If there’s one thing you can bank on being included in just about any modern indie game, it’s a fishing mechanic.
It’s all Stardew Valley’s fault, honestly, but it’s the reality we have to live with now. We have seen some really cool fishing indie game mechanics being employed in recent titles like Dredge, or Dave The Diver. However, it usually ends up being a hack version of Stardew Valley, or Animal Crossing’s fishing mini-games.
You would think that a game that is largely set in a vast desert would be completely free of fishing mini-games, but that’s where you would be wrong. Sable employs fishing mini-games that will see you cast a line into the sand and reel in some rather strange oddities living it large down below.
Between you and me, I thought this was about the most crowbarred-in fishing mechanic I’ve encountered in an indie game in some time, and moreover, easily one of the worst things to engage with within this stellar open-world adventure.
However, if the player wants to fully complete Sable, they will need to become quite the desert angler, as you need to collect enough Angler Badges to get the Angler’s Mask. Plus, you’ll need to gather fish to make money for bike parts, and fill the Vivarium. While we would love to ignore it, you’d be missing a big chunk of what Sable has to offer.
So with the tediousness of fishing in Sable in mind, I have conjured up this handy-dandy guide that will explain the benefits of fishing and explain where to find the fish needed to fill the Vivarium. Okay, folks, masks on; we are going on our Gliding. This is Indie Game Culture’s Sable Fishing Guide.
How to Unlock Fishing In Sable
The fishing quest in Sable, and access to a fishing rod are unlocked when the player talks to Yoshi at the Angler’s Hut In Sansee. You’ll find his angler boat in the middle of this segment of the map. Honestly, he’s pretty hard to miss, as this space is very flat and open.
When you talk to him, he will set the first of three quests relating to gathering fish. The fish needed for each quest are as follows:
- Quest One: Bellow Guppy, Pill Fish, Pebble Eye
- Quest Two: Bloated Eyed Clam, Little Kicker, Trifle Jelly
- Quest Three: Hummer, Sand Ray, Storm Fish
After completing each of these quests, Yoshi will reward the player with an Angler Badge. When you collect all three, you can then turn them in for the Angler Mask.
The Vivarium Quest
These are all the fish needed to collect the Angler Mask, but you will need to catch a series of rare fish to complete the Vivarium quest. Believe it or not, this was actually DLC content, but those who purchase the game will get this as standard.
The Vivarium is located in the North-West corner of The Wash, pretty much directly to the west of The Wyrm. When you enter the Vivarium, if you speak to Researcher Casii and she will inform you that she needs a hand filling her Vivarium with wildlife.
You’ll have to collect a bunch of insects too, but focusing on the fish, these are the rare fish that you will need to collect in addition to the ones listed above:
- Dopey Dart
- Flutter Thrust
- Ghost Soul
- Light Koi
- Scabby Fish
- Shelled Cup
- Sucker Fish
- Teacup Angler
As a reward, Casii will give you a much-improved fishing rod that can ‘catch rare fish’ much more consistently, but unless you are short of cash, it’s a pretty lame gift, as your collection is complete. That being said, it’s better than nothing.
Tips When Fishing In Sable
Before we give you the location of each fish you need to catch in the game, here are some quick tips that will help you make the most of the fishing mechanic within the game:
- Consider going to the options menu and turning on the easy fishing function. This means that when a fish is on the hook, it can’t escape
- Bike parts are pretty expensive, which means that if you want to complete sets and ride around on the coolest gliders, then you need to sell what you catch. Always keep one of everything you catch, but every duplicate can be sold for a little bump in funds
- When you enter a new section of the map, try fishing straight away in a couple of areas, like out in the open, near shade, and near dunes/pillars. Chances are you’ll catch 2-3 new variants naturally
Sable Fish Locations
Bellow Guppy
Region: Sansee
Firstly we have the Bellow Guppy, which is probably the first fish you will catch in the game, provided you cast a line right from the moment you get your hands on a rod. This fish can be caught around the Anglers Hut. So cast a line, and you should get this one immediately.
Bloated Eye Clam
Region: The Wash
You may have encountered an area in the wash known as the Petrified Forest. It’s the same area where you find Nimoor Plants in the quest, ‘A Tough Nut to Crack.’ This is the area where you will find the Bloated Eye Clam. No specific location works best, so just hop down from the Cartographer’s Balloon and cast a line.
Dopey Dart
Region: Sansee
If the Bellow Guppy isn’t the first fish you catch when fishing from the Angler’s Hut, then the Dopey Dart definitely will be. To nab this one, cast a line from the Angler’s Hut, and you’ll probably reel this one in, provided a Bellow Guppy doesn’t beat it to your hook.
Flutter Thrust
Region: Badlands
To find this one, you’ll need to head out to the Badlands. The easiest way to reach the area in question is to spawn at the nearby Cartographer’s Balloon, and then glide down to the rock pillar forest below.
You’ll then want to cast your line so that it’s as close to the rock pillars as possible. Then after a couple of attempts, you should reel in a Flutter Thrust to add to your collection.
Ghost Soul
Region: The Wash
The Ghost Soul is a particularly rare fish in The Wash, but the criteria to catch this one make it a pretty easy one to catch if you know where to cast a line. There are plenty of areas where you’ll find huge masses of skeletal remains.
For example, a huge rib cage just southwest of the Center of Brunswick. Head there, cast a line near the bones, and you’ll pull up a Ghost Soul in no time.
Hummer
Region: Redsee
If you hop off the Cartographer’s Balloon in Redsee and glide your way south-east toward the lush and colorful forest, you’ll be able to catch a Hummer here. As far as I’m aware, this is the only fish that can be caught in this forest area, so you should have no problems reeling in this bird-like fish.
Light Koi
Region: Badlands
To find this one, you need to fish somewhere pretty specific. You need to head out to the Badlands, and more specifically, to the Mysterious Shrine, where you’ll have to complete the quest ‘An Ancient Race.’
If you walk away from the shrine, you’ll see a little rock tunnel area. If you fish in the tunnel, you should be able to pull up a Light Koi from the sand.
Little Kicker
Region: The Wash
This one is the common variant that can be found pretty much anywhere in the area known as The Wash. For those unaware, that’s the one with The Vivarium, and The Wyrm. Just cast a line pretty much anywhere, and chances are, a Little Kicker will come biting.
Pebble Eye
Region: Sansee
This fish is one of the rarer Sansee-specific catches on offer, but even with that in mind, you won’t have to work too hard for this one.
To catch a Pebble Eye, all you need to do is wait until nightfall in the Sansee region or alternatively find a tall rock formation and fish in the shady patches. A couple of tries, and you can bet that a Pebble Eye will appear.
Pill Fish
Region: Sansee
Next, we have the Pill Fish, which is one that you will find in Sansee beyond the Wind Tower. You’ll want to bike over to the cactus forest. You know, the one with inexplicably no collision coded at all. Then head to an area where there is a raised cliff edge and fish below this in amongst the cacti. Before long, you’ll encounter a Pill Fish.
Sand Ray
Region: Redsee
If you head out west of the City of Eccria, you’ll find a vast open space framed by a number of large rock islands. Think of it like a giant deep pool of sand. If you head into the middle of this open space and cast a line, you should pull up a Sand Ray after an attempt or two.
Scabby Fish
Region: Badlands
You’ll find the Scabby Fish pretty much anywhere in the Badlands, as it’s the common fish of the area. The best place to go is the vast open space near the Cartographer’s Balloon. After a few attempts, I can pretty much guarantee that you’ll catch at least one of these scabby boys.
Shelled Cup
Region: Sodic Waste
If you want to get your hands on a Shelled Cup, you’ll want to head out to The Geyser Tower, where you probably angered a large bird and grabbed a climbing badge earlier. I found that the best results come when you fish in the shaded areas around this landmark.
Storm Fish
Region: Redsee
Technically you can catch a Storm Fish pretty much anywhere in Redsee, provided you fish in raised red dunes.
However, I personally found this one to be a little temperamental and reluctant to appear. So I would suggest heading to the Cartographer’s Balloon and finding a shady dune right below their podium. Here, you should be able to wrestle a Storm Fish from the sands below.
Sucker Fish
Region: Redsee
If you head out to Redsee, and take a trip west of the Balfron Connection, you’ll see a whole bunch of raised rock pillars and archways. Try to fish in the more shaded areas of this patch of Redsee and a Sucker Fish will suck up your bait and be another welcome addition to your collection.
Teacup Angler
Region: Hakoa
Then we have the Teacup Angler, a fish that can only be found in the Hakoa region, and specifically tends to hang out in steam vents in the area.
These are dotted all over the place. You can’t bike for ten seconds without seeing at least one vent somewhere on the horizon. So head over to one, cast a line right in the steam, and you should be able to add the Teacup Angler to your collection.
Trifle Jelly
Region: The Wash
The gelatinous-sounding fish can be found in the wash and tends to be easiest to catch near Burnt Oak Station. For best results, try to fish in raised white dunes, but as you can see, as long as you are near this settlement, you’ll get one eventually.
FAQs
Question: Is There Combat In Sable?
Answer: No, there is absolutely no combat in Sable. Think of this game as Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, but with no stakes and no stress.
Question: Do You Need to Collect Butterflies Too?
Answer: Yes, you need to collect a series of Dragonflies and Butterflies to finish the Vivarium. There are a total of eight of these to collect, and they are as follows:
• Chalk Butterfly
• Sunshine Butterfly
• Salt Butterfly
• Oasis Dragonfly
• Crystal Butterfly
• Nimoor Butterfly
• Shaded-Leaf Butterfly
• Stepwell Dragonfly
Question: How Many Badges Per Mask In Sable?
Answer: You need to have at least three badges of a certain type before you can turn them over and be rewarded with the mask of that particular profession.
Angler Mask Secured!
As you can see, Sable has quite a few different species of fish lurking below the dunes, and with a bit of patience, and persistence, you can snag them all and consider yourself a master angler.
I’ll admit, it’s not as fun as becoming a master climber, or the Shade of Eccria, but it’s a nice departure from the BOTW-style exploration. I hope this guide helps you fill your vivarium with ease, and as always, thank you for reading Indie Game Culture!
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