User:Samantha Says/sandboxFish

The act of fishing has many variables that go into determining what the player catches. The most important of these are the biome the player is fishing in, the time of day, the population of fish at the fishing spot, the rod the player is using, and any quests that the player may have active.

There are 6 biomes that the player can fish in. These are Arctic, Cave, Temperate Lake (Clear Weather), Temperate Lake (Raining), Temperate Stream (Clear Weather), and Temperate Stream (Raining). These biomes determine what fish the player can catch, and most fish are exclusive to a small number of biomes. This is also the only effect that the weather can have on fishing: determining the biome of temperate water sources. For example, a goldfish can be caught at a lake when the weather is clear, but cannot be caught when it is raining or at any other biome.

Within each biome are 6 values of fish. Fish can be common, uncommon, or rare, and are also either large or small. Unless using certain fishing rods, there is an equal chance of a fish being large or small.Junk also has common, uncommon, and rare rarities, with some drops differing depending on whether the fishing spot can contain Dwemer items. It is worth noting that "junk" also includes artifacts and valuables such as the Ring of Kynareth or Enchanted items.

The time of day is also important for catching fish. During the hours of 6am to 9am and 6pm to 9pm, fishing spots will have more fish in them before running dry. This peak time also reduces the odds of caught fish being of common rarity, and increases the odds of fish being uncommon or rare.

A fishing spot's population is determined each day, and will typically have 5 or 6 fish. If the player fishes during peak hours, this increases to between 7 and 9 fish. As the player empties the fishing spot of its fish, the odds of catching a fish decrease. If there are 4 or more fish left, there is a 90% chance of catching a fish and a 10% chance of catching a junk item. Once the fishing spot drops to 3 fish or fewer, these odds lower to 80% chance of catching a fish and 20% chance of catching junk. When the spot has dried up, there is of course a 0% chance of catching fish, and junk will be fished up every time.

The fishing rod used by the player has one of the biggest effects on their fishing odds. Alik'ri and Argonian Fishing Rods decrease the chances of a caught fish being common and increases the chance of it being uncommon or rare. Alik'ri rods have an 80% chance of the fish being small, while the Argonian rods have an 80% chance of it being large. The Dwarven Fishing Rod increases the odds of catching junk over fish, and further decreases the chances of catching a fish when the population of a spot is at 3 or less. The Dwarven Fishing Rod also reduces the odds of caught junk being common to increase the chance of it being uncommon and rare.

If the player has a quest to fish an item from the fishing spot they're trying to fish at, there is a 50% chance that they catch their quest item. If they don't catch the quest item, their catch is calculated as normal.

Catch chances

Fish Rarity

	Common	Uncommon	Rare
	During regular hours
Regular Rod	75%	22%	3%
Alik'ri Rod	55%	35%	10%
Argonian Rod	55%	35%	10%
Dwarven Rod	75%	22%	3%
	During peak hours
Regular Rod	65%	27%	8%
Alik'ri Rod	45%	40%	15%
Argonian Rod	45%	40%	15%
Dwarven Rod	65%	27%	8%

Junk Rarity

	Common	Uncommon	Rare
Regular Rod	65%	32%	3%
Alik'ri Rod	65%	32%	3%
Argonian Rod	65%	32%	3%
Dwarven Rod	35%	56%	9%

Table Idea

	Fish	Biomes	Size	Rarity	Best Rod	Category
	Vampire Fish	Cave	Large	Uncommon	Argonian Fishing Rod	Food
	Juvenile Mudcrab	Arctic Temperate Lake, Clear Temperate Stream, Clear Temperate Stream, Raining	Small	Uncommon	Alik'ri Fishing Rod	Ingredient