If you fish, the best fish are in the Brrgh and Dreamland.
You can also check out beanfest on Wednesday evenings run by the CCG. Check out the forum under groups/clans for your local time.
You can also load up on help a lower laff toon tasks and do it that way if you are feeling generous with your time.
The best Doodles IMHO are the standard ones in the dock. Avoid any with negative attributes. The prettiest ones are expensive, but don't have any real advantage over a "standard" training wise. When training, I like to choose two tricks to work up first, like jump and rollover, as each takes a long time to max and for the Doodle to perform reliably. Try training while planting, works well for a bunch of folks. Call your Doodle in battle frequently, to increase it's performance in that situation.
Good luck!
Lady Von Zippenberry / Baroness (WAVES)