The Grandpa Horseshoe Crab is a Secret-rarity catch tied to a single area of the map, and the fastest way to land one has nothing to do with casting a line. It swims openly as a roaming crab in the shallow pools of Desolate Deep, which means a spear can end the hunt in a single hit.
Quick answer: Use the Traveler’s Whistle to teleport to Desolate Pocket in Desolate Deep, activate an Aurora Totem, then spear every roaming Horseshoe Crab you see in the water. Drop Reinforced or Golden Crab Cages baited with Luminous Larva or Golden Shrimp along the same ledges so passive catches run while you spear.
Where the Grandpa Horseshoe Crab spawns in Fisch
The crab is registered in the Bestiary under Desolate Deep and lists as Secret rarity. Desolate Pocket, the sub-area reached from the Desolate Deep Buoy, is where the roaming crabs gather in shallow water beside the cavern ledges.
One detail trips people up. The quest that sends you after the crab begins in Skycrest, but the creature itself never spawns there. Fishing Skycrest waters will not produce it no matter how much luck you stack.
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Spear the roaming crabs for the fastest catch
Horseshoe Crabs in Desolate Pocket are roaming spawns, so they are visible in the water rather than hidden behind a fishing minigame. A spear catches them on contact, which removes reeling, bar timing, and line tension from the equation entirely.

Crab cage setup for passive catches
Cages run in the background while you spear, so there is no reason to pick one method over the other. Line the platform edges and shallow water with as many cages as you own, then collect them in one pass.
| Item | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Reinforced Crab Cage | Holds up to three catches each, so a full field of them returns far more per collection cycle. Placing 100 to 200 is realistic. |
| Golden Crab Cage | Higher-tier cage available from Crowned Ruins. |
| Luminous Larva | Cage bait used in Desolate Deep waters. |
| Golden Shrimp | High Universal Luck bait, sold at Treasure Island. |
Luck, weather, and totem setup
Secret rarity means the odds respond to stacked modifiers. Set these up before the first cage goes down so nothing is wasted.
| Modifier | Effect |
|---|---|
| Aurora Totem | Raises the rate of Secret catches while active. |
| Weather set to Clear or Rainy | Preferred conditions for this hunt. |
| Merlin Boosts and luck potions | General luck stacking on top of the totem. |
| Nagomi Idol Trial | Completing it grants faster catches. |
Note: totems and potions burn on a timer, so activate them once you are already standing in Desolate Pocket with cages ready to drop.
Fishing rod method (slower fallback)
A rod does work if you would rather fish normally. Equip your highest-luck rod, keep luck boosts running, and cast in Desolate Deep water. It is the slowest of the three approaches, since every attempt runs through the full catch minigame instead of a one-hit strike.
Sort the Fishing Rods menu by luck to find your best option quickly rather than scrolling the full list.

How to confirm the catch registered
The catch notification names the Grandpa Horseshoe Crab, shows its weight, and awards a large XP payout — a 4.8kg specimen returns 260,000 XP. The fish then sits in your inventory where you can inspect it directly.
For permanent confirmation, open the Bestiary and switch to the Desolate Deep page. The Grandpa Horseshoe Crab entry changes from locked to unlocked once the first one is caught.

If nothing shows up after a long session, the usual causes are fishing outside Desolate Deep, leaving cages in the water without claiming them, or running with no totem and no luck boosts on a Secret-tier target. Fix those three and the crab is a matter of repetition, not chance.






