Fishing in Monster Hunter Wilds is pretty simple: use your capture net! There is no difference in your Aquatic Life log between a net-captured specimen and a rod-caught specimen. If you see a fish in a small pond and want to catch it, just use your capture net for an easy grab at one to potentially multiple fish at once.

HOWEVER, net-caught specimens don't count towards achievements or quests. Because of this, I've chose to help spread information about the fish in the game so that people can get the achievements and quests done they need! ♥

Fishing in MHWilds is pretty straightforward, but there are some tricks to catch any fish.

I use a PlayStation controller with the button icons on Type 4. Apologies for those who use other icons!

L2 to aim, and press R2 to cast (you don't need to hold down L2 once your rod is cast). R2 is also the "fully reel in" button.

To move your line from left to right, move the left analog stick left or right as though moving your character. This is not an essential feature but is useful for adjusting to get closer to a fish.

To tug your line, tap the analog stick down. It's important to do this slowly/with pauses between each tap!

To slowly reel in your line, move the analog stick in a circle slowly. The speed of this is very picky!

To quickly reel in your line, move the analog stick in a circle rapidly.

Hold the Right Mouse Button to aim, and press the Left Mouse Button to cast (you don't need to hold down the right mouse button once your rod is cast). The Left Mouse Button is also the "fully reel in" button.

To move your line from left to right, press A and D as though moving your character. This is not an essential feature but is useful for adjusting to get closer to a fish.

To tug your line, press S. It's important to do this slowly/with pauses between each tap!

To slowly reel in your line, press W and then S repeatedly. The speed of this is very picky!

To quickly reel in your line, press W and then S rapidly.

Reel speed (tug, slowly, and quickly) is ESSENTIAL to luring some fish! Even with the right bait, some fish will take AGES to bite, or they may not bite at all. You need to use the proper bait as well as the proper reel speed to get some fish to bite.

Upon unlocking the Scarlet Forest base camp, a woman named Kanya shows up to fish in the back pond. When you unlock optional quests, she'll give you one to start, but the remainder of her quests only show up once you enter High Rank.

Do NOT use your net! Using your net to catch these fish DOESN'T COUNT towards quest completion!

---

This one is easy. Catch any fish! There are fish in the water on either side of Kanya, so this is an easy practice.

---

Goldenfish are actually really easy to find, but they require some trekking. In Area 8 of the map, there's a waterfall- go behind it to find a secret cave (you can place a camp here by the way!). If you go up the ramp to the right, you'll end up overlooking a pool filled with Goldenfish and Platinumfish; the difference between them is hopefully obvious.


To catch the Goldenfish, use the Golden Bughead bait Kanya has given you and cast away! It's not a whopper, so it's an easy catch.

---

The Gravid Bowfin is a bit more tricky. The best, most consistent way to find one is to head to Area 13 of the Windward Plains, to the oasis during the Plenty season and daytime.

• If you're too early in high rank and can't manually change the weather yet, I suggest doing the Chatacabra or Quematrice quest; they'll give you the appropriate weather.
  
• If it doesn't spawn, simply leave the map to a different zone and then come back. If you followed the advice above, catch all the fish in the pool, leave the oasis, and then come back in a few minutes.
  
• They're decently rare, so be prepared to do this several times!
  
  
  To catch the Gravid Bowfin, use the Emerald Jitterbait in the middle of the pool and slowly reel in. IT IS A VERY PICKY BITER! It's not a whopper, so it's an easy catch- but you may end up catching other fish in the pool first!
  
  

  ---

  
  
  
  The Catch of a Lifetime! - Any Whopper
  Contrary to what many guides are saying, a whopper isn't a specific fish, but a category of fish. They are any huge fish that requires a minigame to catch.
  
  
  Examples of whoppers include:
  
  • Gajau
    
  • Gastronome Tuna
    
  • Goliath Squid
    
  • Speartuna
  
  See the next big section for a guide on the whoppers!
  
  

  ---

  
  
  
  Razzle Dazzle - Grand Escunite
  The Grand Escunite is caught exclusively in the Scarlet Forest. It's most common in the lake by Area 17, though it can also be found in the deep waters of Area 12 by the waterfall as well as the goldenfish cave in Area 8. I recommend Area 17 since there's a camp nearby and the only monsters that go up there are Uth Duna and rarely the flagship.
  
  
  They're really easy to spot since they're white, they glow, and they're huge. To catch a Grand Escunite, use the Tentacle Jig and gently reel in your line. It might not bite immediately, but they're not whoppers, so it's a straight catch. However, they're pretty rare! Be prepared to be looking for a while.
  
  DO NOT CONFUSE THEM WITH THE GOLIATH SQUID! The squid is red and glows, the Escunite is white and glows (and is a bit smaller). The squid is a whopper, the escunite is not. There are also small, normal escunites, but they don't count for the quest.

Whoppers are a category of fish needed to get the "A-fish-ionado" achievement, and they are also needed for one of Kanya's quests. As of writing this, I am aware of six (6) large fish that need the minigame, four (4) of which are whoppers- and all four are caught in the Scarlet Forest in the lake next to Area 17. Some can be caught in other places, but the lake is the best bet for all four.

All whoppers are the same in that they involve a minigame to catch rather than a simple button press. To keep the whopper on your line, move your joystick (controller) / press A or D (keyboard) in the same direction the whopper is swimming, swapping when it swaps. This is to ensure your line doesn't break. The only time you go AGAINST the whopper is if it's dragging your line into an obstacle.

After some dragging about, the whopper will get tired and sort of "collapse" in the water as though exhausted. This is when you quick reel by rotating your joystick (controller) / press W and S repeatedly (keyboard) until the fish starts to swim again. Rinse and repeat until you pull in the fish!

When a fish leaps out of the water, move your joystick / press buttons in the direction the fish leaps to keep your line from breaking. You can also risk reeling it in while it's in the air, but I recommend against this since the jumps are so short.

---

Gajau are the most common whopper. They are lured by a slow-reeled Duster Rigs. They don't jump too often, but they can occasionally jump. They're the most visually distinct in my opinion. They can be caught in any of the three weather types during all times of the day. They can be found in Area 12 as well as Area 17.

Catching a Gajau gets you a piece of Gajau Skin, which can be used to craft some armor.

---

The Goliath Squid spawns at night and are lured by a gently tugged Tentacle Jig. I've caught them during Plenty only, though they may spawn other times. The Goliath Squid does not jump, making it the easiest whopper. Catching one also nets you the achievement "Monster (Squid) Hunter".

---

The Gastronome Tuna spawns exclusively during the Plenty season and is lured by a quick-reeled Tuff Joint Bait. They're fast and jump occasionally.

Catching a Gastronome Tuna can net you any of the following rewards:

• Ancient Wyvern Coin
  
• Sushifish Scale
  
• Whetfish Scale
  
• Chaliceweed
  
• Royal Sea Pot
  
• Sparkly Treasure
  
• Fine Scarlet Amber
  
• Truffle Du Conga
  
  

  ---

  
  
  
  Speartuna
  The Speartuna spawns during Inclemency/The Downpour and is lured by a fast-reeled Tuff Joint Bait. They jump frequently, and this combined with the fact that Uth Duna is usually around during Inclemency means this fish is a pain in the butt to get and I don't recommend it unless you want the weapons (I'll get a better picture in the future).
  
  Catching a Speartuna gets you a Speartuna Fin, which can be used to make the Frozen Speartuna weapons for Great Sword.
  
  

  ---

  
  
  
  Great Trevally
  The Great Trevally spawns during the day and is lured by a quick-reeled Common Wood Minnow. It's quite small compared to the other whoppers, so it's easy to mistake for a normal fish, but it's not!
  

I don't have much to say after all that. I hope this guide helps people! If you find any information to add to this guide, please feel free to comment it below so I can add it to the guide.

Thank you for reading!