How the catch is decided
A fish enters the catch pool when its season, water type, and weather conditions all match. Time of day is not checked: no fish in Fields of Mistria is restricted to a time of day. The available list is the same at 3am and midday.
The game then makes two draws. A fishing spot first chooses a shadow size: small, medium, large, or giant. It then picks a catch from the fish assigned to that size. Fish with other shadow sizes do not enter the draw, so a giant fish competes only with the other giants, which are usually few.
Candidates within a shadow size have different weights. Each rarity tier has a fixed number of "votes", from 300 for the most common tier to 40 for rare. A fish's chance is its votes divided by the total votes in that shadow. Junk and treasure boxes use the same draw, so roughly one bite in six is not a fish. As more fish unlock for a shadow size, each existing fish becomes less likely to be chosen because the total pool has more votes.
Weather and legendary fish
Weather has four categories: clear, rain or snow, storm or blizzard, and windy. Windy days occur only in spring and autumn, with 4 to 6 per season. Fish that require wind cannot be caught in summer or winter.
Each legendary fish requires a particular season, type of water, and weather event. The Legendary fishing perk is also required; without it, these fish never appear. They are therefore listed separately from the calculated odds. Weather cannot be forced, so unlock the perk, keep the right rod and bait ready, and fish when the forecast changes.
Using the planner
With the place set to Anywhere, the planner groups catches by shadow size and shows each fish's share within that shadow. Read this as the chance of getting that fish after a shadow of the selected size appears. This view does not include how often the shadow itself appears, because that rate depends on the fishing spot.
Select your location to include the spot's shadow weights. The planner multiplies the two draw stages and shows the overall chance of catching the fish in that water. If a location has several spots, as the Beach does with thirteen, the result is a range.
The range reflects differences between actual fishing spots. Each endpoint is the exact figure for one of those spots, so your position determines the chance you receive. A lower endpoint of 0% means that at least one spot in that water cannot produce the fish. Four of Mistria's eight river spots give no weight to giant shadows, which is why Paddlefish ranges from 0% to 2.7% there.
Use Anywhere to check a fish's shadow size. Select a location when you need the overall odds or want to know whether a particular spot can produce your target.
Mine water uses a separate system. Each layer of the mines has a fixed fish list and its own weights. Season, weather, and pool shape do not affect underground catches, so the planner hides those controls when you select mine water.
Every fish costs 12 stamina to catch, regardless of size. Bring food for a long session. Fish can also be museum donations or gifts, so check the museum sets before selling a first catch and the gift finder before selling a rare one.
Where fishing spots are located
Only some water contains an active fishing spot. The eight outdoor areas have thirty-four active spots and eleven more boxes that spawn nothing. The Beach has thirteen active spots, town has nine, and the Eastern Road has five.
Two active spots are in the river on your own farm. Another covers the ocean at Sweetwater Farm. The game does not mark them, so they are easy to overlook.
Each spot has its own shadow weights, and giant is the rarest size at every spot where it can appear. A giant shadow typically has one vote while the other sizes have ten or more. Since no spot makes giants common, catching one usually takes repeated casts.
A shadow can also fail to spawn. This happens when the spot chooses a size but no fish of that size meets the current conditions, such as when all of them are out of season. The unused share is not reassigned to another size, so the spot produces fewer shadows under those conditions.
