How to Catch the Hyrule Loach - The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake Guide - IGN

The Hyrule Loach is a special fish that appears in the Lake Hylia Fishing Pond in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake Guide. The Hyrule Loach appears once you have obtained the other Fishing Pond rewards, and is notoriously difficult to catch due to its high stamina. This guide will cover how to catch the Hyrule Loach, with instructions, tips, and tricks.

See IGN's complete guide to the Hylian Loach below:

Once you have earned all the fishing pond rewards, you will notice the Hyrule Loach lurking at the bottom of the pond. The loach is an entirely unique looking fish, long and tan rather than fat and green like the others. It mostly stays at the bottom of the pond, only surfacing occasionally. Keep a close eye on it and wait for it to swim up, this cast your line on top of it to draw it in. The Hylian Loach can be encountered as both Young and Adult Link (catching it seems a little easier as Adult Link to us, but this is unconfirmed).

Note About the Sinking Lure: You can find the Sinking Lure under the small waterfall on the south side of the Fishing Pond. This causes your Lure to sink to the bottom of the pond, making it easier to hook the Loach, and it makes catching it easier. The Fishing-Pond Man will reprimand you lightly, but still forks over the prize.

If you see other fish try and grab the bait you can cancel your cast with X, but this will likely scare off the Loach forcing you to wait for it to surface again. Once you manage to get its attention, wait for it to bite then press ZR to hook it.

Once you have it hooked, the hard part begins. The Loach will rapidly swim back and forth, much faster than the other fish. You need to tilt the stick in the same direction that the Loach is swimming to wear it out, but keep in mind it will change direction a lot. This requires fast reaction times.

As soon as you see it start to turn, change stick directions. Keep in mind it always turns when it gets to the edge of the water, and it always turns after leaping out of the water. If you see the water splashing roughly, it means you are holding the stick the wrong direction. If you pull the wrong way too many times, the Loach will break the line and return to the bottom of the pond, forcing you to start the process over again.

This is a long battle! Keep ZR held down at all times so that when the Loach is worn out you start reeling it instantly. You will have to wear it about 4-6 times to reel it in enough to catch it. Pay attention to what direction the Loach was headed when it became worn out, because it always seems to start going that way again when it restarts swimming!

If you need a little extra help, the Fishing-Pond Man also mentions that catching fish is much easier when it is raining. Wait for a downpour to start for an easier catch.

After such a hard fought battle you might expect a major reward, but unfortunately such is not the case. The Fishing-Pond Man will remark on the size and rarity of your catch, but ultimately just hands over a Purple Rupee worth 50. Link's unimpressed face says it all.

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