Fishing, from first cast to full museum
How rods, cast range, bait, shadow sizes and water types work, plus a routine for filling the fish museum.
The short answer
Fishing works by casting into water and reeling in whatever shadow bites. Rods control cast range, bait summons a specific rarity of shadow, and each water type holds a different catch list. Any catch costs 12 stamina regardless of size, so stamina management matters more than precision.
The gear: rods and cast range
Rods are bought at Tackle Shop on the beach. Each upgrade extends how far you can cast, which matters because bigger fish tend to sit further out:
| Rod | Cost | Cast range |
|---|---|---|
| Worn Fishing Rod | 500g | 6 |
| Copper Fishing Rod | 1,000g | 8 |
| Iron Fishing Rod | 2,000g | 10 |
| Silver Fishing Rod | 3,000g | 12 |
| Gold Fishing Rod | 4,000g | 14 |
| Mistril Fishing Rod | 5,000g | 16 |
Rod tiers at the shop are gated by fishing skill level as well as gold. The fish page shows every catchable fish with its conditions, and the fishing planner filters by season, water and weather.
How a catch works
Casting into water produces a small, medium, large or giant shadow. Each size draws from a different part of the water’s catch table. Shadow size belongs to the fishing spot, while water type controls the catch list. A beach spot may produce mostly small shadows while a river spot produces large ones. Giant shadows are always the rarest.
Every catch costs 12 stamina, regardless of size. A full stamina bar covers roughly ten casts, so bring food or cook before a long fishing session.
Two more rules shape the routine:
- Water type matters more than location. River, pond, ocean and mine water each have their own catch list. The same season in a river and a pond gives different fish.
- Bait forces the shadow’s rarity. Common Fish Bait (50g) summons a common shadow, Uncommon Fish Bait (100g) an uncommon one, and Rare Fish Bait (150g) a rare one. Bait is how you target the fish you actually need instead of waiting on the pool.
Bait: the targeting tool
Use bait when you need a specific fish for a museum set. Rare bait, matched with the correct water and season, narrows the search to rare fish. The four legendary fish do not require bait; each needs the Legendary perk and its own water, season and weather conditions. The legendary fish guide covers them in detail.
Common bait is also used by fish traps, which passively catch fish while you do something else (diving and traps guide).
Useful fishing perks
Catch of the Day and the reeling perks make catches easier, while Perfect Catch rewards clean timing. Treasure perks raise the chance of chests and relics in the catch pool. The skills page shows the full tree and its tiers. You must have Legendary before the four legendary fish can appear, even in the correct weather.
Diving and the beach economy
Besides casting, the beach and rivers have dive spots that you can pick up free of stamina cost. Dive spots yield shells, seaweed and sometimes artifacts, and they are the only source of a few museum items. The diving guide covers where they appear and what they drop.
A week-one fishing routine
- Buy the worn rod early. A day of river fishing can cover its price.
- Fish the town river in spring. Common fish such as Chub and Perch sell for 40-45g each and keep the shipping box full.
- Bank every new fish once for the museum before selling duplicates; the fish wing is one of the fastest museum sets to complete (museum guide).
- Save rare fish for museum sets or requests. A rare fish in the right set pays more as a reward than it does in the bin.