Harvest Moon, Friends of Mineral Town

I've been playing Harvest Moon for the GBA lately. It's an excellent sequel to an already great series. For those unfamiliar with the series, basically you inherit (through various means, according to the game) some decrepit, falling down, boulder strewn patch of land and attempt to make your fortune and various other pursuits through profits generated by the sweat of your virtual brow. A surprisingly rewarding experience. Makes city folk like I think it might be fun to live simply on a farm. Those of us who have actually cared for livestock and tilled the soil know how much work it can be to break even, let alone generate a profit, but it's still a fun game. :D

Anyways, I'm having difficulty with these Cursed Tools one is supposed to be able to find in the Mine in the lake. Allegedly, there's a cursed fishing rod that allows one to catch the leviathans they call king fish in this game. It's supposed to be on the 29th level underground, but no matter what I do, I cannot find the thing. Nor can I find the Hammer on the 59th floor. I've already found and blessed the Hoe and Watering Can and found the Axe, and haven't delved into the deep places of Mineral Town far enough to discover the cursed sickle.

I have noticed, though, that on those levels, there are several possible locations for the downward leading stairs. I've tried everything I can think of, over a dozen permutations, and found only jewels, black grass and money.

Has anybody overcome this difficulty themselves?

If I remember right, you won't dig up a Cursed Tool if your tool inventory is full. Other than that... you might just be unlucky. I believe the Cursed Rod is shows up much less often than its counterparts.