On this page you’ll find a walkthrough for the fishing minigame in The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero, including step-by-step instructions for catching all 24 fish in the game. To facilitate this you’ll also find details on obtaining every fishing rod in the game, where to find or buy various types of bait, and the locations of the numerous fishing spots found throughout the game.

This fishing miniguide will be broken up into three main phases; in Chapter 1 you’ll obtain the Novice Rod, which you can use to catch the first nine fish. In Chapter 2 you’ll get your hands on the Feather Tackle, which will bring your total fish count up to seventeen. Finally, In Chapter three you can get the last three fishing rods and fill out your fishing notebook.

How to Fish in Trails From Zero¶

As for fishing itself, it’s a pretty simple process. Find a fishing spot in a body of water (these are noted by ripples in the water), interact with said fishing spot and choose the fishing rod and bait you wish to use (most fishing rods can only accommodate 2-3 different types of bait, limiting what you can catch with each rod) then Lloyd will cast a line and you’ll need to wait as three text bubbles flash over Lloyd’s head. Once these three text bubbles are gone you’ll need to keep an eye above Lloyd’s head, as an exclamation point bubble and an audio notification will let you know when something bites. Press the quickly and if you’re fast enough, you’ll catch what bit, if not, you’ll lose your bait. There doesn’t seem to be any great penalty for mashing the button, but nothing will bite while you’re doing this, so it won’t catch you any fish.

Chapter 1 - Fishing with the Novice Rod¶

You’ll snag your first fishing rod on Chapter 1, Day 1 during the main quest Monster Damage Investigation. Travel through the East Crossbell Highway (you may want to farm Berga Bug enemies for Earthworms here, if you plan to do a significant amount of fishing) and the Old Armorica Road areas to reach Armorica Village, then talk to the mayor. Afterwards you’ll find a man named Kopan fishing off a bridge, and if you talk to him he’ll induct you into the fishing guild, giving you a starting set of fishing gear in the process. This includes the Novice Rod, 10x Dumplings, 10x Earthworms and the Fishing Notebook. With these tools in hand you’ll be directed for a fishing spot to the east.

You can land your first four fish at the Armorica Village fishing spot, which we recommend:

Fishing Spot: Armorica Village¶

There are four fish in the Armorica Village fishing spot, the Armorican Carp, Tiger Rockfish, Rockeater and Raineater. All four of these fish can be caught using Earthworms as bait, and none of them are particularly difficult to reel in. If you don’t catch the Tiger Rockfish, Rockeater, and Raineater now, you’ll have to wait a bit before you can return to Armorica Village and/or access the Mainz Mountain Path to get another shot at them, so you might as well do it before leaving Armorica Village.

Fishing Spots: Ursula Road¶

Later on in Chapter 1, Day 1 you’ll be tasked with traveling to St. Ursula Medical College, which involves trekking through four areas of Ursula Road, where three new fishing spots await on the first, third and fourth screens. The new fish you can catch here include the Snow Crab (Ursula Road - Estuary, Ursula Road - Lakeshore), Carp (Ursula Road - Estuary), Eel (Ursula Road - Estuary) and Gluttonous Bass (Ursula Road - Lakeshore, Ursula Road - Pond). All of these fish can be caught with Earthworms. If you need more Earthworms, you can farm them from Deathcargot and Ocean Dromes on Ursula Road.

Fishing Spot: St. Ursula Medical College¶

After crossing Ursula Road you’ll reach St. Ursula Medical College, which has one fishing spot. The only new fish here is the Pearlglass, and you can catch it with Dumplings. You can farm Dumplings from Racohm on Ursula Road.

You should be able to hook and reel in the nine fish listed above, which will allow you to rank up twice if you report in to the Fishing Guild in Crossbell City. You should be at 9 out of 24 fish caught at this point.

Chapter 2 - Fishing with the Feather Tackle¶

The next opportunity to fill out your fishing notebook will occur on Chapter 2, Day 2. You’ll need to complete the request Old Road Property Monster Extermination, which tasks you with clearing out several groups of [Fartacus] enemies located behind a previously locked gate in the Old Armorica Road area. While you’re purging the trespassing monsters, be sure to loot a chest in a shed along the southeastern end of this locked-off area to obtain the Feather Tackle fishing rod.

With this new fishing rod you can make use of Red Flies and Roe bait. You can farm for Red Flies by killing Kesalan (Ursula Road) and [Black Berga Bugs] (West Crossbell Highway) enemies, while Backlash and Tropical Archer enemies both drop Roe (Ursula Road).

Fishing Spot: Ursula Road - Lakeshore¶

After you’ve farmed for sufficient bait, make your way to the Ursula Road - Lakeshore fishing spot (second screen of Ursula Road, along the beach). Here you can catch Azelfish, Kasagin, Salmon and Trout with a mix of Red Flies and Roe. There are no spoiler fish here, either, so you shouldn’t have any trouble snagging all four fish you need. This will bring you up to 13 out of 24 fish caught.

Fishing Spot: Mainz Mountain Path¶

Next up, head to either of the fishing spots on the Mainz Mountain Path and fish there for Rainbow Trout, who will bite for Roe. This step could technically wait for a better fishing spot in Chapter 3, but there’s no harm in getting it out of the way early, either. If you catch a Rainbow Trout you’ll be at 14 out of 24 fish caught.

Fishing for Viperheads, Pythonheads and Catfish¶

Now that you have at least 13 out of a possible 24 fish (14 if you snagged a Rainbow Trout), it’s time to use a previous catch as bait to snag three more fish, bringing our numbers up to 16 out of 24 fish. This is essential, as it’ll cause us to rank up to a 1st Class Fisher, allowing us to buy Deluxe Dumplings from the Fishing Guild, which will facilitate more fishing in Chapter 3.

First, you may want to stock up on bait, and this means catching either Snow Crabs or Kasagin. Kasagin are arguably the easier of the two to stock up on, as if you use Red Flies at the St. Ursula Medical College fishing spot they’re the only fish that’ll bite. Score yourself a good number of Kasagin, then head to the nearby fourth screen of Ursula Road, where you’ll find the Ursula Road - Pond fishing spot.

There are only three fish in the Ursula Road - Pond fishing spot: Pythonheads, Viperheads and Gluttonous Bass, with the Gluttonous Bass serving as spoilers. Save your game and fish until you have at least one Viperhead and one Pythonhead. More may come in handy, because these predatory fish are bait for another fish later on, but you don’t technically need them at this point.

With that you only have to hook a Catfish, and they can be found in the nearby Ursula Road - Lakeshore fishing spot - the same place you snagged four fish earlier. The bad news is this fishing spot is also home to Gluttonous Bass and Viperheads, who both feed on Kasagin, and hence will play spoiler here. Unfortunately, every fishing spot you can access that has Catfish will also have these two other fish. Fish until you land a Catfish, and save scum if spoiler fish gobble too much of your Kasagin bait.

If you had trouble with Viperheads, Pythonheads and Catfish, there’s a bit of good news. For some reason, these were the most difficult fish for us to catch, too. All the rarer fish were, for some reason, easier. Take that anecdote for what you will. Bad news is, you’ll need some more Viperheads and Pythonheads later on to serve as bait. In any event, as long as you have 16 out of 24 fish caught, you’re good to go.

Chapter 3 - Fishing with the Bamboo Rod¶

You’ll gain two more rods in Chapter 3, the Bamboo Rod and the Horizon Rod, and both come from urgent requests. The Bamboo Rod will be automatically obtained during the request Missing Doctor. The Bamboo Rod can use Deluxe Dumplings and Snow Crabs as bait, which will catch you three more fish.

Catching the Arch Crab¶

To catch the Arch Crab you’ll need Snow Crabs to serve as bait, which you should have caught earlier from fishing spots on Ursula Road using Earthworms as bait. You shouldn’t need too many Snow Crabs, as only the Arch Crab preys on them exclusively, and the Arch Crab isn’t hard to catch. Once you have some Snow Crabs to use, just make your way to the first screen of the Ancient Battlefield, follow the road until you reach a fork, then head right until you find some stairs off the road, leading to a depression. This fishing spot can be found in the pond just to the left of the stairs leading to this depression.

Catching the Gold Salmon¶

You’ll need to stock up on Deluxe Dumplings to catch the Gold Salmon along with other rare fish. If you’ve caught 16 out of 24 fish (possible during Chapter 2) and ranked up at the Fishing Guild, you’d have been promoted to 1st Class Fisher, entitling you to buy Deluxe Dumplings for 100 Mira a pop.

Sounds expensive, but they’ll allow you to catch the Gold Salmon at the Mainz Abandoned Mine (unlocked during the request Mine Monster Cleanup at a fishing spot that is otherwise only home to Rainbow Trout. If you didn’t already catch a Rainbow Trout, the Mainz Abandoned Mine fishing spot is an ideal place to fish for them, as the only other fish here is the Gold Salmon, which can only be caught once, and which you also are trying to snag.

To reach this fishing spot, follow these directions from the entrance to the Mainz Mine - Abandoned:

• Go up a ramp to the north.
• Go uphill to the east, then up some stairs to the north.
• Head southeast, then exit via a tunnel to the northeast.
• Make your way northeast and east up a ramp.
• Turn left and cross a bridge behind a waterfall.
• Head up a ramp to the north and continue along the linear path until you descend some stairs to reach the next area.
• Head west down a ramp, then south down some stairs and another ramp.
• Make your way southwest to reach a metal platform sticking out over the water - you can’t see the ripples in the water, but you can interact with the fishing spot at the end of this platform.

Catching the Noble Carp¶

The Noble Carp can be found at the Old Armorica Road - Rest Area fishing spot, and it also feeds on Deluxe Dumplings. There’s a good bit of RNG involved with catching this fish, and it has nothing at all to do with the Noble Carp being hard to catch once landed. This fishing hole is infested with Armorica Carp, Carp, and Pearlglass, all of whom will gladly snap up your Deluxe Dumplings. Suffice to say, carrying around some extra bait will prove useful here, and snagging a couple of Rainbow Trout can certainly help you raise the funds.

The Old Armorica Road - Rest Stop fishing spot can be found near the rest stop on the second screen of the Old Armorica Road. Just search the river near a fountain, you can access the fishing spot from between two trees.

Chapter 3 - Fishing with the Horizon Rod¶

You can obtain the Horizon Rod on Chapter 3, Day 3. Youll find it in the sewer section of the Underground Passage in the Ancient Battlefield field dungeon during the urgent request Missing Tourists. The Horizon Rod can use Carp and while the Kasagin is redundant, three more fish can be enticed to bite with Carp as bait.

Fortunately, Carp is a common enough fish. Unfortunately it has competition for the baits it likes at every fishing spot where it’s located. It’ll eat Deluxe Dumplings, Dumplings, Earthworms and Snow Crabs and can be found in the Old Armorica Road - Rest Area, Ursula Road - Estuary and the St. Ursula Medical College. Since you can just buy Deluxe Dumplings, you may want to fish for them at the Ursula Road - Estuary fishing spot, as the only spoiler fish there is Trout. Land a couple of these so you have spares, then it’ll be time to hunt down these next three fish.

Catching the Queen Crab¶

This girl is easy-peasy, as she’s the only “fish” that hungers for Carp in the Ancient Battlefield - Pond fishing spot, and she’s not that hard to reel in when she bites. Make your way to the first screen of the Ancient Battlefield, follow the road until you reach a fork, then head right until you find some stairs off the road, leading to a depression. This fishing spot can be found in the pond just to the left of the stairs leading to this depression.

Alternatively you can fish for the Queen Crab at the Geofront - B Sector fishing spot, where she’ll compete with the Electric Eel for your Carp. Since you also want to catch the Electric Eel… it’s kind of a win-win. The fishing spot in Geofront - B Sector is just off the southwestern end of the boss platform where you fought the [Torso Deluxe].

Catching the Electric Eel¶

Another easy catch, the Electric Eel is found in the Geofront - B Sector fishing spot, and only one other native “fish” - the Queen Crab - has a taste for Carp. You want to catch them both, so just keep fishing until you catch them. The fishing spot in Geofront - B Sector is just off the southwestern end of the boss platform where you fought the [Torso Deluxe].

Catching the Demon Catfish¶

The Demon Catfish can be fished out of the East Crossbell Highway - River fishing spot by providing it with Carp as bait. Normal Catfish also dwell here, and will snipe your Carp, but they’re the only other fish here that are interested in Carp. To reach this fishing spot, head to the second screen of the East Crossbell Highway, which is split by a river. Cross a bridge to reach the eastern end of the river then turn south and head downhill to get near the river. The fishing spot can be found near the bridge.

Fishing With the Aqua Wizard¶

Once you have 23 of the 24 fish, return to the Fishing Guild and you’ll be promoted to the rank of Master Fisher. As a perk of reaching this rank, you can now peruse an expanded selection of bait, including Roe, Dumplings, Red flies and Earthworms, all for 100 Mira each. The real reward, however, is the Aqua Wizard fishing rod, which can use any bait, including the Pythonhead and Viperhead.

This is the key to catching the 24th fish, the “mythical guardian of this land”.

The fish you seek is the Serpenthead, which can be found at the Ursula Road - Estuary fishing spot, but before you head there you may want to stock up on bait. To lure the Serpenthead you’ll need Pythonheads and Viperheads, and to catch those you’ll need Kasagin.

The best spot to fish for Kasagin is the St. Ursula Medical College, as the Kasagin is the only fish there that feeds on Red Flies (you can now buy these from the fishing guild, so they shouldn’t be too hard to obtain). Once you[‘ve stocked up on Kasagin, make your way to the adjacent Ursula Road - Pond fishing spot, which only has three fish species: the Pythonhead, Viperhead and Gluttonous Bass. Sadly they all are hungry for Kasagin, but at least here two out of the three potential catches are something you need. Catching Pythonheads and Viperheads was more difficult than the Serpenthead itself, so maybe you don’t need to go too crazy fishing for them.

When you have a sufficient number of Pythonheads and Viperhead (this amount varies depending on your skill, patience, and willingness to save scum), head to the Ursula Road - Estuary fishing spot, which is located off some ruins on the first screen of the Ursula Road area. Again, you can’t see the ripples for this fishing spot, so just pace along the edge of the ruins until you see the prompt.

Using the Aqua Wizard baited with Pythonheads and Viperheads until you reel in the Serpenthead, which will earn you the achievement/trophy [You Won’t Like Me When I’m Angler-y] and finish up your Fishing Notebook.