Shiny hunting is the biggest part of Pokémon content outside of the main game. People spend thousands of hours just trying to find those alternate color schemed creatures.
There are so many ways to go about trying to shiny hunt, but one of the methods that’s making a return in Sword and Shield is chain fishing.
Chain fishing wasn’t available in Sun and Moon, but now it’s back and has a completely new set of rates that will net you a lot of Brilliant Pokémon and set you up for a big catch the longer you keep casting out. Just make sure you don’t accidentally run or catch something that you reel in.
Here’s the basic breakdown without any of the added chances from the Shiny Charm or other outside effects.
| Encounters | Shiny odds |
| Encounters one to 19 | Brilliant Pokémon are more likely to appear. |
| Encounters 20 to 49 | Brilliant Pokémon have 1.3 times the chance of appearing. |
| Encounters 50 to 99 | Brilliant Pokémon have 1.6 times and shiny Pokémon have two times the chance of appearing. |
| Encounters 100 to 199 | Brilliant Pokémon have two times (maxed) and shiny Pokémon have three times the chance of appearing. |
| Encounters 200 to 299 | Shiny Pokémon have four times the chance of appearing. |
| Encounters 300 to 499 | Shiny Pokémon have five times the chance of appearing. |
| Encounters 500+ | Shiny Pokémon have six times the chance of appearing (maxed). |
All of the regular shiny chaining numbers are based on how many times you battle a single Pokémon over the course of your adventure. But the chain fishing numbers are only going to affect the encounters you consecutively have in a single area.
The chain isn’t for the individual Pokémon and it’ll only break if you fail to reel in, catch a Pokémon, leave the area, or simply turn off the game. Just putting your console into sleep mode won’t do anything, so don’t be scared to take a break.
