Level 1-6
Use any rod with little worm bait and fish in Windurst Woods or Waters. You
will catch Crayfish(6) and Moat Carp(11). You should travel to windurst to
start fishing because the fishing guild is in windurst.

level 6-11
Buy yourself a stronger rod. I recommend a composite or mithran because those
will not break when fishing inside a town. Switch to insect ball bait and fish
for Moat Carp(11) and Gold Carp(56) in windurst woods around the fountain.(Area
with most moat carp in the windurst)

level 11-20
Travel to east ronaflaure with a strong rod, either mithran or composite and a
fly lure to catch cheval salmon(21) and shining trout(37) in the steams.

level 20-30
Travel to Jugner forest and fish in the lake. You have to make a decision which
rod to use. If you use a composite rod, you will get more "Fish too small"
messages, but the rod will not break. If you use the mithran rod, you will get
less "Fish too small" messages, but the rod can break on ashwood logs. What you
need is alot of insect ball bait. The entire carp family is in this lake. The
target fishes will be tricolored carp (27) and gold carp(56).
You must be careful while fishing here because bogy spawns around the lake and
you can potentially fish yup monsters up to level 30+.

level 30-40
Travel to South Gustaberg with a composite rod. You can either use sinking
minnow lure or slice sardine bait to catch ogre eel(35), gold lobster(46), and
zalmung bass(48). You will get more bites with the slice sardine but it is much
more expensive than using the sinking minnow.

level 40-49
Travel to beaucine glaciers to with a composite rod and sakigi rig lure or a
lot of little worm bait. You will catch ice fish(49) in the ponds there.
Getting to this area is very difficult because you have to go through a cave
with high level monsters and also the monsters in the glaciers are aggressive
gigas and tigers. Do not even try to fish in this area with a character under
level 45.

Option 1
level 49-56
Go back to Windurst woods and use your mithran rod with insect ball bait to
catch Gold Carp(56). At this point you might want to think about completing the
Lu Shang's Fishing Rod quest. After this move to option 2.

Option 2
level 49-69
Use a composite rod (or Lu shang's highly recommended) with a minnow lure or
sliced sardine bait in west sarubartha to catch blade fish(70), bastore bream
(70), and blue tail(55). Note if you are using a composite rod you will get
alot of fish too small messages. Thats why you really need lu shang's to make
some decent money.

level 69-74
Use a composite rod with meat ball bait to catch silver shark(74) either on the
ship (bad idea if you can't repair your rod) or in bataglia downs or saurumogue
champaign.

level 74-90
Travel to qufim island with a composite rod and either minnow lure or sliced
cod bait. Here you will catch three-eyed-fish(82) and giant squid(90).

level 90-100
Get on the boat from mhaura to selbina and use a strong rod (either composite
or lu shangs) and meat ball lure to catch titantius(100) and other legendary
fish in the ocean. All fishes that bite on meat ball on the boat can and will
break any rod. That includes lu shangs and composite. You really need to have
high alchemy or high woodworking to repair rods with light crystals