Training Rod
| Training Rod | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Tool |
| Sold By | Fish Shop |
| Cost | 25g |
| Next Tier | Bamboo Pole |
The Training Rod is the cheapest thing in Willy's Fish Shop and the kindest to a beginner. It pretends the holder is already at Fishing level five when it draws the green bar, so the bar starts wide instead of tiny. On top of that the progress bar slips back a third more slowly, which is the same help a Trap Bobber gives. The trade is that it only hooks the plain fish, and everything it lands comes up at normal quality. Experience still counts in full, so a rough first week of fishing can be turned into levels with a rod that costs almost nothing.
Use
Willy sells it for pocket change, so it is affordable on day two. There is a second way to get one: on the last day of Spring in the first year, a sunny morning spent on the farm before half past eleven brings Willy to the door. He hands over a Training Rod and a fishing lesson that pushes Fishing straight to level one.
What the rod changes is the minigame. The green bar is drawn at the size a level five angler would see, which is a large jump from the sliver a complete beginner gets. The bar inside it also drains a third slower when the fish is not held, so a slip is far easier to recover from. Together those two changes turn an unwinnable struggle into a catch.
The limit is what it can hook. Only the easier fish bite on it, which covers the river and ocean staples: Anchovy, Bream, Bullhead, Carp, Chub, Herring, Perch, Rainbow Trout, Red Snapper, Sardine, Sea Cucumber, Shad, Smallmouth Bass, Sunfish and Walleye. The usual non-fish catches come up too, including Trash, Green Algae, White Algae, Seaweed, Sea Jelly and River Jelly. Treasure chests still appear on the line, so the extra loot from a good cast is not lost.
Eligible fish also bite more readily, with the spawn rate for everything on its list raised by a tenth. That makes it a quick way to grind the early levels even for an angler who can already handle the minigame.
Nothing attaches to it. Bait and tackle both need a later rod, so the Training Rod is a pure learning tool.
Upgrades
The Training Rod has no upgrade of its own. The path forward runs through Willy's shop: the Bamboo Pole, which he gives out after the walk to the beach, then the Fiberglass Rod at Fishing level two, which accepts bait, then the Iridium Rod at level six, which adds a tackle slot. Each is a purchase rather than a trip to the Blacksmith, so there is no waiting and no metal needed.
Every catch on the Training Rod earns the same Fishing experience as a catch on any other rod, and every fish counts towards the Fish Collection and the fishing achievements. Nothing is wasted by learning on it.
The Forge will enchant it for a Prismatic Shard and twenty Cinder Shards. Master adds a Fishing level while the rod is held, which stacks on top of the level five floor the rod already gives. Auto-Hook sets the line for the farmer the moment a fish bites. Efficient removes the energy each cast costs, which matters on a rod aimed at long practice sessions.
Notes
Everything landed on this rod arrives at normal quality. For a player chasing the Fish Pond or a quality-based bundle that is a reason to switch away once the minigame feels manageable, usually somewhere around Fishing level five when the ordinary bar catches up.
The Mines are the one place it does not work. A cast into the underground water only returns Trash, because the whole normal catch pool is excluded there.
A common pattern is to keep the Training Rod in a chest rather than sell it. It costs almost nothing to own, and it is the fastest way to clear a handful of easy perfect catches on a bad luck day when the harder fish keep escaping.
All Fishing Rods
Every entry in this group, with its key details.
| Name | Image | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Advanced Iridium Rod | 
|
25000g |
| Bamboo Pole | 
|
500g |
| Fiberglass Rod | 
|
1800g |
| Iridium Rod | 
|
7500g |
| Training Rod | 
|
25g |