Fishing without bait???

[Jason G]

I've been fishing for...  well, all my life, and I've never caught a fish with just line & a hook.  I've always needed either bait or a lure, neither of which appear in the game. I'd think those would be key elements in a survival game which depends heavily on fishing for sustenance, especially early in the game or if you can't find the hunting rifle.  I'm thinking the tin of sardines, uncured gut, or an animal carcass could be "harvested" to make bait, and the act of cleaning fish could yield bait (instead of lantern oil - I've cleaned a LOT of fish over the years, but I've never gotten lantern oil - or fish oil - out of any of them).

It would also be more realistic if I could bait a line, drop it in the ice fishing hole, and leave it there while I do other things.  Like take a sip of water, put wood in the stove, eat something, or maybe even mend my clothing - it doesn't require a lot of effort to watch a pole to see if a fish strikes.  I'd think you could even leave your baited line in the hole over night while you seek shelter someplace warm, and then return the next day to check on it (with the added risk of the fish getting off the line while you were away).  It just seems like a lot of time is wasted staring at the hole unnecessarily when my character can be doing more productive things.

[Mroz4k]

There was a discussion on this topic a long time ago. I was always for the fact that you can catch a fish on a simple hook, but I was overruled by a lot of people who have much more experience with ice fishing, and after doing more research I get their point.

We all came into a consensus that there is actually bait present, it is just never shown or mentioned. Lets be real - I think that even a complete city-raised idiot would at least consider sticking a piece left over bit of meat on the hook to increase its chances.

At the same time, I am not suprised its not graphically shown on the fishing line, because the fishing line is also used for sewing. 

I wouldnt trouble anyone with this - just use your imagination a little bit. If the player can sew together leather pieces of clothes, I think they are smart enough to stick something on that hook to make the fishing more effective.

BUT

Some moderation needs to be in place. There cant be overly complex mechanics for simple things like fishing, it would make the game annoying to most players. We cant have everything we want  

As for the argument about not being present when fishing - we suggested that we should have fishing traps. Such things are common when fishing in arctic locations. But the reason you have to sit there is quite simple - game balance. For a chance to catch some fish, you will commit hours of game time, rest and all the weather-related punishments with it for a chance to catch your meal, and a fuel supply.