ESO High Seas Master Angler is a fishing achievement introduced during the High Seas of Tamriel event, running from September 30 to October 14, 2026. To complete it, players must catch four rare fish from special Abecean Saltwater Fishing Holes off the Gold Coast. These fishing spots are found near the Riotous Redress anchorage and are separate from the ordinary fishing holes scattered around the zone.
Although there are only four fish to collect, rare catches depend on luck, and it’s possible to spend quite some time fishing without finding the species you’re missing. Fortunately, ESO has several ways to improve your chances, including Champion Point abilities, special food and companion bonuses. Here’s where to fish, which bait to bring and how to complete the achievement before the event ends.
ESO High Seas Master Angler Fish List
There are four rare fish required for the ESO High Seas Master Angler achievement. All four belong to the Salt category and are caught from Abecean Saltwater Fishing Holes.
| Rare fish | Water type | Required location |
|---|---|---|
| Pelican Eel | Salt | Abecean Saltwater Fishing Holes |
| Abecean Slaughterfish | Salt | Abecean Saltwater Fishing Holes |
| Abyssal Grenadier | Salt | Abecean Saltwater Fishing Holes |
| Pelagic Lanternfish | Salt | Abecean Saltwater Fishing Holes |
You only need to catch each species once. There’s no separate location, boss or quest objective associated with an individual fish, so you can work towards all four from the same collection of fishing holes.
Open your Achievements menu and find High Seas Master Angler to check which fish you’ve already caught. This is particularly helpful when you’re receiving duplicates of a rare species but still need one or two others.
Where to Find Abecean Saltwater Fishing Holes
The fishing holes needed for ESO High Seas Master Angler appear in the waters off the Gold Coast, near the Anchorage for the Riotous Redress.
Travel to the Gold Coast and head towards Anvil, where the High Seas of Tamriel event takes place. The event marker leads towards the coastal area associated with the Riotous Redress, the ship used throughout the introductory quest and daily activities.
Look around the waters near the anchorage for fishing spots labelled Abecean Saltwater Fishing Hole. The name matters because ordinary Gold Coast saltwater fishing holes aren’t the event-specific spots listed in the achievement.
Once you’ve found one, select your bait and begin fishing. Each hole provides a limited number of catches before becoming exhausted, so move to another nearby event fishing hole when that happens.
You can continue rotating between available holes around the anchorage until you’ve collected all four rare fish.
Best Bait for ESO High Seas Master Angler
Because the event fishing holes use saltwater, you’ll want either Worms or Chub.
Both are standard saltwater bait in ESO, and either can be used to catch all four High Seas trophy fish. There is no evidence that one of these two bait types gives you a better chance of catching a particular species.
Worms are commonly obtained while gathering plants and other materials, while Chub can be caught through fishing. You can also acquire bait through trading with other players.
Make sure you’ve selected the correct bait before casting. Using bait intended for rivers, lakes or foul water can result in Used Bait instead of the catches you’re looking for.
The Abecean Slaughterfish is worth mentioning here because its name can cause confusion. Despite being called a Slaughterfish, it’s an ordinary Salt-category trophy for this achievement. You won’t improve your chances by switching to foul-water bait.
How to Catch Rare Fish Faster in ESO
There are several ways to improve your fishing efficiency, and combining them can make ESO High Seas Master Angler considerably easier.
Use Artaeum Pickled Fish Bowl
Artaeum Pickled Fish Bowl is a special food that increases your chance of catching higher-quality fish. Its fishing benefit works similarly to having another player fishing alongside you.
The food can be crafted using its recipe or purchased from other players. The recipe itself can be obtained from Waterlogged Psijic Satchels caught while fishing in Artaeum.
It’s particularly helpful when you’re fishing alone because it increases your chance of finding trophy fish without needing a group.
Slot Angler’s Instincts and Reel Technique
Two Champion Point stars in the Craft tree are especially valuable for fishing.
Angler’s Instincts increases your chance of catching higher-quality fish, making it useful when hunting rare species.
Reel Technique reduces the time it takes for a fish to bite by 25%, allowing you to complete more casts during the same session.
Both are slottable Champion Point stars, so make sure they’re equipped on your Champion Bar rather than simply unlocked.
Together, they improve both your chances of finding trophy fish and the speed at which you can fish.
Use Sharp-as-Night’s Fishing Bonus
The companion Sharp-as-Night provides a fishing perk called Sharp’s Patience.
This increases the chance of catching trophy fish while also reducing the time spent waiting for bites. ZeniMax has confirmed that the perk works alongside Reel Technique, fishing food and other fishing bonuses.
Players who complete Sharp-as-Night’s associated companion achievements can also unlock his fishing lure keepsake, allowing them to benefit from Sharp’s Patience without keeping him summoned.
Fish With Other Players
Fishing alongside other players is another established way to improve your chances of catching rare fish in ESO.
Multiple players using the same fishing hole increase the likelihood of obtaining higher-quality catches. The downside is that shared fishing holes can become exhausted more quickly.
If you’re fishing with friends, work around the available Abecean Saltwater Fishing Holes together rather than waiting beside an empty fishing spot.
None of these bonuses guarantees a particular species, but they can reduce the amount of time spent waiting for rare catches.
Do You Need to Complete the High Seas Quest Before Fishing?
The ESO High Seas Master Angler achievement is connected to the event fishing holes rather than the underwater daily quest.
The introductory High Seas quest is called Raising the Riotous Redress, while the repeatable daily activity is Bounty of the Abecean Sea.
Although the in-game Help information links the fishing holes to later event progression, players testing the live event have reported finding the spots available without completing the introductory quest on that character.
You therefore shouldn’t need to defeat Krelzimar or finish the underwater daily simply to catch the achievement fish.
If you’re having trouble locating the holes, start by finding the Riotous Redress anchorage near Anvil and checking the surrounding water.
Complete Golden Pursuits Fishing Tasks at the Same Time
Fishing for ESO High Seas Master Angler can also contribute towards the Set Sail on the High Seas Golden Pursuits campaign.
Two of its objectives require players to fish from Abecean Saltwater Fishing Holes:
- Fish from Abecean Saltwater Fishing Holes 10 times.
- Fish from Abecean Saltwater Fishing Holes 20 times.
Since these objectives use the same event fishing spots, you can progress them while searching for the four rare fish.
The Golden Pursuits campaign awards milestone rewards as you complete its tasks, including gold, the Lilmoth Turtle and pieces of the Abecean Sea Privateer outfit.
You can find the full requirements in our ESO Set Sail on the High Seas Golden Pursuits guide.
What If Your Last ESO High Seas Master Angler Fish Won’t Drop?
Catching three of the required fish doesn’t change where you need to look for the fourth.
All four species share the same event fishing holes, and duplicates are possible. You might catch several Pelican Eels while waiting for an Abyssal Grenadier, for example.
Before spending another lengthy session fishing, check that you’re using Worms or Chub, that the fishing hole is labelled Abecean Saltwater Fishing Hole, and that your fishing Champion Points are actually slotted.
If everything is correct, continue fishing around the anchorage. Changing to another water type won’t specifically target the missing species, and you won’t need to enter the underwater daily area to catch it.
Rare-fish bonuses can help with the overall number of trophy catches, but they don’t let you select which of the four fish will appear next.
ESO High Seas Master Angler Reward and Event Deadline
Completing ESO High Seas Master Angler awards 5 achievement points.
There isn’t a separate mount, costume or collectible listed as a direct reward for catching the four fish.
It’s also worth distinguishing this achievement from Flight of the Albatross, the larger High Seas achievement that awards Arcing Ornaug Energy for the Suncleft Grotto Ornaug mount.
High Seas Master Angler is not included among Flight of the Albatross’s eight required achievements, so players concentrating on the mount don’t have to finish the rare-fish checklist first.
The High Seas of Tamriel event runs until October 14, 2026. Because the achievement depends on the event-specific fishing holes, it’s worth completing the catches during this event window rather than relying on the fishing locations remaining available afterwards.
The ESO High Seas Master Angler achievement comes down to finding the correct fishing holes, bringing saltwater bait and giving yourself enough time for the rare catches to appear. With Artaeum Pickled Fish Bowl, fishing Champion Points and Sharp’s Patience available to help, there are several ways to make the hunt less time-consuming.
All four fish can be caught around the Riotous Redress anchorage, so there’s no need to search different zones or repeat underwater boss encounters. Once Pelican Eel, Abecean Slaughterfish, Abyssal Grenadier and Pelagic Lanternfish have all registered, the achievement is complete.
Official source: Official High Seas of Tamriel event page
