Some Game Mechanics I don´t understand

[Ruca [PT]]

I started playing Fishing Planet in 2015 but with breaks and coming back from time to time and finding changes and new things everytime. I am now over level 40 but there is game mechanics I don´t understand but I would like to know the answers.
Note that I am not a fisher in real life and Fishing Planet is the only fishing game I play and acquired some knowledge about fishing. I upgraded to Premium a couple of times along the way but no DLCs so all the things I know were learnt by trial, consulting forums and watching videos.
I already had some doubts and unanswered questions but I just bought my only DLC(Congo) and a few more popped up specially about the equipement because I don´t want(can´t) lose it but in the end it all sums up to the whole gameplay.
Here are some of the questions wich I would appreciate to get conclusive questions either by old school experienced players or/and Developers/Moderators who knows more than everyone but probably wont even read the discussion.
So here I ask a few hoping for clarification. thank you for any reply that may help me and others to understand better the game mechanics we currently have.

Some players say that Test should be lowered from the Rod to the Leader. For example, throwing numbers without refering any specific gear, Rod-10kg , Reel-9.5kg , Line-9kg , Leader 8.5kg. This is what I usually do.
But others say the Reel should be the lowest value in order to take advantage of the full braking but with this setup I worry about the reel breaks before the line or leader with bigger fish.
How exactly should the equipement be balanced? Does this system works without the danger of losing the reel?

With the DLC I got rather confused about the Titanium Leader usage. The DLC brings Mono and Fluoro Leaders but no Titanium leaders.
The knowledge I had before from experience was that I must have Titanium leader to catch those sharp teeth fish that would bite through any other leader type and flee. Without any decent option on Titanium leaders due to level limitation I tried with fluoro leader hoping I didn´t get those bitters to ruin my fishing and for my surprise I got them, actually, I got them good because they did not break the leader and where nices catches.
With that I wonder, what are the conditions when Titanium Leaders are really required?

I have a Kayak and the Dráco is the first boat I drive. Within the ingame store I see a variety of boats showing information about having different types of Echo Sounder.
Basic , Advanced , Pro , Oem , ElitePro.
My boat description says it has Oem and ElitePro but what does this means? And what are differences between them if there´s any? Are there any advantages and disavantages over each other?
Is the Echo Sounder truthful when it comes to fish position at that exact time or is just a representation displaying phantom signals?
How exactly does the Echo Sounder display the fish position? In front of the boat, behind the boat or under the boat?

Sorry for the long post but this is me trying to make myself clear about what I am hoping to clarify. Thank you!

[ivan09193]

There are multiple ways to create a balanced rod/reel outfit. The main thing is to make sure that the drag is set low enough so that your line, leader or rod do not break (use whichever is weakest in calculation). You can calculate drag by dividing the max drag value for your reel by the number of drag settings (notches on drag circle at lower right). Then multiply the drag force reduction per drag setting (in lbs or kg) by the number of settings and subtract from the max drag value (full drag circle) until you get lower than the rating of the weakest part of your outfit. You can definitely set things up so that nothing breaks unless you get spooled.

[Deconstructed]

Balanced vs max drag setups.

A balanced setup is designed to avoid gear breakage. The main line (or leader) is the weakest point of contact and will break if spooled. You may end up losing a hook or lure but you rod and reel remain intact. I only advocate for a balanced setup due to the possibility of gear breakage. IMHO you should only use a max drag setup if you are familiar with the dynamics of the game and/or are prepared to lose gear to breakage.

You should be calculating the drag as pointed out by Ivan above. There are number of tools that have already done this for you. Including the Ubersheet which I designed years ago and still maintain. It also has recommendations for balanced setups for all the gear in the game and can be found on Goggle Sheets here:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1wEvjycxSaVLNmVOCIZPALsPvLtxnJSz_LDcPKowAFb4/edit#gid=303266497

Max drag setups originated from platform players (Xbox and/or Playstation) due to the fact on one or both systems it is possible to unintentionally set your drag to max when placing/removing rods into/from a rod holder. This resulted in instant line snaps when picking up a rod. As a result the max drag setup came about as a rod or reel will not instantly break when maxed out but generally takes 5-10 seconds.

It stops the instant line snaps BUT if you are spooled you will break the rod or reel (which cannot be repaired unless DLC gear) unless you manually break the line. Many advocate this type of setup to get one extra notch of drag setting but often do so without informing of the possible dangers of doing so which ends in people learning the hard way.

Some even believe you cannot land many fish in the game without a max drag setup (they are very wrong). If playing on a platform one might need to use a max drag setup due to the issue mentioned above but no real reason to do it on PC. The added drag from the extra notch on the drag wheel is minimal and even in the case of no breakage strains your gear more than a balanced setup resulting in higher and more frequent repairs of your gear.

Titanium leaders.

You will end up having fish bite through your line with just mono/flouro leaders. It just doesn't happen all the time. It will happen more frequently with larger fish and as you leader wears. I went the route of not using them for awhile for increased bite rate until I lost a lure I cannot replace due to a fish biting through the line. I would advise if you are going to not use titanium leaders be careful only to use terminal tackle you are willing to lose.

Can't help with the sounds, only own the one boat so haven't seen the various types.

[sirkipalot]

Titanium leaders use only from the shore or you will suffer the gnashers of the toothed brigade. If you are in a boat anchored same thing its same as fishing from the bankside.

If you are floating around in your boat not anchored then use your mono and fluro leaders it's very very seldom that you will ever get your line bitten through and for some reason the fish seem to be more cooperative and less rubber banding on your gear

[Sup_DiM0N]

Always used max out setups never had a problem never lost a fish in 3 years.
Recently mechanics of pulling fish changed they do spool more so using more line helps.

[Ruca [PT]]

I really appreciate all the information shared, despite my theories it is valuable to get the opinion and confirmation from others. I already had my suspition and my own theory about test and drags wich I believe it applies in real life as it is simply logic. The weakest link sets the limit of a system and it´s usually the first to give in. I am convinced that I have been aproaching the best/safer way. I allways end up having the line or leader as weakest test to minimize the risk.
Not sure what Spool means in this context but I guess that is when we right click to apply more pull force and yes I use it a lot. Maybe ingame doesn´t work exactly like that but in my mind logics ditate doing that will pull the fish closer or at least help to get him tired faster.

If I understood right, Premium Rods and Reels are recoverable. That is a huge relieve to me, my worst nightmare because, believe me, with the economy we live here these days the effort to save for it was huge and days of extra work.

Thank you for sharing that Spreadsheet, a little confusing but I guess it is for lacking knowlegde of the many options in gear available.

Most of the times, if not allways, I find myself decreasing the Reel drag to 3/4 of the setting when casting and when I catch a fish I increase slowly to the last but one setting while watching the test bars progress making sure it´s safe.
Is this something I should do all the time or it is useless and I should leave it at the last but one setting all the time?

[vodou61]

I normally do as you, and start out with a lower drag, then bump it up as needed. Spooling is when a fish runs out the entire length of your line, resulting in the full force of the fish pulling against your reel directly, which can cause damage to occur rapidly or even break your reel, if your line is heavier than your reel.

[ivan09193]

If you have calculated the drag setting correctly, there is no need to wait to increase it to the limit. Be careful because if the drag setting is not calculated correctly, even a one notch increase can bring your tension bar from blue to red and breaking. When we say "spooled," we mean that the fish has run out all the line on your reel spool and you are taking damage to the equipment. Sometimes the fish will turn around and bring the tension down to a safe level, but if it keeps struggling with nothing left to give, something will break.

[Sup_DiM0N]

Complete spooling happened only once when I was fighting m-bega monster that occur on PS4 account I only had 150M of line, but on steam I loaded 250m line and the monster pulled like 180m out and I was able to capture it without any consequences, even on PS4 when monster complete spooled the line the reel or rod didn't break at max settings, but I did lose duck lure and the fish...

[Ruca [PT]]

Thank you for clarifying Spooling.
As I recall it did happened 4, 5 times and all those times was imediate breakage, usually the leader or line as I keep those with the lowest test.
I did lost 2 unique Lures for that reason and it was not a good feeling.

I was quite worried with the bottom setup from the DLC. As everything, reel, line and leader, is 36kg except for the rod that is 37kg test. I still wonder wich one breaks first in the worst case but if I don´t lose the rod and reel if they break I feel more freedom experiment stuff.

[Sup_DiM0N]

If you see that fish is to strong and complete spooling will occur, you can save your equipment by quitting the game from task manager...

[Ruca [PT]]

Originally posted by Sup_DiM0N:

If you see that fish is to strong and complete spooling will occur, you can save your equipment by quitting the game from task manager...

The game have changed quite a bit since then but a few years back by experience I knew once reached the limit there was no time to react and something would break immediately so I did that(Alt+F4) to save a nice expensive lure but did not work. Had a couple of meters to reach the critical point but the game server still gave it as lost when I got in the game again. Since then I never trusted the Alf+F4 system.

[Deconstructed]

As stated by others, no advantage of gradually moving up your drag. If you know the max it should be for you reel/line combo just set it to max and forget about it. Constantly adjusting would provide more occasion to accidentally adjust too much and snap your line.

There are times I may switch between fluoro/titanium leaders. Due to different strengths that's about the only time I adjust.

Yeah, the Ubersheet is a lot of info to take in, particularly if just learning the game. Lots of good quick reference checks when gearing up though.

[ivan09193]

Another suggestion to avoid loss of tackle is to reverse the retrieve direction and let line out until the fish is able to escape due to low line tension (this can take a while but will happen eventually). You wouldn't be able to pull this off if the line is already close to running out, but it can help if you don't want to risk it or you know that the fish is too big (I learned to do this while trying to avoid bigmouth buffalo on my light float rod at Blue Crab Island).

[Ruca [PT]]

Yep, a couplke of times I lowered the line tension on purpose to let the fish go in order to save the tackle but like you said we can´t wait until it´s tool ate but sometimes it´s hard to notice wich may win in the fight. I guess it´s about perception and go with our guts.
As I am unlocking more advanced gear it´s getting easier and more confusing at same time but at least now I have currency to try out gear freely without the fear of going bankrupcy.
Thank you all for valuable input about gear and balance.

Now I hope someone with knowledge about the Echo Sounder/Fish Finder drops a few words about it asweel...

[sirkipalot]

It's theoretical and not something that is to be relied upon. It merely suggests that what you see on the sonar could be a representative selection of fish that would inhabit where you are. Remember no fish swim in the water they spawn @ specific points.

So for the most part its eye candy for immersive purposes :). Just because the sonar is empty doesn't mean there are no fish to be caught. Rely on what you already know the boat for the most part is for access to parts of the lakes and rivers you cannot access from terra firma :)