Fishing in Nier Replicant ver. 1.22 is a bit more complicated than it seems at first. Each fishing location has its own species, and each of these prefers certain baits. To successfully complete The Fisherman’s Gambit side quests, players will need to catch most of the available species of fish, including the elusive Sandfish and Blue Marlin.
How to fish in Nier Replicant ver. 1.22
Fishing seems easy enough in Nier Replicant. Players can get a fishing rod from the old man in Seafront as part of the main story. However, after obtaining the Shaman Fish, there’s a nine-part side quest available from the Old Fisherman that’ll have players taking on increasingly harder challenges.
To catch a fish, all players have to do is wait until the right moment and either pull back on the left stick or tap O. Then, they need to hold the left stick in the opposite direction that the fishing is pulling until the meter at the bottom depletes.
However, knowing when to hook the fish isn’t as easy as just watching the bobber dip below the water. Each fish has a different tell. The bobber will only dip a maximum of three times before the cast fails. However, players must hook some fish on the first or second dip. Additionally, whether the bobber gets a soft or hard tug helps identify which fish species is nibbling at a player’s bait.
Note that Nier starts as a pretty poor fisherman. However, each time players complete one of the Fisherman’s Gambit side quests, he gets better. So, those who are having difficulty nabbing a fish might want to wait until they’ve completed all these quests and try again.
Nier Replicant fishing locations list
In the table below, we’ve gathered info on every fish species in Nier Replicant, what bait it likes, and how to hook it. We’ll go into further detail on two particularly tricky species in the sections below.
| Sub-story # | Sub-story Title | Chapter Available | Location (Conditions) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A Can-Do Attitude | 3 | S. Sakura River St. |
| 2 | Who's that Sujimon? | 4 | E. Central St. (After first Hello Work visit) |
| 3 | A Golden Opportunity | 4 | S. Sakura River St. |
| 4 | One Man's Trash | 4 | Misaki St. |
| 5 | A Trip to Pound Town | 4 | Ohama St. (After following Nanoha) |
| 6 | It's the Thought That Counts | 4 | S. Sakura River St. |
| 7 | Baby's Don't Cry | 4 | Ohama St. (After spying on Nanoha at Pocket Cafe) |
| 8 | Old Cinema Paradiso | 4 | Ijin St. |
| 9 | Persimmon Premonition | 4 | Bar District (While getting a job at Sunset Castle) |
| 10 | Fast Times at Ounabara | 4 | Breakwater Drive |
| 11 | Certified Underdog | 5 | Ounabara Vocational School (After passing nine exams) |
| 12 | How to be a Part-Time Hero | 5 | Ijin St. |
| 13 | No Where to Go But Up | 5 | Central St. (After Nanoha leaves) |
| 14 | ? | ? | ? |
| 15 | Ijinsho's Safety Net | 5 | Otohimeland Soapland |
| 16 | The Crawfish Caper | 5 | Sunrise Bridge |
| 17 | A Love Worth Fighting For | 5 | S. Sakura River St. |
| 18 | Home Run Heroism | 5 | Bar District (After management training) |
| 19 | Bubble, Bubble, Toil and Trouble | 5 | Romance St. Alleyway |
| 20 | Table for One | 7 | Isezaki Rd. (Wette Kitchen) |
| 21 | Dumpster of Demise | 7 | Near Romance Workshop |
| 22 | An Act of Kindness | 7 | Jinnai Station |
| 23 | Warmest Wishes | 9 | Hyakkei St. |
| 24 | Fifty Shades of Play | 7 | Ohama St. |
| 25 | A Fading Star | 7 | Eomeoni's Vow |
| 26 | The Masked Murderer | 9 | Hyakkei St. |
| 27 | The Miracle of Spice | 7 | W. Tsurukame Highway |
| 28 | Tour Guide Turmoil | 9 | Hamakita Park Ave. |
| 29 | The Michio Minefield | 9 | Chinatown |
| 30 | Faux-no Michio | 9 | Chinatown (After substory #29) |
| 31 | Like Father, Like Son | 9 | Chinatown |
| 32 | Forget Me Not | 9 | Carriage Highway |
| 33 | The Traffic Census Sensei | 12 | Outside Sunset Castle (After Sotenbori) |
| 34 | Bros Til the End | 9 | Hamakita Park |
| 35 | Preparing to Suck | 9 | Sesil Cafe |
| 36 | Whispers of the Underworld | 9 | Survive Bar |
| 37 | Ringleader Round-up: Bear Blues | 10 | Hamakita Park |
| 38 | Ringleader Round-up: Tiger Takeover | 10 | Hamakita Park (After substory #37) |
| 39 | Ringleader Round-up: Chimp Calamity | 10 | Hamakita Park (After substory #38) |
| 40 | Dragon Cart | 4 | Hamakita Park |
| 41 | Two-Headed Bomb | 4 | After winning the Cerebus Cup |
| 42 | The Rocket Girls | 4 | After winning the Pegasus Cup |
| 43 | The Data Drifter | 4 | After winning the Phoenix Cup |
| 44 | Biker Blitz | 4 | After vs. Suguru Rival Race |
| 45 | ? | ? | ? |
| 46 | ? | ? | ? |
| 47 | ? | ? | ? |
| 48 | ? | ? | ? |
| 49 | Certified Love | 4 | Ounabara Vocational School (After passing all certifications, max romance with Miyakoshi) |
| 50 | ? | ? | ? |
| 51 | ? | ? | ? |
| 52 | ? | ? | ? |
How to catch the Sandfish in Nier Replicant ver. 1.22
Catching three Sandfish in Nier Replicant is the objective of The Fisherman’s Gambit, Part 6. This is likely the first fish that’ll give players issues because it isn’t apparent when the hook should be set.
To catch a Sandfish, head to the desert near the boat. Players should cast their rods (with Sardines as bait preferably). The tricky part here is that the rod doesn’t dip when it’s time to hook the Sandfish. Instead, players should try and time setting the hook with the first bob. If done correctly, the Sandfish will be on the line, and it’s a relatively easy struggle from there.
How to catch the Blue Marlin in Nier Replicant ver. 1.22
The Blue Marlin is another tough fish to hook in Nier Replicant. However, the process of catching it is similar to that used to get the Sandfish. It’s located off the piers in Seafront. Using Sardines, cast the rod and attempt a hook on the first bite. This should hook a Blue Marlin, and the process of reeling it in won’t be too challenging.
