My son is convinced that it's best to go last in Vinci because you have the more complete information of seeing where other players have started their civilizations and you always get last turn (like having home field advantage in baseball). I see these 2 advantages, but I wonder if these outweigh the disadvantages such as not having first pick on civilizations, not being the first to go into decline, and perhaps other factors I haven't even considered (we're all new to the game). So:

Is it better to go first, last, in between, or is the game so well balanced that it hardly matters?


Question: Where are the fishing spots surrounded by rocks etc, and do they actually increase the chances of catching fish?
Answer: Trent's answer gives a solid overview of chain fishing in general. To complement that, here are some of the best areas for chain fishing.

Note that each spot is surrounded on 3 sides with rocks or cliff.

This spot is just below Ambrette Town (courtesy of this guide). Exit the Museum onto the Sand, then double back along the cliffs:



Then there's Shalour City, Route 8 and Route 21 (guide)

Shalour:


Route 8:


Route 21:


These are just some of the areas where it is possible, there are many others. Look around, try and find more!