How do I improve my timing for fishing in Ruby/Sapphire?

Question

Is it just me, or does fishing in Ruby and Sapphire feel way off base?

I'm trying to find Wailmer mainly so I can unlock the Regi Path, but it's so hard to catch anything! It feels that no matter how fast I press A, I still face the message, "It got away..." every. Single. TIME. Any tips on how to get better at fishing in Gen III, if at all? Or is there something I'm forgetting that once I figure it out will make me look out like a complete idiot?
Please help!

Comments

I used to a similar problem. Make sure you're only pressing A once and not spamming it.

Answer 1

Generation III
Starting with Generation III, the fishing mechanic became more complicated, as the player would have to pay attention and confirm as soon as the rod hooked a Pokémon, or else it would get away. A series of ellipses appear prior to the text "Oh! A bite!", which is when the player should press the A Button. In Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald, this required a series of confirmations to reel in better Pokémon.

--Bulbapedia

That should give you a better idea of when to press A.

Also, not sure if this applies to Ruby/Sapphire, but from Emerald onwards,
> Starting from Emerald, if the first Pokémon in the player's party has the ability Suction Cups or Sticky Hold, the player is more likely to get a bite.

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CrEdit where CrEdit's due:

You're supposed to press A when it says "Oh, a bite," then you see ANOTHER dotted line so you wait for another bite, wash, rinse, repeat.

--noaisawsom123

and also, sumwun said it a lot before:

You need to press A once, wait for it to say "Oh! A bite!" again, and press A again. This may repeat itself several times before you get to battle the Pokemon. So even if you press A it's not guaranteed you'll get a Pokemon; it takes a few tries.

Comments

I'm confused on the "series of confirmations" part. Do I need to press A multiple times for it to work?

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You need to press A once, wait for it to say "Oh! A bite!" again, and press A again. This may repeat itself several times before you get to battle the Pokemon.

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OOOHHH! So even if you press A it's not guaranteed you'll get a Pokemon; it takes a few tries. Is that what you mean, sumwun?

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That is exactly what I mean.

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Ok, so I FINALLY GET GEN III FISHING NOW. You're supposed to press A when it says "Oh, a bite," then you see ANOTHER dotted line so you wait for another bite, wash, rinse, repeat. I feel stupid for not realizing this earlier, and it actually better represents fishing in the real world...I was just thrown off because of the previous and future gens' methods of fishing.

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Cool, glad you could figure it out! Good luck with the Wailmer! :D

You mind if I edit in your response into the answer, so others reading it can benefit from your experience? Lemme me know if you want that removed :p

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Yeah, Empty Boxes, go ahead! I am happy to bring this knowledge to everyone who has had this problem.

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I still can't fish and I've tried it so many times, your 'advice' isn't helping me in the slightest

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What happens when you try?

Answer 2

What I do when I fish in Pokemon sapphire is, I just ignore all buttons and focus on the A button with my thumb and look at the text until it says "oh A bite!" and repeat until I get it.