OK, some suggestions for fish and bait, then.
new baits:
frogs - would be great fun to chase and catch, perhaps found around the lakes and in the swamps - frogs are great bait for pike and bass.
catch enough and you could just eat the legs of course
minnows - found in the creeks, could be implemented rather like the existing patches of clear water and bits of sand - good for pike and bass and if i were to guess i think they'd be better baits for herring too - maybe you need to buy a net from the craft store to catch them (pretty much copy the shovel script for worms for the net if so)
feather fly - crafted at the tinker bench with an appropriate feather and a bit of copper wire - good for catching salmon and trout...the current copper fly doesn't really make sense as it wouldnt "fly"
corn - corn meal seems like the right thing, good for catching carp and catfish
grasshoppers - trout
squid - catch them like the minnows in shallows of the ocean with a net sold at the craft store, for big salt water fish
some new fish:
freshwater
sunfish - caught in same pond as carp, with worms, grubs or grasshoppers - takes about six to make one meal but they are tasty and easy to catch
grayling - like a trout, but found in some really out of the way mountainous territory, extra xp for being rare and inaccessible
char - like salmon, but found in some really out of the way etc
sturgeon - gigantic, hundreds of pounds, could require extra strength to land?
the 'toon for the pike is not a pike its an eel - so we could have eels, fresh or salt water...i think rotten meat is a good bait for them
salt water
bonefish - use fly or minnow, size like a bass or trout, lives in shallow water so fish in ocean from shore
tarpon - salt water shore fishable, 50 pounds, use copper lure
bluefish - size of a pike, use grub or minnow, from shore or boat
shark - they come in all sizes, salmon or pike size up to hundeds of pounds, use minnow or squid or raw meat, from shore or boat
tuna and/or marlin - hundreds of pounds, could using squid, can only be caught from a boat
swordfish - hundreds of pounds, only caught from a boat...hmmm don't suppose it could drop a...naw
if ever there was a boat-based fishing model, couldn't neglect the cod
octopus - use minnow or squid, or else add a snorkel and fishing spear to the possible fishing equipment...find it in the rocks along the shore
Perhaps catching trout or salmon with the fly could be made more difficult but give more xp. Like real life. And bows are not useable for all fish - or at least not easily. I'd say bows are good for carp, trout, salmon, bonefish. Possible with lowered chance of success for bass, pike, herring. Not possible for others. And the range of a bow should be much shorter than a pole, since you have to see the fish to use the bow. Seems like good balance to give advantages to the pole, since it means extra weight and equipment for those who carry it instead of just using their weapon (bow) for their fishing.
