Quote Originally Posted by Squand View Post
There is a loot table of fish with various catch rates. When you cast your line it rolls to see which one you're going after. There is some counter that is kept so you don't get the same fish over and over. And so you can clear out the fish in that area. If you fish long enough in one spot, the fish leave the area.
Go to a fishing hole. Catch ONE fish. Now, leave, go play Triple Triad for an hour, or something. Now, go back to that same spot, and try to fish again. You can't: you get the "fish are wary" message. This message is not triggered by quantity of fish caught. It is calculated by your position, and the duration of time since you started fishing (even if you only caught one fish). It has nothing to do with exhausting the supply of fish in the area.

There is a minimum requirement for Gathering, and a min requirement for HQ. If you meet the Gathering req you have a 70% chance to hook. Every 3 points of gathering gives you 1% higher chance to hook.
I'm a bit confused as to what you mean by this... A 70% chance to hook what? The rarer fish? What if you don't WANT the rarer fish, what if you're, say, trying to catch sharks for Alchemy. Does higher gathering skill, then, penalize your ability to catch marketable fish by increasing your chances of catching a higher level fish which may be of no use at all? As near as I can tell, the only factor that affects the odds of hooking a given fish are the type of bait used.