How to fish in Moonglow Bay

Moonglow Bay is a relaxing simulation game that’s all about fishing. Its gameplay loop involves helping to rebuild the town of Moonglow Bay by doing things like renovating struggling businesses. While there are a few different gameplay systems, fishing is at the heart of the adventure, driving the in-game economy.

As players acquire and sell more fish, they’ll attract more tourists and amass more funds to invest in the town. Native residents will also often have requests for specific dishes, but cooking said dishes requires fish first and foremost. With it being so integral to the game, read our guide to learn about fishing in Moonglow Bay.

Learning to fish

To begin fishing, players need to either stand at the edge of their boat or find a dock or beachfront housing a fish sign. Unlike other similar games, the protagonist can’t just fish anywhere. Once at a fishing spot, you’ll be able to cast the line by pressing A on an Xbox controller. Holding A will result in the line being cast further. This is preferable as you’re more likely to attract fish the further the line is cast.

Fish will poke at the bobber a few times to fake you out. As soon as the bobber is underwater for longer than a split second, hold the right trigger on an Xbox controller to continuously reel the line. While holding the trigger, pull the left analog stick in the opposite direction of the fish.

When the fish is swimming toward the right, pull the stick toward the left and vice versa. Don’t change the direction until the fish does. Other games with fishing mechanics sometimes have players pulling back while simultaneously holding left or right. That isn’t necessary with Moonglow Bay. Pulling back is only required when the fish is swimming straight ahead.

There is a Striking mechanic that can be used for a quick burst of energy. Holding the left trigger while holding a direction on the stick enables an aggressive pull on the line that covers more distance than usual. Utilizing it too much will lead to losing the fish. The character’s energy is indicated by a series of water droplet icons emanating from their person. If you start seeing two droplets flashing at once, stop making use of the mechanic until they disappear completely.

Understanding lures

Before casting a line, you can customize your line by pressing Y at any fishing spot. This brings up a menu letting you select from three different lure types: Jig, Spinner, and Plug.

Jig lures attract resilient and aggressive fish. Spinner lures attract fast and aggressive fish. Lastly, Plug lures attract resilient and fast fish. Each of the three fish types behaves differently while caught on the line, requiring a slightly different approach from players. Fast fish move around quickly, requiring fast reflexes to snatch up. Aggressive fish showcase a mix of speed and strength while resilient fish are slow but strong.

You’re more likely to use the Striking mechanic with resilient fish because of how much of a fight they put up. With that said, Striking is also very effective against fast and aggressive fish to quickly reel them in when their erratic movements are difficult to keep up with.

Understanding bait

In addition to lures, Moonglow Bay also makes use of three different bait types. These are accessed through the same menu as the lures while standing at a fishing spot. The game features low-grade and high-grade bait.

Low-grade bait attracts small and medium-sized species whereas high-grade bait attracts medium and large-sized species. Conversely, using no bait at all only attracts small species of fish. Unlike the no-bait option, low-grade and high-grade bait are a limited resource so players should be mindful of their resources when out on a fishing trip.