@Artmaker (GB1) I've been playing BF for almost 3 1/2 yrs. now. I understand your frustration with the instructions for the deep sea fishing. A few yrs, ago, IMO Larino's website was the best and still has a lot of great info about the game in it. She is pursuing her career and did not have time to keep the site up anymore, but the great info is still there. Now Nina has a fantastic web site all about the game, with lots of photos, details, suggestions, etc I cannot say enough about how much I like her website. I also like that so many players have contributed to it too - so go to crazybigfarm.tk and bookmark it fast, put it on your favorites bar for easy access! You will find the dockyard info on the last side under the flower farm. Then read every section at the top of it.
http://crazybigfarm.tk/farm/dockyard/dockyard.htm is the complete address for the dockyard page. This info combined with Griffith's guide should make it much easier for you. It's all up to you how much you want to put into it studying about the game. I know Nina-will be making some additions to it too.
In your example, you sent out your boat to catch lobsters and came back with I think it was a shrimp and a clam -- you were not fishing in a lobster pool, and no equipment is needed. So we are all learning.
I would be happy to help, just send me a PM. Also doc's fishing calculator is a great help, he will be making another revision too--after I e-mail him with another suggestion for it, I'm sure. :-)
Here is an example of what you can learned by studying the fishing a bit and using the tools I have mentioned.
For a Level 6 Motorboat, 5 Large Freezers, 2 Roy, and 1 Lisa, will give you 60 fish and 1 empty space, which I use for protection and have better results with it than without it, depending on which hole I am using. Protection only costs $5,000 and depending on which fish I am fishing for, IMO it is good. I still have much styuding and learning to do too!
Level 6 Runabout - 6 Large Freezers, 2 Roy, 1 Russel, 1 empty space = 70 Fish
Wherry Level 2 - 3 Thermic Boxes - 3 James, 1 Victor, no empty spaces = 64 Fish
Wherry Level 3 - 3 Thermic Boxes, , 3 James, 1 Vistor, 1 empty space = 69 Fish
Skipjack Level 1 - 1 Freezer, 5 Nancy, 1 empty space = 67 Fish