Casting and reeling
- Hold to charge your cast and release. A perfect cast gives you a better start.
- When a fish bites, a reeling bar appears. Keep the fish inside your moving bar until the progress meter fills. Better rods have a bigger bar, which makes hard fish much easier.
- Shaking (clicking or tapping when prompted) speeds up the bite on many rods.
Rod progression
A common path at the time of writing:
| Stage | Rod | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Start | Flimsy Rod | Starter rod. Skip the Training Rod |
| Early | Fungal Rod | Quest at Mushgrove: catch an Alligator |
| Early–mid | Carbon Rod / Arctic Rod | Arctic is at Northern Summit and helps with Frozen mutations |
| Mid | Trident Rod / Sunken Rod | Trident's Temple puzzle; Sunken Rod from sunken chests |
| Late | Rod of the Depths | Deep-ocean endgame rod |
| Endgame | Kraken and venue rods | Kraken content and the Underground Music Venue quests |
Requirements and stats change between updates, so double-check with the NPCs in game.
Making money early
- Sell regularly at the merchant on the starting island.
- Fish spots with a higher-value fish pool once your rod can handle them.
- Complete bestiary entries and quests; many pay out more than plain selling.
Beginner tips
- Don't waste money on the Training Rod. Save for a real upgrade.
- Buy bait that matches the fish you want.
- Use boosts from codes when you go after quest fish.
- Explore. Many of the best rods are hidden behind quests, not in shops.