So many RPGs tout fishing as a core feature these days that it's become old hat to poke fun at the matter. But Pokemon was among the earliest series to incorporate this prime pastime in a major way. Indeed, players have cursed their luck for every extraneous Magikarp they've hooked for decades.

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Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl continues this perennial tradition. Sinnoh's lakes and seas are teeming with wildlife for you to bludgeon a couple of times and subsequently befriend. Armed with our guide, you'll know the names of every single Pokemon that can be caught with the game's three fishing rods. We'll break it all down plainly and concisely, so you can focus on reeling them in one after another until every denizen of the depths has lost at least one family member under particularly fishy circumstances.

Where To Find Each Fishing Rod

It seems spear-fishing is frowned upon in Sinnoh society, so you'll not be hooking a thing before you've been bestowed your first rod. Unfortunately, the Old Rod is incapable of catching any Pokemon other than Magikarp (and technically Feebas, but more on that later).

What this means is that you're going to want to snag the Good Rod as soon as possible, which will eventually be replaced by the Super Rod. A trio of friendly fishermen will be your benefactors throughout the adventure. Here's where to find them all.

• The unremarkable Old Rod is given to you by a fisherman located just past the western exit from Jubilife City. Most of this region's major settlements have little hallway-like connectors jutting out in multiple directions that lead players to different routes. This guy's waiting around for someone to take his trash - sorry, we mean his fishing gear - off his hands.
• Of considerably fairer value is the Good Rod. The donor for this item is at the start of Route 209 east of Hearthome City. It's at this point that you can finally begin to take fishing seriously.
• Lastly, the Super Rod cannot be acquired until Pokemon BDSP's post-game sections. You'll need to have received the National Dex from Professor Rowan and unlocked the Battle Zone. Once you're there, take the quick hike up to Route 225 and you should spot the fisherman almost immediately.

Every Fishable Pokemon And Where to Find It

This is the heart of our fishing guide. We've formatted this list alphabetically for easier reading, but feel free to follow along by rod or route as well.

Many of these can be found in several locations. Some of them seem to call practically every slice of Sinnoh their home. Rather than turning what works best as a straightforward table into something approaching a peer-reviewed scientific journal article in size, we'll tell you the optimum location for every Pokemon.

Frequently, this means the place you'll find the lowest number of other Pokemon stifling your progress. This way, you'll have reliable knowledge of every optimum spot and can simply head there and get to work.

How To Catch A Feebas

Now for the reason we stuck an asterisk next to Feebas. It's a complicated catch. Here's why: there are four tiles in the entire game that can spawn a Feebas.

You will want to start by entering Mount Coronet through its Route 211 entrance. The Surf HM is a requirement, as the pool of water up ahead past the Strength-moving boulders cannot be crossed otherwise.

This little lake is Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl's sole Feebas spawning spot. But more importantly, only four randomized tiles of this lake apply on any given day. Our advice is to bust out the Old Rod rather than the Good Rod, thereby narrowing your potential hooks to just Feebas and Magikarp, then try your luck three times per tile until you succeed.

Thankfully, Feebas is the only Pokemon in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl who makes fishing such a fuss. All 25 other potential hauls are just a hop, skip, and a short flight on a wild Staravia away, so pack a nice lunch because it's time to get "reel."

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