Fishing Information Broadcasting Service
| Fishing Information Broadcasting Service | |
|---|---|
| Type | Mechanic |
The Fishing Information Broadcasting Service is a channel on the farmhouse television, found at seven three six once Pam has pointed the way to it. It reads out the fish worth chasing in the current season and gives the hours, the weather and the stretch of water for each one, which turns a guessing game into a list. It covers the river, the mountain lake and the ocean at The Beach, and leaves out anything that bites all year round. Unlocking it means doing Pam a favour that takes planning, since the job wants a dozen bottles of Potato Juice inside a fortnight. After that the channel is there every morning, free to watch and worth checking at the start of each season.
Overview
Getting the channel starts at the Special Orders board outside the Mayor's house. The order called The Strong Stuff is the one to look for, and it only turns up in Spring. The board offers two jobs at a time and refreshes weekly, so if the order is not there on the first day of the season it may appear the week after. Taking it starts a fortnight's clock.
The job itself asks for a dozen Potato Juice delivered to Pam's kitchen inside her house. Juice is made by putting a Potato into a Keg, and each bottle takes several days, so the real work is having enough Kegs and enough potatoes ready before the order is accepted. Juice brewed before the clock starts does not count towards the total, which is the trap that catches farmers who stockpile. Potatoes are a Spring crop from Pierre's General Store that come up in under a week and sometimes give more than one from a single plant, and a greenhouse keeps them growing whatever the season. Finishing the order pays a solid sum of gold and a large jump in friendship with Pam.
The reward after that arrives in two steps. A cutscene with Pam mentions channel seven three six, and the letter that confirms it drops into the postbox the next morning. Reading the letter switches the channel on for good.
What it broadcasts is a seasonal list. Spring covers the ocean regulars, Anchovy, Herring and Flounder, the river's Smallmouth Bass and Sunfish, Carp in the lake and the two rainy-day fish, Catfish in the river and Eel in the ocean after four in the afternoon. Summer is the longest list of the year and the most useful, because it includes the narrow windows that are easy to miss: Pufferfish only in the middle of a sunny afternoon, Octopus only in the morning, Halibut early, Super Cucumber only after six in the evening, and Shad only on a wet day from mid-morning onwards. Fall brings Salmon, Sea Cucumber and the late-night Midnight Carp, with Walleye needing rain. Winter leans on Perch, Squid, Sturgeon and the same rainy Walleye.
The channel's limits are what keep the list short. It reports on the river through Cindersap Forest and Pelican Town, the lake up the mountain and the ocean at The Beach, and it keeps to fish tied to the current season, so the familiar year-round catches never appear on it. Desert and Ginger Island waters are outside its remit, and the legendary fish are left to a book: Secrets of the Legendary Fish carries that information instead.
Reading it alongside the weather forecast is where the real value sits. A rainy day announced on the other channel turns the fishing list into a shopping list, since Catfish, Eel, Red Snapper, Shad and Walleye all want wet weather and several of them are bundle fish. A sunny Summer day points at Pufferfish and Sunfish instead, and an evening by the ocean points at Super Cucumber or Squid depending on the season.
Notes
The broadcast opens by making a joke of its own initials, promising that despite the unfortunate name the information can be trusted. It very nearly can. The Summer entry for Halibut gives a morning window, which is correct as far as it goes, but Halibut also bites through the night, so the channel is telling the truth while leaving something out.
The order behind the channel is worth doing even for a farmer who dislikes fishing. Alongside the gold it hands over a full heart's worth of friendship with Pam in one go, which is faster than any run of gifts.
All Mechanics
Every entry in this group, with its key details.
