Catching the mad-eye buffalo in 2024

[Thorn]

Did the research, paying particular attention to the videos shot by prominent fishing planet content providers going back over the monster missions in 2024.
Come to the conclusion that a float setup on a reasonably high end rod and reel, on low drag, with a #1 hook, dough balls as bait, somewhere between 1 and 2 metres lead from float to hook, on a sunny single fishing peak day, and in the deep zone in the middle of the lake, is the way to go.
Spent a session (typically 2- 3 hours for me) following that conclusion, skipping multiple in game days for one peak days, and not catch the MEB, noting that the bite rate seems really low for a fishing peak in Lone Star.
Reviewed the research again, this time paying particular attention to alternative baits.
Spent a second session, sticking to single peak days, swapping through semolina balls, pearl barley, and worms. Still no MEB.
Reviewed the research yet again, this time checking how many casts it was taking for the MEB to strike. One was clearly the first cast, one was clearly the third, the rest were unclear, but certainly looked like it occurred reasonably quickly judging from the line wear.
Spent a third session sticking to sunny, single peak days with dough balls, because it clearly worked recently. Still no MEB.
No further research, just straight into a session the following real life day. Stuck with dough balls, and fished whatever peak the day gave me, including night time ones. Skipped time to the next peak if my last catch was landed outside the peak, or it was an hour past, if no catch. So finally after catching 12 Bluegills, 4 Golden Shiners, 1 Blacktail Shiner, and with a durability of 74% on the invisible line, the MEB struck on a cloudy day, almost an hour past the morning peak.
Watched, as that durability dropped, reminding myself that most of the videos showed about 20% wear while landing the MEB, with the worst being about 40%.
Watched in horror, as the line, and only the line, locked on max, for no discernible reason, and came within a whisker of breaking.
Resumed the fight, with 62% left on the line, and finally, about 12 minutes in real time after it hooked up, I landed a 5.817 kg mad-eye buffalo.

So. i'm wandering, anyone else who has completed this recently, if this is typical, or if the content provider's experience of a relatively quick hook up is.

[Bridges]

I can't comment on the Mad Eye Buffalo but I can't get a 6.7 lb Brown Trout in St. Croix { grub jig bait mission }.

I used 8 "peak times" and still don't have it.

So maybe the game just won't give it up for days, no matter what we do?

Frankly, it's a waste of money doing the missions and takes a lot of real time.

[ivan09193]

First of all, max drag no longer works, but stepping it down one notch on an appropriate reel is enough to get around that. Watch for the message "the line is stronger than the rod/reel, breakage is possible" so you know you can go up to that level (invisible line doesn't list its strength, but it was at least 10 or 12 lbs IIRC, check for yourself). It is a tough fight but I did it with a Caesar telescopic pole in the old days.

[ivan09193]

Originally posted by Bridges:

I can't comment on the Mad Eye Buffalo but I can't get a 6.7 lb Brown Trout in St. Croix { grub jig bait mission }.

I used 8 "peak times" and still don't have it.

So maybe the game just won't give it up for days, no matter what we do?

Frankly, it's a waste of money doing the missions and takes a lot of real time.

That brown trout is tough, fish deep in the area closer to the marina.

[Bridges]

Originally posted by ivan09193:

Originally posted by Bridges:

I can't comment on the Mad Eye Buffalo but I can't get a 6.7 lb Brown Trout in St. Croix { grub jig bait mission }.

I used 8 "peak times" and still don't have it.

So maybe the game just won't give it up for days, no matter what we do?

Frankly, it's a waste of money doing the missions and takes a lot of real time.

That brown trout is tough, fish deep in the area closer to the marina.

Thank you.