To exclude fishing from a life simulation game would be absurd. It is a popular, relaxing activity in many games, and it made sense for fishing to be a major mechanic in Harvest Moon: The Winds of Anthos. When it comes to fishing, the mechanics behind it in each game will vary.
In most cases, players simply need to reel in the fish with the click of a button. Fishing can be more complex in some games, as it will often require more than a single button push. This is the case in Harvest Moon: The Winds of Anthos, and if players aren't paying attention it is easy to lose a fish.
How to Fish
Unfortunately, players are not able to fish right from the get-go. Instead, fishing is unlocked by progressing far enough into the tutorial. It doesn't take long, and players get a full tutorial on how fishing works. The first thing to do is to look for a body of water that has silhouettes of fish swimming around. These are the only spots where players can fish. Next, attach some bait to the hook and then move the cursor to where the fish are gathered.
Just like in Animal Crossing: New Horizon, a fish will eventually approach, and the lure will shake for a moment. Do not pull the lure back yet, as this will result in catching nothing. Wait for the lure to sink into the water. An exclamation mark will appear over the player's head as well. Once this happens, press 'X' on the PlayStation controller.
A durability bar will appear on the left of the screen. If this bar depletes, the fish will escape. When the fish tries to swim in a direction, move the thumb stick in the direction opposite of that. Once the fish stops moving, hold down 'X' to begin reeling it in.
If the fish begins to move in a different direction, stop holding the 'X' button immediately and use the thumb stick instead. Otherwise, the durability bar will deplete much quicker.
Once the fish reaches the edge of the water, players will have successfully caught one. Fish can only be caught if players have bait, so it is best to make sure to stock up before going fishing. There are all kinds of fish that players can catch. There is even a fishing pond that can periodically show up in the mines as well, so players should try to have bait on them at all times.
What Are Fish Used For?
Fish can be used when cooking recipes. They can also be eaten as is, but this does not restore as much stamina. Alternatively, fish can be sold for G as well. Some of the rarer and higher quality fish can sell for a substantial amount of G, so players low on cash may want to consider spending a day or two fishing if they can afford the bait.
Harvest Moon: The Winds of Anthos is available now on Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.