I've spent most of the day doing some pretty intensive testing, and it appears that there is a major issue (may be Working as Intended, but is likely not) regarding fishing in ocean/coastal areas.

It appears that either fish, or waves, can exist in any body of water at one time. In effect, this means that in areas where waves can form, there are extremely narrow windows of opportunity to fish, when the weather is perfectly clear and still.

In "brackish" estuary areas, like the Humber, the Wash, and to a limited extent, the Thames estuary, you can find some, limited, coastal spawns in all weathers. If the weather is not perfect, these fish will despawn if they cross the barrier to the area where waves can spawn. This is particularly frustrating if it occurs while a fish is hooked, as it leaves you in a Schrodinger's fish situation - the fish is hooked, but not spawned in, and so cannot be reeled in.

This is simple to test and replicate - simply look at the horizon as you punt a small boat out of a river, while spamming Odin's Sight - you'll see fish around you until the waves spawn in, and the fish vanish.

While loading into a coastal region (Fast Travel to Folkestone is a great example, as it is teeming with fish) can show fish spawning on arrival, the wave mechanics spawning in a few seconds later immediately despawn the fish. For those wishing to emulate the great Dane King Cnut (yes, I know he was about 100 years after Eivor), you can sneak up on the coast and get similar effects as the game realises it has to load the weather/waves.

The reason weather is clearly involved is, well, obvious! If you luck out, and the weather is a perfect, balmy, doldrum, where the see is completely still, the fish spawn, and you can fish away to your heart's content... until British Weather happens, and a single cloud scares them all away, as the waves build up.


The behaviour when this happens is what makes me suspect that this is not WAI - the waves and fish co-exist for longer when the weather changes that when you surprise the sea, and it doesn't appear to cause any issues.

@ubi-baron I'm seeing the same thing, on PC.

The moment you get near enough to the coastline for waves to spawn, all fish despawn. I've tried a few tricks to sneak up on the sea (channeling Cnut!) like jumping off the cliffs near Folkestone, or travelling to it, and the result is always the same - when the sea is completely flat, there's fish, but they vanish the moment waves appear.

Its near impossible to find any Bream as a result, as well as Big Flatfish. The other coastal fish are easier thanks to the Humber estuary and The Wash (near Botolphston/Boston) areas being large, coastal, but not wave-y, but the same issues occur up north too.

@sytev additionally, in the (accurately) rare occasion that the weather is *completely* clear and the sea is still, this isn't an issue. I haven't tested in Norway, but by restarting my client and getting lucky, I was able to fish from open seas on the south coast

If this is intended functionality... its not good.

@gryma I assume in places where there's normally waves, which prevent the spawns.

@wiidyjohny look up!

Any chance of an official word on this?

Any chance of an official word on this?

@theoilplug have you tried building it again from the save, not skipping anything and trying again?

@wiidyjohny look up!

I've spent most of the day doing some pretty intensive testing, and it appears that there is a major issue (may be Working as Intended, but is likely not) regarding fishing in ocean/coastal areas.

It appears that either fish, or waves, can exist in any body of water at one time. In effect, this means that in areas where waves can form, there are extremely narrow windows of opportunity to fish, when the weather is perfectly clear and still.

In "brackish" estuary areas, like the Humber, the Wash, and to a limited extent, the Thames estuary, you can find some, limited, coastal spawns in all weathers. If the weather is not perfect, these fish will despawn if they cross the barrier to the area where waves can spawn. This is particularly frustrating if it occurs while a fish is hooked, as it leaves you in a Schrodinger's fish situation - the fish is hooked, but not spawned in, and so cannot be reeled in.

This is simple to test and replicate - simply look at the horizon as you punt a small boat out of a river, while spamming Odin's Sight - you'll see fish around you until the waves spawn in, and the fish vanish.

While loading into a coastal region (Fast Travel to Folkestone is a great example, as it is teeming with fish) can show fish spawning on arrival, the wave mechanics spawning in a few seconds later immediately despawn the fish. For those wishing to emulate the great Dane King Cnut (yes, I know he was about 100 years after Eivor), you can sneak up on the coast and get similar effects as the game realises it has to load the weather/waves.

The reason weather is clearly involved is, well, obvious! If you luck out, and the weather is a perfect, balmy, doldrum, where the see is completely still, the fish spawn, and you can fish away to your heart's content... until British Weather happens, and a single cloud scares them all away, as the waves build up.


The behaviour when this happens is what makes me suspect that this is not WAI - the waves and fish co-exist for longer when the weather changes that when you surprise the sea, and it doesn't appear to cause any issues.

@gryma I assume in places where there's normally waves, which prevent the spawns.

@sytev additionally, in the (accurately) rare occasion that the weather is *completely* clear and the sea is still, this isn't an issue. I haven't tested in Norway, but by restarting my client and getting lucky, I was able to fish from open seas on the south coast

If this is intended functionality... its not good.

@ubi-baron I'm seeing the same thing, on PC.

The moment you get near enough to the coastline for waves to spawn, all fish despawn. I've tried a few tricks to sneak up on the sea (channeling Cnut!) like jumping off the cliffs near Folkestone, or travelling to it, and the result is always the same - when the sea is completely flat, there's fish, but they vanish the moment waves appear.

Its near impossible to find any Bream as a result, as well as Big Flatfish. The other coastal fish are easier thanks to the Humber estuary and The Wash (near Botolphston/Boston) areas being large, coastal, but not wave-y, but the same issues occur up north too.