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In Like A Dragon: Ishin! players are able to participate in tons of different activites and side stories, each offering different challenges and rewards to players who take them on. These range from Karaoke to Karakuri combat challenges, but this particular guide will be focused on fishing.
Like A Dragon: Ishin! allows players to start fishing as early as chapter 2, though many of the uses for fish only become obvious later on in the game. With River and Sea fishing each offering different catches, this guide will go over the basics of how and where to fish, along with where to get some more effective rods and the bait needed to refresh a fishing pool.
Where to Fish
Luckily for players wanting to start fishing, two of the fishing locations can be found directly outside Sakamoto Ryōma's current lodgings at the start of Chapter 2. Once able to explore the city, players can either interact with the spot by the river right outside to fish in the Uji River, or speak to a nearby fisherman to take a boat out and fish in the ocean at one of two locations. The River Fishing spot and the fisherman with the boat can be seen on the map above, and since different fish can be found at each location it is worth changing fishing spots from time to time.
Later on, players will also be able to find one more fishing spot: Kamogawa River, which is in Mukurogai. After gaining access to Mukurogai permanently by giving alcohol to the man at the gate (first available during Chapter 3), this spot can be visited freely.
How to Fish
Once a fishing spot is chosen, players are able to cast their line and start fishing. Fish shadows can be seen in the water, and in order to catch a fish players will need to cast their line close to one of these shadows, and wait for it to take interest in the bobber. Luckily, aiming is as easy as moving the cursor to the desired spot and hitting the cast button.
Once the bobber is in the water, players should wait for a fish shadow to approach the bobber and turn red, indicating that it has been attracted by the lure. There is a red section on the lure, and the fish is on the hook when the red section is partially underwater. What players will need to do is watch for the lure to sink until the red section is around halfway underwater, and then hit the button to reel in their catch.
Where to Get New Rods & Bait
In order to get better fishing Rods, players will need to amass virtue, which can then be spent at shrines to unlock the River Classic, Rivermaster, Sea Classic, Seamaster, and Peerless Pole. The River and Sea Rods, perhaps predictably, perform best fishing in the river and sea respectively, while the Peerless Pole is the single best rod in the game. To get the Peerless Pole players will first need to unlock all the other fishing rods. The River and Sea Classic Rods each cost 400 Virtue, while the Rivermaster and Seamaster each cost 1,500. The Peerless Pole costs 4,000 but, due to requiring all the other rods to be unlocked first, players will need to spend a total of 7,800 virtue to get it.
If players are planning on fishing for extended periods of time, it's well worth grabbing the Peerless Pole due to it simply having the best stats of any fishing rod in the game. On the subject of bait, players can purchase bait from Ichikura's General Goods Shop in Fushimi, with more potent and expensive baits being sold by the Bait Monger running around Shijo Street in Rakugai.
Scattering Bait using the option at a fishing spot allows players to cause new fish shadows to appear, and manipulate the kinds of fish that appear.
All Available Fish at Each Fishing Spot
Uji River
At the Uji River, players can catch the following fish: Crucian Carp, Carp, Crawfish, Electric Catfish, Ghost Koi, Nishikigoi, Rainbow Trout, Salmon, and Softshell Turtle.
Kamogawa River
At the Kamogawa River, players can catch the following fish: Crucian Carp, Electric Catfish, Salmon, Crawfish, Rainbow Trout, Freshwater Eel, Stringfish, and Sweetfish.
The Fishing Banks
At the Fishing Banks, players can catch the following fish: Whitebait, Sea Bream, Scorpionfish, Thread-Sail Filefish, Japanese Puffer, Goby, Porcupinefish, Common Octopus, Squid, and Tiger Prawn.
The East Coast
At the East Coast players can catch the following fish: Whitebait, Thread-Sail Filefish, Righteye Flounder, Bluefin Tuna, Marlin, Conger Eel, Oarfish, and Great White Shark.
Like A Dragon: Ishin! is available now for PS4, PS5, PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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