Fishing needs a total overhaul

[Fruity_Snacks]

Spearfishing has Veteran Trade, which lasts for the rest of the node (3-4 attempts if you use it after the first catch), each gig type only catches 2-4 different fish from that node, and the fish you catch is not effected by weather or time of day. Compare this to regular fishing, where Surface Slap only lasts for 15s and effects the next fish only, and fish are dependent on weather, time of day, and the bait you use (there are over 50 different bait in this game). Between the two of them, Spearfishing is far less RNG dependent as a whole due to the combination of the gig type and Veteran Trade.

Surface Slap needs to be at least 2 minutes long to be worth using, and there are so many fish in a single spot that changing to a 3 Lure type system would actually HELP the RNG, especially if they threw out the asinine weather requirements. Time of day is fine, but when you need a specific weather, and a specific time of day combination, it could take you a week of real time just to get the combination needed, and then a 7 minute real life window to catch the fish you want. That is beyond insanity, and is not fun.

What you listed doesn't make spearfishing less RNG dependent. It makes it easier to just get more of whatever random fish you get. The reason why Fishing has it easier is because of all the bait choices. We can look up exactly which bait to use for the best chance (which many times is upwards of 75%) for a specific fish. You reduce the number of baits to 3 across upwards of 10 fish in a fishing hole, you're going to have overlap between fish, meaning you're going to get more of the fish you don't want.

Fun fact, surface slap lasts for 15s for it to be activated. Once it's activated, it won't be removed until you catch a fish. If you let a fish go, it remains! You can hold it forever, if you want. You can hold it until you know exactly what's going to be on the line (which with a little be thought isn't hard to figure out) and THEN reel in.

How do we know what's on the line, you ask? Easy! All that asinine stuff you don't seem to like. Time of day, weather, previous weather, bait, location -- give someone who knows fishing any of those and they'll tell you how to get EXACTLY the fish you want. You take any of those away, and fishing becomes harder.

I'm sorry that you don't have fun with fishing, and seem to hate it, but your suggestions to make it better really only seem to make it better for you, not everyone else.

Simple enough – have it all on hand as a built-in ability of the job, like the gig heads for spearfishing. No simplification, no dumbing down, no overreaching accusations. Just remove the need for it to take up double the inventory space of other jobs by requiring you to carry both bait and caught fish.

If you need a shortlist, it could be handled something like BLU's spells where you have a larger stock in reserve but only nominate the specific few baits you want to see at the moment. Maybe you put them as separate hotbar abilities and do away with the tackle box altogether.

I get this, and I'm eh on it as a seasoned fisher. Better bait management for sure would be helpful, but see Tyo's post a little earlier about baits and how it's not as simple as just "give everyone all their bait at once."