Putting this out there

I want to note that if the bait is used outside of the event period, it will result in normal use, no event items. It was the reason why I said it was linked to the event. Nexon probably patched it early to save themselves the trouble.

That doesn't explain how people were able to catch the items (Potions and Outfits) 1~2 weeks before the event started.

People with the quest from last year's event. Quests stay in the Quest window until completed. It was patched in with Vate update. I'll admit, I still have quests on alts from previous events and they still can be completed with rewards intact.

"Nexon probably patched it early to save themselves the trouble."

Sounds like a good enough explanation to me.

There really isn't any other way to explain it. Even completing the quest a couple months ago did not result in this fishing event's reward list when I used the bait to get rid of it.

Let's also consider the fact that 'Outfit Bait' was changed to 'Style Bait' before event was released.

The same quest gave both (albeit it this was done in two different instances...). It was likely renamed unless the files says otherwise.

After taking a peek, it appears name was changed.