How to shiny hunt using Good Rod in Pokémon HeartGold.
Fishing with the Good Rod.
Odds with charm
1 / 8,192
Odds no charm
1 / 8,192
Per encounter
~20s
Expected hunt
45.5 hours
How the hunt works
Cast repeatedly from the same tile — you never need to move. Sort your rods by which one gives your target the best rate; the Good Rod table sits between the Old and Super Rod.
The base rate in Pokémon HeartGold is 1 in 8,192. There is no Shiny Charm in this game, so the base rate is the best you can get.
Pokémon you can find with Good Rod in HeartGold
21 species, sorted by best encounter rate.
| Pokémon | Best rate | Levels | Locations |
|---|---|---|---|
 Poliwag | 40% | 20–24 | 24 |
 Goldeen | 40% | 10–24 | 28 |
 Magikarp | 40% | 20–24 | 75 |
 Qwilfish | 40% | 20 | 1 |
 Remoraid | 40% | 20 | 1 |
 Whiscash | 40% | 20 | 1 |
 Relicanth | 40% | 20 | 1 |
 Psyduck | 30% | 20 | 1 |
 Tentacool | 30% | 20 | 14 |
 Krabby | 30% | 20–25 | 11 |
 Seaking | 15% | 20–27 | 2 |
 Chinchou | 15% | 20 | 11 |
 Poliwhirl | 10% | 23–27 | 3 |
 Shellder | 10% | 20 | 11 |
 Kingler | 10% | 26–27 | 1 |
 Horsea | 10% | 20 | 3 |
 Staryu | 10% | 20 | 7 |
 Gyarados | 10% | 20–29 | 5 |
 Dratini | 10% | 20–29 | 2 |
 Corsola | 10% | 20 | 7 |
 Corphish | 10% | 26–28 | 1 |