Basculin are often the first pokemon Unovans will catch with a fishing rod – even an old, beat-up one – and it is common to judge the whole species as analogous in power to Magikarp from the weakness of these hooked specimens. But it is only the youngest of Basculin who can be captured this way, for older ones learn to temper their ferocious aggression with wisdom, or at least to figure out the difference between food and obvious bait. And although Basculin are weak when young, and will never dominate pokemon battles on land, their very ubiquity suggests that they can not remain pushovers forever, for no pushover of a pokemon could so thoroughly dominate Unova's seas.

Although they have traditionally preyed on low-lying water/rock pokemon such as Corsola and Barbaracle, Basculin are adaptable predators, and once introduced to Unova have swiftly learned to feast on most of the region's water pokemon. Despite their weakness at birth, an adult Basculin's water attacks are so devastating on fishing boats and pokemon alike that they have been compared to Gyarados as terrors of the seas; although once an invasive species, they are now so numerous, and their rivals so rare, that their extirpation would be as catastrophic to the ecosystem as their introduction was.

Many experienced fishermen have captured adult Basculin, but unlike children with old rods this is typically to their dismay. Fully-grown Basculin are strong enough to tip over fishing boats, and they are more than capable of defeating most water pokemon used to help lure them in, just as they defeat their wild counterparts. If you should ever hook a Basculin with a super rod, be advised to let it go, for the prospect of fame from such an enormous catch is not worth losing your life.