Fishing might not be the first thing that comes to mind when playing this game, but it has its own set of rewards. Kanya, an NPC found in the Scarlet Forest base camp, offers a series of Fishing Side Missions that challenge players to catch specific fish across different locales. Completionist will also want to catch a Goliath Squid to unlock the ‘Monster (Squid) Hunter’ Achievement. This guide covers everything related to fishing in Monster Hunter Wilds, including Kanya’s questline and how to get the Achievement.
Kanya’s Fishing Side Missions Questline and ‘Monster (Squid) Hunter’ Achievement Guide
Kanya’s Side Missions become available after reaching the Scarlet Forest and unlocking the Base Camp. The first quest can be immediately taken, but the rest only appear in High Rank.
1. ‘Fishing: Life, in Microcosm’ – The Mandatory Warming Up Quest
This one is easy, as all Kanya asks for is for you to catch any kind of fish. There’s a pond with fish ready to be caught right in front of her; whip out your Fishing Rod and bag them. That said, this is a good time as any to get into the basics of fishing.
Fishing in Monster Hunter Wilds is actually really simple; you can just use a Capture Net to catch them. This method allows you to catch multiple fish at once and is the quickest way to fill up your Aquatic Life log. No joke, it works.
However, note that any fish you caught using Capture Net do not count toward Kanya’s Side Missions or the ‘Monster (Squid) Hunter’ Achievement! To complete these objectives, you’ll need to use a Fishing Rod and manually reel in each fish. Here are the buttons for fishing and their function:
| Controller Button | Keyboard Key | Function |
|---|---|---|
| D-pad Up/Down | Mouse Wheel | Change Lure |
| L2/LT | Right Mouse Button (RMB) | Aim your Fishing Rod |
| R2/RT | Left Mouse Button (LMB) | – Casts your Fishing Rod. The button/key doesn’t have to be held until the lure is bitten – Fully reels in your Rod’s line |
| Left Analog Stick Left/Right | A/D | Move the line left or right to adjust its position. Not essential |
| Right Analog Stick Down (tap) | S (tap) | Tap the button/key to slowly tug the line and bait a fish |
| Right Analog Stick Up > Down / Spin | W > S | – Do it slowly to slowly reel in your line – Do it rapidly to quickly reel in your line |
Managing your reel speed is crucial to catch specific fish. Even with the right bait, some fish won’t bite unless you use the correct tugging or reeling technique. For example, Goliath Squid for the ‘Monster (Squid) Hunter’ Achievement will only take your bait if you tug it slowly.
2. ‘Seeking the Goldenfish’ – A Walk in the Park
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Once the warming up is done, Kanya will give you the Golden Bughead Lure and ask you to catch a Goldenfish. This is a common fish but requires a bit of trekking from Scarlet Forest Base Camp.
Go to Area 8 and look for a waterfall, walk behind it to find a hidden cave. Inside, go up the ramp to find a pool which should be filled with Goldenfish. Equip the Golden Bughead lure and reel in a Goldenfish — the, you guessed it, golden-colored fish. It won’t put up any resistance so catching one should be easy, but occasionally, you might have to clear the pond of some Platinumfish first.
We also suggest setting up a Pop-up Camp here if you haven’t, as it might come in handy for the last Side Mission.
3. ‘Fishing for Flavor’ – Mmm, So Tasty, or So She Said
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This time, with Emerald Jitterbait Lure at hand, you must catch something called Gravid Bowfin. Either search for it in the shallow waters of Area 3 of Scarlet Forest or Area 13 of Windward Plains during Plenty season and Daytime. Yep, it’s the oasis where you first put down a Pop-up Camp.
Equip the bait and look for a brown-colored fish. It’s somewhat picky, so you might need to tug your line a couple of times to entice it. If the Gravid Bowfin doesn’t spawn, go to another map, and return. Because the area is in an open space, do be careful of Chatacabra or Balahara that roam around the area. Ghillie Mantle should help you hide from them.
4. ‘The Catch of a Lifetime!’ – Get the ‘Monster (Squid) Hunter’ Achievement While You’re At It
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Hunting giant monsters is one thing, but you’ve proven yourself to be a capable fisherman so far. Yet, Kanya is not impressed, not until you catch one of these ‘whoppers’ she’s talking about. Whoopers aren’t specific fish though, but a category of large fish that require some sort of a minigame to catch.
Some whoppers we’ve found in Scarlet Forest so far are:
- Gajau: Appears at any time. Duster Jig lure works great for it.
- Gastronome Tuna: Appears at any time, especially at water splashes. Best caught with Tuff Joint Bait.
- Goliath Squid: Shows up at Nighttime at all seasons, glows in the dark. During Inclemency at Daytime. Use the Tentacle Jig lure.
- Speartuna: Appears at Morning during Fallow season or Daytime during Inclemency. Best caught with Tuff Joint Bait.
- Great Trevally: Spawns during Fallow season. Likes Common Wood Minnow and Tuff Joint Bait.
There are some additional tips you need to remember when fishing whoppers. This will also be useful when you’re aiming for the ‘Monster (Squid) Hunter’ Achievement.
First, all whoppers can be found in Scarlet Forest Area 17 and 12 fishing spots. There’s a Pop-up Camp location on top of Area 17 so it’s easy to access. But when you’re in Area 17, always keep an eye on water splashes as they indicate gathering fish. Whoppers will appear more often at those locations as well. On the other hand though, catching them can be trickier as the splashes could obscure your vision.
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(Click to expand)
Speaking of tricky, catching big fishes come with their own set of challenges. Whoppers will struggle and swim left and right when they bite your lure. When that happens, move your analog or A/D keys in the same direction so your line won’t break. Nevertheless, you will want to pull them away to the opposite direction when they’re running into obstacles such as rocks or debris.
Then, when a whopper jumps out of the water, hold R2/RT and press the analog stick Up to prevent it from escaping. Your Hunter should slam their Fishing Rod down and put it back into the water. Quickly reel in your line when the fish stops moving and your Hunter lifts their Fishing Rod. It will take some tries before you get the hang of it; trust us, we lost four Speartunas before realizing we’ve been doing it wrong.
We also suggest you equip the Outdoorsman armor skill, which can be obtained from Gajau Legs Alpha armor or a Level 1 Decoration. The skill will make it easier to catch whoppers and other small fries. Ghillie Mantle will be useful as well when you’re fishing in Area 17 in case an Uth Duna shows up. Slot in Tool Specialist for faster Mantle regeneration if you do so.
5. ‘Razzle Dazzle’ – Saving the Rarest One For the Last
For your last mission, Kanya wants to learn how to fish the elusive Grand Escunite. Similar to whoppers, it can spawn in Area 17 and 12 of Scarlet Forest — with one additional spot. Remember the Goldenfish cave in Area 8? Yes, you can find both the normal Escunite and Grand Escunite there as well.
They are large, glowing white shellfish, making them easy to spot in waters. To catch them, equip the Tentacle Jig bait and gently reel in the line. Still, these are pretty rare, so you may need to check multiple times before finding one.
For the Area 8, don’t forget to cross Goldenfish pond and swim to the other side to find another pond where Escunites usually spawn. Meanwhile, if you’re hunting in Area 17, be careful not to confuse them with the Goliath Squid. Grand Escunite is not a whopper; it’s smaller and its whole shell glows white. Meanwhile, Goliath Squids are dark and only have glowing stripes.
There you have it. With this last Side Mission complete, you should fulfill all of Kanya’s tasks and obtain the ‘Monster (Squid) Hunter’ Achievement!
