Fishing

Fishing is an activity where you need to pay close attention to the equipment you use and know where each kind of fish can be caught. There are many places where you can fish. You unlock the fishing rod at level 14. Equip your fishing rod from the item wheel, then select a bait appropriate for the species you intend to catch.

Fishing Controls

Command	Effect
/	Hold to display the fishing wheel
/	After catching a fish, press to quick-equip bait
/	Hold to grip rod
/	With / held, hold then release to cast out; press to hook a fish; tap to flick bait
	With / held, move rod
	Rotate clockwise to reel in
/	Reset cast; cut line

Hold / to get a firm grip on the rod, then hold and release / to cast out. When you get a firm bite, the fishing rod will be pulled downwards; quickly press / to attempt to hook the fish before it can swim away.

When a fish makes a meal of the bait, the bobber gets pulled under water. When a hooked fish is struggling, it will try to escape. Control the fish by pulling the rod left or right in the opposite direction to the movement of the fish. This will tire your catch, making it struggle less. Whenever you notice this, make the most of that window of opportunity to reel in as mush fishing line as you can before the fish resume its fight.

Whenever you reel in and hook a fish, you can either keep it to eat or sell, or release it back into the water to gain honor if it's still alive. Smaller fish are stored in your satchel while larger fish can be stowed on your horse.

Bait and Lures

The first step to catch a fish is to obtain the best possible incentives for their attention. You can purchase bait and lure options at the Bait and Tackle shop in Lagras.

Food bait and natural bait are cheap and readily available. You will lose them each time a fish bites, whether it escapes or you catch it. This means you will regularly need to rebait your hook.

Artificial lures are more expensive than bite, but can be used more than once. There are lires suited to attracting river, lake, and swamp species. After casting out using a lure, keep reeling it in slowly to make it look like a little swimming fish or insect; a stationary lure will not attract any fish. This makes lure fishing harder, but it is the only way to attract larger catches.

Bait/Lure	Suited for...	Price
Cheese Bait	Smaller fish in lakes	1.90
Bread Bait	Smaller fish in rivers	0.40
Corn Bait	Smaller fish in swamps	0.40
Live worms	Medium-sized lake fish	0.50
Live Crickets	Medium-sized river fish	0.50
Crayfish	Medium-sized swamp fish	0.25
Lake Lure	Medium/large-sized lake fish	2.50
River Lure	Medium/large-sized river fish	2.50
Swamp Lure	Medium/large-sized swamp fish	2.50
Special Lake Lure	Medium/large-sized lake fish	20.00
Special River Lure	Medium/large-sized river fish	20.00
Special Swamp Lure	Medium/large-sized swamp fish	20.00
Special Spinner	All larger fish	15.00

Bait and Lure Effectiveness Rating

Species	Cheese	Bread	Corn	Worms	Cricket	Crayfish	Lake	River Lure	Swamp Lure	Special Lake Lure	Special River Lure	Special Swamp Lure	Special Spinner
Redfin Pickerel	D	A	C	E	E	E	F	F	F	F	F	F	D
Perch	D	A	C	E	E	E	F	F	F	F	F	F	D
Bullhead Catfish	C	D	A	E	E	E	F	F	F	F	F	F	D
Chain Pickerel	C	D	A	E	E	E	F	F	F	F	F	F	D
Rock Bass	A	C	D	E	E	E	F	F	F	F	F	F	D
Bluegill	A	C	D	E	E	E	F	F	F	F	F	F	D
Muskie	F	F	F	D	D	D	A	B	C	A	B	C	A
Lake Sturgeon	F	F	F	D	D	D	A	B	C	A	B	C	A
Northern Pike	F	F	F	D	D	D	C	A	B	C	A	B	A
Sockeye Salmon	F	F	F	D	D	D	C	A	B	C	A	B	A
Longnose Gar	F	F	F	D	D	D	B	C	A	B	C	A	A
Channel Catfish	F	F	F	D	D	D	B	C	A	B	C	A	A
Largemouth Bass	E	E	E	C	B	A	D	D	D	C	C	C	B
Smallmouth Bass	E	E	E	B	A	C	D	D	D	C	C	C	B
Steelhead Trout	E	E	E	A	C	B	D	D	D	C	C	C	B

Fishing Tips

Environmental conditions play a decisive role when fishing:

Fish are less likely to see your bait in poor weather, it makes more sense to wait until the sky is clear.
Larger fish and rarer species can only be caught using special lures. These can be purchased at the Bait and Tackle shop in Lagras.

Fish Species

Small fish are of overall low value, are available in any body of water, and are attracted by food-based bait. These include: redfin pickerel, perch, bullhead catfish, chain pickerel, rock bass, and bluegill. Bigger fish are harder to catch, requiring you to not only set up in specific habitats, but also to use particular lures and take weather conditions into account.

The following table presents the important parameters you will need to consider while fishing. This includes an effectiveness rating for each bait/lure per species, from A (most effective) to F (least effective).

Fish Overview

Species	Habitat				Lure/Bait	Weight (lbs)	Sell Price
Species	North Region	South Region	Swamp Region	Preferred Weather	Lure/Bait	Weight (lbs)	Sell Price
Redfin Pickerel		Rivers			Bread	0.5 - 2.0	1.00
Perch	Lakes, rivers				Bread	0.5 - 2.0	1.00
Bullhead Catfish			Swamps		Corn	0.5 - 2.0	0.75
Chain Pickerel	Lakes	Rivers	Swamps		Corn	0.5 - 2.0	1.00
Rock Bass	Lakes	Lakes			Cheese	0.5 - 2.0	1.00
Bluegill	Lakes, rivers	Lakes, rivers	Swamps		Cheese	0.5 - 2.0	0.75
Muskie	Lakes			Sunny	Lake Lure	14.0 - 20.0	7.25
Lake Sturgeon		Lakes	Swamps	Overcast	Lake Lure	14.0 - 20.0	7.25
Northern Pike	Rivers			Sunny	River Lure	14.0 - 20.0	8.00
Sockeye Salmon	Rivers			Sunny	River Lure	4.0 - 6.0	2.50
Longnose Gar			Swamps	Overcast	Swamp Lure	14.0 - 20.0	5.00
Channel Catfish			Swamps	Overcast	Swamp Lure	14.0 - 20.0	5.00
Largemouth Bass		Lakes, rivers	Swamps	Rain	Crayfish	4.0 - 6.0	2.00
Smallmouth Bass	Rivers	Rivers		Rain	Crickets	4.0 - 6.0	2.00
Steelhead Trout	Lakes, rivers	Lakes, rivers		Rain	Worms	4.0 - 6.0	2.50