The Shimmering Pool, also called Aether, is a hidden fishing spot added to Fisch in the Venue Takeover update. It is the place where you finish the second Castbound quest and remove the restrictions on the Castbound rod, turning it into one of the strongest rods in the game thanks to its very high luck and lure speed.
Quick answer: Travel to Vertigo, go to Synth’s Shop, climb down the ladder in front of the shop, and enter the crack beside the pink crystal to reach the Aether cave and its Shimmering Pool.
What you need before going to the Shimmering Pool
Only the Castbound rod works inside the Aether. No other rod can fish there, so the Shimmering Pool is useless until you own that rod from the Venue Takeover event. Reaching the pool also requires access to Vertigo through the overworld whirlpools.
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Rod | Castbound rod from the Venue Takeover event |
| Access | Vertigo, reached via an overworld whirlpool |
| Quest stage | Second Castbound quest active |
How to reach the Aether cave in Vertigo
What to do at the Shimmering Pool
The Shimmering Pool is part of the second Castbound quest. With the Castbound rod equipped, you need to land 150 perfect catches in the pool. Completing those catches advances you to the final part of the quest, where The Guide NPC removes the rod’s restrictions.
Tip: Equip Garbage bait to draw in low-rarity fish. Lower-rarity fish are easier to land as perfect catches, so they speed up the 150-catch requirement.
How to confirm the Castbound rod is unlocked
After you hit 150 perfect catches and finish the final quest step, The Guide NPC unrestricts the Castbound rod. Once that happens, the rod runs at its full stats with very high luck and lure speed rather than its limited starting form.
Why you cannot fish in the Shimmering Pool
If your line will not cast in the pool, the cause is almost always the rod. The Aether accepts only the Castbound rod, so any other rod is blocked there. You must obtain the Castbound rod from the Venue Takeover event before the Shimmering Pool will let you fish.
Aether mutation versus the Aether location
The word Aether has two meanings in Fisch, which can be confusing. One is the Aether mutation, one of the rarest mutations in the game, which multiplies a fish’s value by 12. The other is the secret Aether area tied to the Castbound quest, which is the Shimmering Pool described here.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Aether (mutation) | Rare mutation that increases a fish’s value 12x |
| Aether (location) | Secret cave in Vertigo holding the Shimmering Pool |
Once you know to climb the ladder in front of Synth’s Shop and slip through the crack by the pink crystal, the Shimmering Pool is easy to revisit whenever you want to grind perfect catches toward the unrestricted Castbound rod.
