The Olympic Pool Shark can be caught several places, and so can the Arabian Sea Horse (The Brrrgh for example) – but the Sea Horse is a little bit harder to get outside of Daisy Gardens so just wait until you have the steel rod and go catch yourself the Siamese Cat fish. Below are all the fish you can catch on Elm Street, but as I just discussed only two are really important to stick around for. Elm Street Siamese Cat Fish 75 buckets +/-75 (1–3,000 fish) Anywhere (Daisy Gardens) Crunchy PB&J Fish Cat Fish Tabby Cat Fish Amore Eel *Electric Amore Eel Dog Fish Kiddie Pool Shark Swimming Pool Shark Olympic Pool Shark 25 buckets +/-25 (1-1,000 fish) Rocking Sea Horse Clydesdale Sea Horse Arabian Sea Horse 25 buckets +/-25 (1-1,000 fish) *Sometimes the Electric Amore Eel doesn’t want to be caught. If there was ever a “common” fish that you should go out of your way to catch while in Daisy Gardens, its this one. Definitely possible to get elsewhere but on at least one of my maxed fishers and my two TTR fishers, this one has held out to be one of the last 10 fish I caught. Maybe that’s just me! Ultra-Rares Now it’s time to have some fun. You can fish for each ultra rare in whichever order you desire but always continue fishing for that ultra rare until you catch it. Do not spend one day fishing for the Grizzly, and the next fishing for the Grand. This will draw out the process of catching the fish and will result in a much higher number of catches before maxing. For those following the modified guide, the order doesn't particularly matter but I always use this order. For those doing the Ultra-First method, you should follow this order exactly. If you don't catch a fish on the list but catch the Ultra-Rare move on to the next Ultra and don't worry about it! Once you finish the Ultra Rares, you can refer to the earlier sections of the guide to catch your remaining fish. Simply follow it as if you were following the modified guide. Donald’s Dreamland Lullaby Lane *Full Moon Fish 1,500 buckets +/-1,500 (1-60,000 fish) Alley Cat Fish Half Moon Fish 50 buckets +/-50 (1-2,000 fish) Crescent Moon Fish 25 buckets +/-25 (1–1,000 fish) Anywhere (Donald’s Dreamland) Harvest Moon Fish Sea Horse Pool Shark Rock Star Fish Tom Cat Fish *I personally prefer Lullaby. The Full Moon is found equally anywhere in Dreamland, but fishing on Lullaby helps you to catch many of the other fish you need from Dreamland that are found on that street. The Brrrgh Walrus Way Grizzly Bear Acuda 1,500 buckets +/-1,500 (1-60,000 fish) Anywhere (The Brrrgh) Panda Bear Acuda Brown Bear Acuda Black Bear Acuda Koala Bear Acuda Honey Bear Acuda Polar Bear Acuda 25 buckets +/-25 (1-1,000 fish) Frozen Fish Alaskan King Crab 25 buckets +/-25 (1–1,000 fish) Weather Balloon Fish 25 buckets +/-25 (1–1,000 fish) Hot Air Balloon Fish Sleet Street *Kodiac Bear Acuda 50 buckets +/-50 (1-2,000 fish) *You will likely catch this fish while looking for the Grizzly. If you catch the Grizzly and don’t have it, go get it! Minnie’s Melodyland Alto Avenue Grand Piano Tuna 1,500 buckets +/-1,500 (1-60,000 fish) Anywhere (Minnie’s Melodyland) Piano Tuna Baritone Boulevard *Clara Nurse Shark 25 buckets +/-25 (1–1,000 fish) You will likely catch this fish while looking for the Grand. If you catch the Grand and don’t have it, go get it! The Brrrgh Back to The Brrrgh! If you haven’t caught these three fish, go back to The Brrrgh playground until you catch them. You have a chance of catching them while fishing for all of the previous Ultra Rares, but if you don’t this is the best place to finish up. Playground All Star Fish 1,500 buckets +/-1,500 (1-60,000 fish) Concord PB&J Fish 1,500 buckets +/-1,500 (1-60,000 fish) Devil Ray 1,500 buckets +/-1,500 (1-60,000 fish) Estate Bingo Day – Estate Pond *Holey Mackerel 75 buckets +/-75 (1-3,000 fish) *The Holey Mackerel is in every pond in Toontown. You should have caught it by now but if you don’t, catch it on Bingo Day at your estate. The Gold Rod _________________________________ Donald’s Dock Anywhere (Donald’s Dock) Bull Dog Fish 25 buckets +/-25 (1-1,000 fish) Congratulations! You’ve finished reading this guide! Woo! Now go out there and use it, so that you can get that final laff boost and come back to the next line will mean something. You did it! You maxed fishing! I hope this helped you get the job done quicker, please give me any feedback you may have had, any hard to get fish that I didn’t highlight, and just comments on the guide overall. I didn’t include all of the easy to catch fish by name, because you’ll get them eventually as you search for the harder ones. If you follow this guide chronologically and there is a fish you didn’t get by the time you caught the Ultra Rares please let me know and I’ll be sure to include where and when to get it in the guide. If you decided to go Ultra Rares first then there will be a few fish left over, but once again if those fish aren't listed in this guide let me know and I'll include them. Thanks Everyone! -Whens Dinner
I know this is nearly 10 years old but the concept may still be the same. Could you perhaps... upload a short video of what you mean by the following when it comes to fishing faster? Don’t look at the fish, then the yellow circle, then the fish. See the fish, pull it back and let it go. For this step, I gather that you basically look to see where the fish is going or where it stops, pull back, and cast? Don’t wait for the fish to pop up, if you know you hit, wait for the yellow circle to be clickable again, see the fish, and recast. You will very briefly be able to catch a glimpse of the fish immediately before you click the yellow circle. Look directly below the name for “New Species”. For this step, it's a bit confusing when you say to not wait for the fish to pop up... as in on the screen when you catch it? However, then it says that once the yellow circle (the cast button?) is clickable again, view the fish and re-cast. As I am a visual learner, a short video tutorial, screenshots, or anything visual would be pretty helpful. Either that or maybe you can clear up some of the confusion by what is meant in each step. thanks!
