Book 13: Fishing in LOTRO

A most-requested feature has finally arrived: Fishing!

We are proud to reveal the sport of fishing as the first "Hobby" introduced to The Lord of the Rings Online^TM. And what is a Hobby, you ask? A Hobby is an activity that you may choose to participate in for fun or for profit! Similar to LOTRO's crafting professions, a hobby allows players to experience more of the world of Middle-earth, and to interact with the world in new and exciting ways.

And what better way to begin than by finding a nice spot along the bank of a river, casting your line into the water nearby, and basking in the glory of the day while trying to nab a prize-winning fighting fish - or perhaps your next meal!

Players who are eager to begin the activity of angling should make their way to one of four Hobby Masters, who can be found in the following areas:

• Bree-town (Scholar's Stair Archives)
• Michel Delving (Bird and Baby Inn)
• Ered Luin (Thorin's Halls)
• Rivendell (Hall of Fire)

Beginning to Fish

Now that you've trained your fishing hobby and received your first fishing pole, it's time to head out and get fishing! Getting started is as easy as finding the nearest pond, lake, or stream. That's right friends - you can fish wherever you'd like in Middle-earth at any fishing proficiency level (proficiency is your skill in fishing). However, keep in mind that some types of fish cannot be found in all locations - you will need to do a bit of exploration to catch'em all!

Once you've found your special fishing spot, it's as easy as casting your line, patiently waiting for a nibble on the hook, and reeling in your catch! At first, any fish you catch will increase your proficiency; however, as you become a more experienced angler you will find that only appropriately-challenging catches will improve your skill.

Advanced Fishing

Once you've mastered the fundamentals of fishing, you may wish to gain an advantage over your aquatic prey through the use of bait. The various fishing suppliers found throughout Middle-earth can provide you with bait such as Nightcrawlers, Leeches, and Red Wigglers - for a small price, of course! Bait will increase your chances of catching fish for a small amount of time.

Advanced fisherman should be on the lookout for fish that can be used in Cooking recipes (yum!), as well as special fish that can be brought to the Fishing Taxidermist for mounting on plaques that can be placed in your house. What better way to demonstrate your fishing mastery than to show off your prize catches!

There are also titles to be earned though achieving certain fishing proficiency milestones, as well as fishing-related quests and deeds - but we'd like to leave the specifics of those for you to discover. Good luck out there, and don't let that big one get away!