Fishing

For a list of fish and their locations, see the Fish page.

For an index to the completed fish collection, see Collections.

For the guide to catch all fish, see Fishing Strategy.

See also: Tackle, Bait

Pool of Bubbles

Fishing interface showing normal and Legendary Fish

Fishing is a skill associated with catching fish by using a fishing rod or crab pots.

A fishing rod is used to cast a fishing line into a body of water. To cast, start by holding down the left mouse button. A meter appears, indicating how far the line will go. Release to cast. You can cast further with a higher skill level and better fishing rods. It is possible to slightly alter the line's placement mid-cast with the arrow keys or WASD, allowing you better control over aiming the cast. The distance your bobber lands away from any dry land determines what kinds of fish you'll hook.

Sometimes a pool of bubbles appears in the water. Cast into these pools to get a quicker bite. Sparkles will appear to indicate that the bobber landing in the pool of bubbles. When a fish bites, the game displays "HIT!" and gives a metallic sound cue. Click the left mouse button to start the mini-game.

The mini-game display contains a movable green rectangle that indicates the area of effect for your fishing line. The goal of the fishing mini-game is to keep the small fish icon within the green rectangle until the progress bar to the right is completely filled. If the fish's icon moves above or below the green rectangle, the progress bar decreases, and the fish escapes if the progress bar reaches the bottom. The game displays a "perfect" catch when the fish never leaves the green rectangle.

You can raise the green rectangle by pressing the Use Tool button (left-click by default). Slower clicking holds the green in place when it is not on the bottom. Hold the left mouse button to raise it at increasing speed. Be careful moving it, though, for it gathers momentum quickly and takes time to reverse, making it easy to overshoot the fish and drain the progress bar.

The green rectangle increases in size with higher fishing skill level and better fishing rods. The erratic movement of fish also decreases with higher fishing skill level and better fishing rods, improving your control by means of gentler motions of the rectangle.

Xbox Controls

When using an Xbox controller, first equip your fishing rod. Tap and hold the button and release when you are ready to cast your line. Once you're alerted that you have a bite (an ! icon will pop up with a sound effect), tap the button again to start the mini-game. Hold/release the button or quickly tap the button to play the mini-game.

Fishing Poles

Used to catch fish.

Image	Name	Cost	Improvements	Location	Requirements
	Bamboo Pole	data-sort-value="500">500g		Given to you by Willy Buy from Willy's Fish Shop
	Fiberglass Rod	data-sort-value="1800">1,800g	Able to use bait.	Buy from Willy's Fish Shop	Fishing Level 2 (You receive a letter the day after it becomes available)
	Iridium Rod	data-sort-value="7500">7,500g	Able to use bait & tackle.	Buy from Willy's Fish Shop	Fishing Level 6 (You receive a letter the day after it becomes available)

Fishing Skill

Fishing Skill is increased by catching Fish, Trash, Seaweed, Green Algae, or White Algae with a Fishing Rod/Pole or by harvesting Crab Pots.

Each level grants +1 Fishing Rod Proficiency, increases the minimum fish size (in/cm) and bobber bar height, and decreases the max amount of time before fish bite. Fishing skill also increases the chance to find quality (silver or gold star) fish.

Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4	Level 5
Crafting Recipes:	Crafting Recipes:	Crafting / Cooking Recipes:	Crafting Recipes:	Choose a Profession:
Casting distance increased by one tile	Bait Fiberglass Rod & Bait unlocked in Willy's Fish Shop	Crab Pot Dish O' The Sea Crab Pot unlocked in Willy's Fish Shop	Deluxe Bait Worm Bin Recycling Machine Deluxe Bait unlocked in Willy's Fish Shop Casting distance increased by one tile	Fisher Fish worth 25% more.	Trapper Resources required to craft crab pots reduced.
Level 6	Level 7	Level 8	Level 9	Level 10
Crafting Recipes:	Crafting Recipes:	Crafting Recipes:	Crafting / Cooking Recipes:	Fisher:	Trapper:
Bait Maker Spinner Trap Bobber Sonar Bobber Iridium Rod, Sonar Bobber, Lead Bobber, Spinner, & Trap Bobber unlocked in Willy's Fish Shop	Cork Bobber Treasure Hunter Cork Bobber & Treasure Hunter unlocked in Willy's Fish Shop	Deluxe Worm Bin Barbed Hook Dressed Spinner Barbed Hook & Dressed Spinner unlocked in Willy's Fish Shop Casting distance increased by one tile	Seafoam Pudding Magnet Magnet unlocked in Willy's Fish Shop	Angler Fish worth 50% more.	Mariner Crab pots no longer produce junk items.
				Pirate Chance to find treasure doubled.	Luremaster Crab pots no longer require bait.

Experience Points

The amount of experience earned for each caught fish is as follows:

XP = (Fish Quality + 1) * 3 + (Fish Difficulty / 3)

Fish Quality = 0 for normal, 1 for silver, or 2 for gold

Fish Difficulty is a number from 5-110, listed in the data file Fish.xnb.

For example, a regular quality sardine (difficulty 30) would net you (0 + 1) * 3 + (30 / 3) = 13XP.

XP is multiplied by 2.2 if you also catch a treasure chest, by 2.4 if the catch was "perfect" and by 5 if the catch was a Legendary fish. These multiplications stack, and are performed in order (first treasure chest, then perfect, then Legendary).

For example, catching a perfect Sardine with a treasure chest would earn you 13 * 2.2 = 28.6 (truncated to 28) XP, then 28 * 2.4 = 67.2 (truncated to 67) XP.
Catching a perfect gold quality Crimsonfish (difficulty 95) with a treasure chest would net you (2+1) * 3 + (95 / 3) = 40.67 (truncated to 40) base XP; 40 * 2.2 = 88XP; 88 * 2.4 = 211.2 (truncated to 211) XP; 211 * 5 = 1055 XP.

Crab pots earn you 5XP each time you collect from them, no matter what is collected.

Trash, algae and seaweed caught with the fishing pole earn 3 XP each.

Experience level is increased immediately upon harvesting a Crab Pot or catching an item with a fishing pole, but the "level up" window doesn't appear until after going to sleep.

Action	XP
Catching fish	8-195 XP
Crab Pot	5 XP
Trash	3 XP
Green Algae	3 XP
White Algae	3 XP
Seaweed	3 XP
Treasure Chest	XP multiplied by 2.2
Perfect catch	XP multiplied by 2.4
Legendary fish	XP multiplied by 5

The XP required for leveling up is the same as for all skills:

Lvl	Total Experience	Total Sardines (No stars)	Total Gold Star Legend Fish (225XP, highest in game)	Total Crab Pot
1	100	8	1	20*
2	380	30	2	76
3	770	60	4	154
4	1300	100	6	260
5	2150	166	10	430
6	3300	254	15	660
7	4800	370	22	960
8	6900	531	31	1380
9	10000	770	45	2000
10	15000	1154	67	3000

*Note: The first level of fishing cannot normally be completed with Crab Pots, because the player does not have access to bait until level 2. If, however, the player befriends Linus, his four heart cutscene will give the recipe for Wild Bait, which can be used to bait crab pots at any Fishing Skill level.

In addition, three crab pots can be earned at any Fishing Level by completing the Crab Pot Bundle in the Fish Tank. Completing the bundle without playing the fishing mini-game (or using crab pots) requires 4 fish foraged from the beach and 1 crab obtained by killing crabs in the mines.

Food

Certain cooked dishes will temporarily increase fishing level.

Image	Name	Description	Ingredients	Energy / Health	Buff(s)	Buff Duration	Recipe Source(s)	Sell Price
	Chowder	A perfect way to warm yourself after a cold night at sea.	Clam (1) Milk (1)	225 101	Fishing (+1)	16m 47s	Willy (Mail - 3+ )	data-sort-value="135">135g
	Dish O' The Sea	This'll keep you warm in the cold sea air.	Sardine (2) Hashbrowns (1)	150 67	Fishing (+3)	5m 35s	Fishing Level 3	data-sort-value="220">220g
	Escargot	Butter-soaked snails cooked to perfection.	Snail (1) Garlic (1)	225 101	Fishing (+2)	16m 47s	Willy (Mail - 5+ )	data-sort-value="125">125g
	Fish Stew	It smells a lot like the sea. Tastes better, though.	Crayfish (1) Mussel (1) Periwinkle (1) Tomato (1)	225 101	Fishing (+3)	16m 47s	Willy (Mail - 7+ )	data-sort-value="175">175g
	Fish Taco	It smells delicious.	Tuna (1) Tortilla (1) Red Cabbage (1) Mayonnaise (1)	165 74	Fishing (+2)	7m	Linus (Mail - 7+ )	data-sort-value="500">500g
	Lobster Bisque	This delicate soup is a secret family recipe of Willy's.	Lobster (1) Milk (1)	225 101	Fishing (+3) Max Energy (+50)	16m 47s	The Queen of Sauce 14 Winter, Year 2 Willy (Mail - 9+ )	data-sort-value="205">205g
	Maple Bar	It's a sweet doughnut topped with a rich maple glaze.	Maple Syrup (1) Sugar (1) Wheat Flour (1)	225 101	Farming (+1) Fishing (+1) Mining (+1)	16m 47s	The Queen of Sauce 14 Summer, Year 2	data-sort-value="300">300g
	Trout Soup	Pretty salty.	Rainbow Trout (1) Green Algae (1)	100 45	Fishing (+1)	4m 39s	The Queen of Sauce 14 Fall, Year 1	data-sort-value="100">100g

Treasure Chests

During the fishing mini-game, a treasure chest will occasionally appear inside the vertical bar. Treasure chests have their own progression bar, fillable by keeping the green bobber bar behind the treasure chest icon . If obtained, the player is awarded a random bonus loot after catching the fish. Losing the fish also loses the treasure chest.

The base chance of finding a chest is 15%. The probability can be increased with the Magnet (+15%), the Treasure Hunter (+5%) and the Pirate profession (+15%) for a total of 50% chance. It is further increased by daily Luck (+Luck/2).

The following is a list of all items that can be found inside Treasure Chests.

Item	Number in Chest	Fishing Level Required	Other Requirements	% Chance When Requirements Met
Treasure Chest	1	2+
Iridium Ore	1-2		Must cast Max Distance	0.75%
Gold Ore	1-24		Must cast Max Distance or one tile less than Max Distance
Iron Ore	1-24
Copper Ore	1-24
Wood	1-24
Stone	1-24
Coal	1-24
Dressed Spinner	1	6+	Must cast Max Distance or one tile less than Max Distance	2.5%
Bait	1-15
Lost Book	1		Only if you've already found 1+ Lost Books, and the Museum's Library collection is not complete	2.5%
Skeletal Tail	1	2+	Only if you've already found 1+ artifacts	≈2.1%*
Nautilus Fossil	1	2+	Only if you've already found 1+ artifacts	≈2.1%*
Amphibian Fossil	1-2	2+	Only if you've already found 1+ artifacts	≈2.1%*
Ancient Doll	1	2+	Only if you've already found 1+ artifacts	0.55%*
Elvish Jewelry	1	2+	Only if you've already found 1+ artifacts	0.55%*
Chewing Stick	1	2+	Only if you've already found 1+ artifacts	0.55%*
Ornamental Fan	1	2+	Only if you've already found 1+ artifacts	0.55%*
Dinosaur Egg	1	2+	Only if you've already found 1+ artifacts	0.55%*
Rare Disc	1	2+	Only if you've already found 1+ artifacts	0.55%*
Ancient Sword	1	2+	Only if you've already found 1+ artifacts	0.55%*
Rusty Spoon	1	2+	Only if you've already found 1+ artifacts	0.55%*
Rusty Spur	1	2+	Only if you've already found 1+ artifacts	0.55%*
Rusty Cog	1	2+	Only if you've already found 1+ artifacts	0.55%*
Chicken Statue	1	2+	Only if you've already found 1+ artifacts	0.55%*
Ancient Seed	1	2+	Only if you've already found 1+ artifacts	0.55%*
Prehistoric Tool	1	2+	Only if you've already found 1+ artifacts	0.55%*
Dried Starfish	1	2+	Only if you've already found 1+ artifacts	0.55%*
Anchor	1	2+	Only if you've already found 1+ artifacts	0.55%*
Glass Shards	1	2+	Only if you've already found 1+ artifacts	0.55%*
Bone Flute	1	2+	Only if you've already found 1+ artifacts	0.55%*
Strange Doll	1	2+
Strange Doll	1	2+
Geode	1-6
Frozen Geode	1-6
Magma Geode	1-6		Must cast Max Distance or one tile less than Max Distance
Fire Quartz	1-4	2+	Must cast Max Distance or one tile less than Max Distance
Ruby	1-4	2+	Must cast Max Distance or one tile less than Max Distance
Emerald	1-4	2+	Must cast Max Distance or one tile less than Max Distance
Frozen Tear	1-4	2+
Jade	1-4	2+
Aquamarine	1-4	2+
Earth Crystal	1-4	2+
Amethyst	1-4	2+
Topaz	1-4	2+
Diamond	1-2	2+
Prismatic Shard	1	6+
Mixed Seeds	1-3
Neptune's Glaive	1	2+
Broken Trident	1	2+
Small Glow Ring	1	2+
Small Magnet Ring	1	2+
Amethyst Ring	1	2+
Topaz Ring	1	2+
Aquamarine Ring	1	2+
Jade Ring	1	2+
Emerald Ring	1	2+
Ruby Ring	1	2+
Iridium Band	1	2+
Sneakers	1 pair	2+
Rubber Boots	1 pair	2+
Leather Boots	1 pair	2+
Work Boots	1 pair	2+
Combat Boots	1 pair	2+
Tundra Boots	1 pair	2+
Thermal Boots	1 pair	2+
Dark Boots	1 pair	2+
Firewalker Boots	1 pair	2+
Genie Shoes	1 pair	2+

*These values are slightly lower (90% of their chance) if you haven't found all 20 Lost Books.

Achievements

There are 4 Achievements related to Fishing. Note that catching Green Algae, White Algae, or Seaweed counts towards these achievements.

• Fisherman (Catch 10 different fish)
• Ol' Mariner (Catch 24 different fish)
• Master Angler (Catch every fish)
• Mother Catch (Catch 100 fish)

Bugs

• Opening the journal by clicking on the journal icon while fishing pauses time, but fish still bite while it's open. Simply click outside the journal window to close the journal and begin reeling in the fish, once it bites.
  • On Xbox, use the right stick move the mouse over to the journal icon, press A to enter the journal, then press B followed by X when you hear the bite sound.