Fish Analysis

[ajb1978]

While in Bleak Inlet I decided to grind my Ice Fishing to level 5, and figured I'd science the crap out of fish while I was at it.  After a couple days keeping everything I pulled out of the ice, I finally reached level 5. Then began the arduous task of hauling nearly 400kg of fish all the way to the lighthouse. Tedious work, but that is the most efficient stove in the world, so I may as well take advantage.

130 Rainbow Trout, raw weight: 187.15kg
43 Coho Salmon, raw weight: 193.95kg
(Side note, it took 17 trips to lug it all to the lighthouse.  Uffda.)

Starting Lamp Oil: 7.2L across multiple Jerry Cans

Rainbow Trout, cooked weight: 121.99kg
Coho Salmon, cooked weight: 127.97kg

Ending Lamp Oil from Trout: 11.88L
Ending Lamp Oil from Salmon: 18.08L

(In case it isn't obvious, the trout was cooked first, the oil from salmon is in addition to the trout, not on its own.)

At Firestarting 4, Cooking 5, it took exactly six pieces of Fir and one Stick to cook up all this fish.  I spent three days hacking up every Fir Limb I could find to ensure I had enough fuel...an exorbitant waste, as it turns out.  May my hatchet forgive me. This suggests that at least at Level 4, 1 piece of Fir is good to cook 63kg of fish at that outdoor six-burner stove.

Conclusions:
Coho Salmon do seem to be slightly better in terms of losing weight when cooked, but as the sample size was about 1/3 that of the trout, this can be chalked up to margin of error.  Most likely, both fish reduce in weight by the same amount.

1kg of Rainbow Trout produced 0.025L of Lamp Oil.
1kg of Coho Salmon produced 0.048L of Lamp Oil.

While the sample size of Coho Salmon was indeed smaller, it's logical to conclude they produce double the oil of trout, and my sample size was simply too small to eliminate that 0.002L discrepancy.

End of Line.

(I really need to get a life.)

[Screenshot Pilgrim]

Your toil for the progress of fishing science is admirable.  🙂 Were you using the outer fishing hut?  I’ve been wondering if closer to the sea means more cohos.  Seems like the hut in CH closest to the sea gets more cohos, but I’m probably imagining things.  Again. 🙃

Edited October 21, 2020 by Screenshot Pilgrim

[ajb1978]

6 minutes ago, Screenshot Pilgrim said:

Your toil in the name of science is admirable.  🙂 Were you using the outer fishing hut?  I’ve been wondering if closer to the sea means more cohos.  Seems like the hut in CH closest to the sea gets more cohos, but I’m probably imagining things.  Again. 🙃

I was using the one closest to the Cannery Residences.  But the proportion of Big Fish (Salmon, Bass) to Little Fish (Trout, Whitefish) seems to be about 33% Big, 67% Little.  Pretty much clear across the board.  Individual fishing huts, or even fresh vs. saltwater doesn't seem to make a difference.  I intend to confirm this on freshwater next, probably Mystery Lake since it's just a hop skip and jump away from Bleak Inlet.

But I have a lot of fish to eat first.  And a lot of lead plates to melt down.  I've enough materials to outfit an army.

[Screenshot Pilgrim]

And you’ll be having to get your data published in the next issue of The Frozen Angler.  😀🐟

Edited October 21, 2020 by Screenshot Pilgrim

[TiffTastic]

This is actually really well written in a scientific manner, and should the frozen angler resume publication after its apocalypse thingy is done, it is sure to be well reviewed by peers, and published with you as the leading author

[odizzido]

I am always amazed when people are at fire starting 4. I typically barely get into lvl 2 and unless I am outside with a magnifying glass starting a bunch of fires I don't think I've ever gotten to 3. That's so many fires.

[Sherri]

Funny that you post about grinding fishing this week. I did so this week as well (finished last night) in Mystery Lake in pursuit of the "Get all skills to lvl 5" achievement.

I only caught 2 kinds of fish here. Eventually I was drowning in so much fish that I started letting them go upon catch. 

Fun fact: even if you don't keep the caught fish, you still get the XP for it.

Fishing as a food source is time consuming - but tool efficient. In long term runs, use those no longer useful prybars to break the ice. From level 3-5 I didn't break a single line/hook. So a lot of food for very little wear on tools. If you have lots of time but limited tools/ammo, fishing is good.

Edited October 23, 2020 by Sherri

[UTC-10]

The only minor problem would be that one still needs to obtain gut to make the lines for fishing tackle since fish do not supply any.  

One does have to keep one's mind flexible as I find it hard to use my brimming full jerry cans.  I think if I use any  then I'll have to do more fishing and to refill it to the top again! I have gotten a little better over time but it can be funny to look and see four full jerry cans, a desk drawer full of ten lantern fuel bottles, a couple full lanterns, and still think "my god, what if I run out".  😁

[Abyssal]

I don't really worry about guts anymore, i have wayy too many in a big pile in the trapper's since i used to live of off deer and rabbits

[hozz1235]

This thread prompted me to finish up my Fishing skill.  I chose a ML fishing hut at level 3.  Here are my results:   

Small Mouth Bass:  37.  Heaviest weight: 12.01lb Lightest: 4.35lb.  Total oil from cooking: .8gal = .02gal/fish.

Lake Whitefish: 150.  Heaviest: 5.56lb Lightest: 3.38lbs.  Total oil from cooking: 1.99gal = .013gal/fish.

[Mroz4k]

On 10/23/2020 at 7:44 PM, Sherri said:

Fishing as a food source is time consuming - but tool efficient. In long term runs, use those no longer useful prybars to break the ice. From level 3-5 I didn't break a single line/hook. So a lot of food for very little wear on tools. If you have lots of time but limited tools/ammo, fishing is good.

I cannot upvote this post well enough!  true, true and true. Especially once all the locks within the world has been broken, there is no point to keep the prybars - and using them to break open the fishing holes is a good idea. I do reccomend to keep one crowbar at 100% simply in case you have missed a lock, or for when new regions are added into the game.

Before we were able to repair broken tools, some people would craft makeshift tools just to break open the ice for fishing. Truth is - the best tool to break open the ice for fishing is the heavy hammer itself. As a tool, it can be repaired with scrap metal and simple/quality tools. The tools themselves can also be repaired by using scrap metal on them. This means that for a small amount of metal, you could always use this tool to break open the ice and repair it when repairs were needed. I would still reccomend this over using normal tools and have to later go to bleak inlet to repair them on a milling machine.

It was pointed out that guts are neccesary to fish. This is true. But you can get guts at no cost to weapons simply by hunting rabbits with stones. Rabbits are limited in the location every few days, though. Fish are not. 

On 10/25/2020 at 9:03 PM, UTC-10 said:

I have gotten a little better over time but it can be funny to look and see four full jerry cans, a desk drawer full of ten lantern fuel bottles, a couple full lanterns, and still think "my god, what if I run out". 

I do like to do that as well. I quite enjoy filling up the gas canisters...  

But if I get non-canister lantern fuel, I am not very stingy about it. I use it all the time to top off storm lanterns, and if I have too much, I even use it for accelerant on fire starting. But, frankly, I never have enough.

It is very cozy when you can use those 10 storm lanterns, turn them on, place them around your home and illuminate your entire shelter in the night. It is very resource consuming... but in the world without electricity, it is so nice to be in a room in house but have it properly lit up.

Edited October 29, 2020 by Mroz4k

[Sherri]

19 hours ago, Mroz4k said:

 

It was pointed out that guts are neccesary to fish.

Considering I fished for over a week and went from level 3-5 fishing without breaking a single line.... I'd say the cost in guts is minimal.

Not only do fish not cost ammo to kill... they also don't need to be 'harvested' like an animal carcass does. So you save your knife or axe.

You just don't get the calorie volume for the time spent. But in the end game when there's less to do, it makes for a good food source.

[Abyssal]

Fish can be used as an incredible food source when in combination with snaring floofy bois and beachcombing for scrap and cloth, I've gotten an improvised knife once!

[ajb1978]

On 10/29/2020 at 5:46 PM, Abyssal said:

Fish can be used as an incredible food source when in combination with snaring floofy bois and beachcombing for scrap and cloth, I've gotten an improvised knife once!

You're not wrong.  Initially this isn't viable, but once you're established you can absolutely survive on fishing and trapping alone. Supplementing that with cloth and metal sourced from beachcombing, you can be set literally forever.  I've done the math, and it is literally impossible to run out of resources, provided you manage them properly and take advantage of the renewable options.

[Abyssal]

Also if you are ever in a pinch, you can use the birch saplings from beachcombing to use your bow for hunting, and jeeping your clothes in decent shape, as well as for the large amounts of meat