Monster Hunter Wilds: How to catch a Whopper
Here's where to go to find Whoppers like Gastronome Tuna
Looking for Whopper fish in Monster Hunter Wilds? In the world of Monster Hunter Wilds, the biggest fish types are known as "Whoppers", and they require a different style of fishing than regular kinds of fish. With most fish, once they bite you just hold down a button and they're automatically reeled in. Not so with Whoppers.
There are a handful of different species of fish large enough to be considered Whopper fish in Monster Hunter Wilds, and you'll need to catch one of them in order to complete Kanya's side quest, "The Catch Of A Lifetime!". In this guide, we'll walk you through where to find Whopper fish, and how to catch them in Monster Hunter Wilds.
Where to find Whopper fish
If you want go fishing for Whoppers, you need the largest possible expanse of water to fish in. There are really only two places suitable for catching Whopper fish, and both are in the Scarlet Forest, the second region of Monster Hunter Wilds.
The first place to catch Whopper fish is the lake directly beneath the Wudwud Hideout, in area 12 of the Scarlet Forest. There are several different areas you can fish from at the edge of this lake, and it's not uncommon to see multiple Whoppers in the lake at once.
The second place you can go to catch Whopper Fish is the Great Lake in area 17 of the Scarlet Forest. This massive lake might as well be an ocean as far as our purposes are concerned, and if you travel the breadth of it you'll very often see more than one type of Whopper in the water.
So if you're trying to catch a Whopper, I recommend you set up Pop-Up Tents next to these two lakes in the Forest so that you can quickly fast travel between them and maximising your chances of catching one.
In particular, keep an eye out for when a group of flying Harpios flies over either lake and begins a feeding frenzy. This is when you'll see the largest numbers of Whopper fish such as Gajau and Gastronome Tuna. These feeding frenzies tend to happen during the morning or evening.
For more information on fishing in general, check out our guide on how to fish in Monster Hunter Wilds!
How to catch a Whopper fish
The process of catching a Whopper fish is much harder than with normal fish in Monster Hunter Wilds. First, you need the right bait:
- Tuff Joint Bait: good for Gastronome Tuna (the rounder ones)
- Duster Rig: good for Gajau (the spiky ones)
Both these types of bait are given to you by Kanya at the start of the "The Catch Of A Lifetime!" side quest.
Fish as normal until you get a bite from a Whopper. It may take time; the Gajau in particular are quite timid. Keep trying and you'll eventually get their attention.
Once the Whopper fish bites, it will start to swim from side to side, pulling your line as it goes. Your aim is to move the thumbstick (or use A/D) in the same direction that the fish is moving. Keep doing this, and the fish will stop moving after a few back-and-forths. When it stops moving, rapidly alternate the thumbstick up and down (or use W/S) to start reeling the fish in.
You likely won't reel the Whopper in the whole way before it regains its energy, and begins to move side-to-side again. Repeat the process, and you'll eventually reel it in far enough to actually catch the fish.
At times, the Whopper fish may leap into the air to try and disentangle itself from your line. When this happens, move the thumbstick upwards with the fish and tap RT. Or, on keyboard, hold W and then tap the middle-mouse button. Doing this will greatly tire out the fish, making it easier to catch. But if you fail to do this in time (or do it incorrectly) then the tension on the line will greatly increase.
If the tension on the line increases enough, then the fish will escape. Tension can also be increased by not following the fish back and forth as it travels with the line, so make sure you stay with it the whole time. It's easier to do this on controller, because the vibration will let you know if the tension increases. If you do it right, there should be little to no vibration from your controller.
That wraps up this guide on the tricky task of catching yourself a Whopper fish in Monster Hunter Wilds. If you still need a hand with Capcom's RPG, make sure you check out our Monster Hunter Wilds walkthrough to help you through the campaign. We've also got a page that explains how long it takes to beat MHWilds, as well as primers that list all of the weapons you can get and all of the monsters you can encounter. If you're just starting out in the Forbidden Lands, our guide on how to capture monsters will come in handy too.