Fishing question regarding different "pulls" and hooksets.

So my world was turned upside down a bit yesterday when I learned that you are supposed to use Precision Hookset to catch Ala Mhigan Ribbons. I have done a lot of fishing in this game and have always use Precision for fish with light pulls, and Powerful for fish with medium and heavy pulls.

Is it just based on their average weight and completely unrelated to the type of pull they cause on the line? Ribbons are a small fish, and I also noticed I caught plenty of Gyr Abanian Trout which are also a small fish (but again have a medium pull).

Basically can someone explain it like I'm a 5 year old? Despite feeling like my previous rule of thumb (ignoring their weight number and basing my hookset on the pull) has always worked great, this recent revelation has me wondering if I fundamentally misunderstand the system.

To add to confusion, I was just out catching my Castaway Chocobo Chick. That has a tiny weight like the Ribbon, but you use Powerful to catch it?

As for the ribbons the only explanation I can offer is that it's a "medium pull", in that it's a double hit (double vibration on controller for me) but both are light. I know that doesn't clarify everything as a whole but that's what I noticed when I was catching them.

I don't think fish weight is a factor because small fish can be "powerful".

99% of the time the proper hookset is based on the tug. Only a few select Big Fish don't follow these rules. I haven't tried fishing for the Castaway Chocobo Chick so I can't help you there.

If it's a tiny tug that barely moves the pole tip then you use Precision Hookset.

If it's a big tug that has a noticable pull and sound effect then you use Powerful hookset.

if you're using a PS4 controller then it's extremely easy to tell them apart, as a Precision tug is one vibration and a Powerful tug is 2 or 3 Vibrations.

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Originally Posted by magnanimousCynic

if you're using a PS4 controller then it's extremely easy to tell them apart, as a Precision tug is one vibration and a Powerful tug is 2 or 3 Vibrations.

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That is the issue the OP is bringing up. When the Ala Mhigan Ribbon hits it gives a pull that seems to merit a Powerful Hookset, but instead requires Precision. On PS4 controller the Ala Mhigan Ribbon gives 2 vibrations but requires Precision.

I don't use a controller but can identify 3 distinct pulls/tugs based on the sound of the rod creaking.

Well I'm at least glad to hear that I'm not the only one who finds the Ala Mhigan Ribbon behavior strange. I would have wondered if it was an anomaly unique to that fish, but as I mentioned, I also noticed that I was catching Gyr Abanian Trout with Precision Hookset, and they are also a small (by ilms) fish like the ribbon. Meanwhile I wasn't catching the larger Scimitarfish, Easter Pikes, and Gigant Bass with Precision Hookset, and I believe these are all larger fish. It sure seems like the hookset is based on the size of the fish at this hole.

Anyone notices this behavior at any other new holes? I've explored spearfishing a lot more than regular fishing so far so I'm not sure I would have noticed yet if it is.

One thing that helps me deciding which fish is possibly biting, along the tug animation, is to count how long it takes for it to bite. For example certain fish bites in a few seconds where some take 10+ seconds. When I went after Anomalocaris, big fish in Coerthas Central Highlands, it required a mooch fish which would bite quite soon, so if it took longer than what I had counted, I just cancelled that cast and went for it again. That limited my fish yield to two possibilities since third and fourth (if I recall correctly) took way too long to bite.

Perhaps that'll help with the Ala Mhigan Ribbon. I haven't gotten to try that fish yet myself.

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Originally Posted by Cielouranos

So my world was turned upside down a bit yesterday when I learned that you are supposed to use Precision Hookset to catch Ala Mhigan Ribbons.

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So apparently this was a bug and not a new direction with fishing (per 4.05 patch notes), we're not crazy.

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Originally Posted by Highwilds

One thing that helps me deciding which fish is possibly biting, along the tug animation, is to count how long it takes for it to bite. For example certain fish bites in a few seconds where some take 10+ seconds. When I went after Anomalocaris, big fish in Coerthas Central Highlands, it required a mooch fish which would bite quite soon, so if it took longer than what I had counted, I just cancelled that cast and went for it again. That limited my fish yield to two possibilities since third and fourth (if I recall correctly) took way too long to bite.

Perhaps that'll help with the Ala Mhigan Ribbon. I haven't gotten to try that fish yet myself.

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Interesting. I did some testing on this recently due to your post, and I can confirm that fish will always bite within a certain timeframe after cast depending on the fish. As a generalized example, I had one fish that, every time I caught it, was 10s into the cast (+/- 1s). Never more, never less.

Very interesting find. And it also helps explain why I was able to guess what fish I would get when I got a bite with surprising accuracy after fishing at a hole for a while; my subconscious noticed the time patterns even if I had no idea. I love it.

CCC is. heavy pull, powerful. I don't count seconds, I count rod tip bobs, around 10.

Armor fish is heavy, precision.

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Originally Posted by Vandril

Interesting. I did some testing on this recently due to your post, and I can confirm that fish will always bite within a certain timeframe after cast depending on the fish. As a generalized example, I had one fish that, every time I caught it, was 10s into the cast (+/- 1s). Never more, never less.

Very interesting find. And it also helps explain why I was able to guess what fish I would get when I got a bite with surprising accuracy after fishing at a hole for a while; my subconscious noticed the time patterns even if I had no idea. I love it.

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http://ff14angler.com now has bite timers. Scroll down on any fishing hole.

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Originally Posted by Shadygrove

http://ff14angler.com now has bite timers. Scroll down on any fishing hole.

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Oh, shit. I've used that site for ages, but I usually just refer to the page of the specific fish I'm aiming for, so I had no idea! That's immensely useful, thanks!

I Prefer http://www.garlandtools.org/ffxivfisher/ since it's more compact than FF14angler.