Fishing is here! With this latest and greatest Anniversary Update, one of the most requested features from the community has been added to the Sea of Thieves!

Here we hope to provide everything you’ll need to know to get started on your new favorite hobby. We will begin by covering the basics of fishing. However, we’ll then share several tantalizing tricks of the trade.

The Basics

Equipping Your Fishing Rod and Bait

You will now find a fishing rod in your inventory which can be used almost anywhere.

To use the fishing rod, go to your Item Radial, hit “more” to get to the second group of inventory, then select the fishing rod from the bottom.

If you’d like to use bait, first get out your fishing rod. Then, with your fishing rod equipped, hold the Left Bumper—or however you pull up your item radial menu—again, but this time there will be a prompt for accessing your bait radial (B on Xbox).

More about Bait

Where do you Find Bait?

Bait can be found all throughout the Sea of Thieves in resource barrels. This includes barrels you find in shipwrecks.

Not finding the bait you want in barrels? Great news! As of July 2019, you can now dig for bait! Even better, you can search for a particular type of bait based on where you dig.

Leeches seem drawn to the water. They are best found by digging as close to the water line as possible.

Grubs appear to enjoy the warm sand. Just be sure you’re at least little further back from where you might find leeches.

Earthworms tend to nestle themselves beneath the grass.

How Much Bait can you Hold?

Bait can be found all throughout the Sea of Thieves in resource barrels. As you collect, bear in mind, you can hold up to 10 pieces of bait at a time in your item radial menu.

You can also “hold” an additional piece of bait by equipping it to your fishing rod. Two features of fishing make this possible.

First, when you place a piece of bait on your fishing rod it is removed from your inventory. So, you have a spot open to take another piece of bait from your stockpile.

Second, if you’ve placed a piece of bait on your rod—but you have not used it—when you put your fishing rod away, the bait remains on the rod. So, you can safely set down your fishing rod to pick up another piece of bait.

Thus, in practical terms, you could set out to fish with 11 pieces of bait. These 11 pieces of bait will be made up of the following three types: earthworms, grubs, and leeches.

Which Type of Bait Should You Use?

This depends on the fish you seek, and the area you are in.

As you can see in the images above, if you locate your bait in your radial menu, you’ll see a brief description under each bait. This description will tell you which fish the bait is more likely to lure.

However, whether you should use a particular bait depends not only on the fish you hope to catch, but also where you are in the Sea of Thieves.

To find a bit more information on what to use when (or rather where), press start and navigate to your reputation tab. There you should see a new trading company: The Hunter’s Call. If you click on this new trading company you will see a page full of fish!

Each fish has a little description. This description not only tells you which bait the fish likes to eat, but also lets you know where the fish might be found.

But first, let’s fish!

How to Fish in the Sea of Thieves

Getting a Bite

To cast your line, hold down the Right Trigger. The longer you hold down the trigger, the farther your cast will be.

Once your line is in the water, it’s time to wait for a fish to bite! It won’t take long, however, before you see an interested fish circle your line.

If you can identify the interested fish—and it is not one you are trying to catch—you can quickly reel in your line to prevent losing any bait you might have added to the hook.

If this fish is one you would like to catch, then let it bite!

Fish Combat

Once you’ve gotten a fish to bite, you may be tempted to reel it in immediately! However, as we’ve mentioned, it is best not to reel when you see lots of splashes—you’ll risk losing the fish. Instead, combat that scalawag of a fish until you force it to yield (go limp). Then, reel it in!

To fight the fish, pull the fishing rod in opposite direction the fish is trying to take the line.

If the fish pulls to the left, pull the rod to the right.

If the fish pulls to the right, pull the rod to the left.

If the fish pulls the line straight out, then pull the rod straight back.

You can reel in a bit while it’s still fighting, but—again—if you do this too much, you risk breaking the line.

When the fish tires, it will stop splashing, and you’ll see your fishing line go slack. This is your chance! Reel it in!

To reel in your fish, hold down the Right Trigger. We’ll need to test this a bit more formally, but fish also seem to reel in a bit faster if you pull back on the fishing rod as you reel.

If the fish starts to wriggle again, stop reeling and fight the fish by pulling the line in the opposite direction.

Do this several times, and the fish will be yours!

Fishing Indicators

So, the key to fishing is knowing when and how to pull on the line and when you should reel it on in. Luckily, there are several indicators to help you out.

Sight

There are a few visual cues to let you know if your fish is fighting or all tuckered out. You will know if the fish is fighting you because it will splash as it wriggles to and fro. You will know if the fish has lost its will to fight—if only momentarily—because your fishing line will go slack.

Visual cues are surely helpful, but they demand quite a bit more attention than some other cues. For instance, sometimes if the water is particularly choppy—or if you are fishing in a storm—the splashing can be a bit difficult to differentiate from the water’s general tumult.

As for the slackening line, the difference between a taught line and a slack line is a bit subtle. If you are focused on that line, you’ll very likely see it. But, let your focus slip, and you might miss an opportunity to reel in that fish.

Sound

If your volume is a little low, you might try turning it up a bit for fishing. Even if you can’t see the fish splashing from behind a crashing wave, you’ll likely be able to hear it.

Naturally, this is not a fool proof indication either. If a meg or a skeleton ship pull up, their attending music might drown out your fish. If a crew member or alliance is turning in loot, the little ditties might briefly silence your environment.

Luckily, there is yet another indicator.

Touch

If have you haptics turned on, this is even easier! You’ll feel the controller rumble each time the fish struggles against the line. This touch cue takes far less concentration than the visual cues, and it is not as likely to face interference from other in-game cues.

The tactile cues also give you a bit more information. The visual cues and the sound cues only tell you whether the fish is fighting or still. The tactile cues have the additional benefit of letting you know whether you are pulling in the correct direction.

If you are pulling in the correct direction (directly opposite your fish), you will not experience any rumble. When the fish decides to change direction, you will feel a rumble letting you know you need to change your pull.

You might be wondering, “Don’t the visual cues tell you if the fish changes direction? After all, you can see the fish change direction.” Ah, your fish’s path might not be as it seems.

Sometimes, the fish appears to be changing direction, but it actually has not yet begun to fight in that direction. Allow me to explain.

Let’s say your fish is fighting to swim right and you are correctly pulling left. Visually, you might see the fish begin to drift left. Is it simply not swimming as hard to the right and thus being pulled by you? Is it actually heading to the left?

If you are only using visual cues, you might not know. If you are using the haptics as well, you can wait until you feel the controller rumble. This means less guess work and less adjustments to the whims of the fish.

There is one possible drawback to relying too heavily on haptics. The controller is still when you are pulling in the correct direction away from the fish. The controller is also still when your fish goes limp. If you are not paying attention to visual or sound cues, you’ll likely miss an opportunity to reel in your prize.

Types of Fish

There are 50 different fish in the Sea of Thieves. Ten different types with five colors each. Plus, glowing and Trophy versions of each—bringing the total to 150 fish!

Fish can be found in different places across the world. So if you keep getting the same type of fish you might need to move to another region. The descriptions below should help you find the fish you seek.

Splashtails

Splashtails are not hard to find. They can be found swimming in any body of water, and they do not need bait. These bright beauties are the most common fish in the Sea of Thieves!

If you are trying to catch a specific fish—but you don’t use bait—be prepared to get a Splashtail. Even if you do use bait for a specific fish, you might still get a Splashtail.

You can find Splashtails in the following array of colors: Ruby, Seafoam, Sunny, Indigo, and Umber.

Pondies

Pondies are freshwater fish. They can only be found in ponds. For example, the pond in front of the Devil’s Ridge waterfall is a prime location for Pondies.

Pondies do not need bait to be caught, but they can be a tricky at times.

Ponds are a wee bit small for the rambunctious efforts of your fish. If the pond is too small—or you cast your line too close to one of the sides—then, in the course of your fish’s thrashing, it might run into the side of the pond. This could sever the fishing line, allowing the fish to swim free!

Pondies take the following forms: Charcoal, Moonsky, Orchid, Bronze, and Bright.

Islehoppers

Islehoppers will not be found swimming in vast expanses of open sea. These fish swim only in close proximity to an island. You do not need bait for these fish either.

The five forms of the Islehopper are: Amethyst, Honey, Moss, Stone, Raven.

Plentifins

Plentifins might be plentiful, but only in The Shores of Plenty. You will need to use some bait to lure in these fish. These little wrigglers have a taste for earthworms.

The Plentifins go by the following names: Olive, Amber, Watery, Cloudy, and Bonedust!

Wildsplashes

Wildsplashes dart about in The Wilds. Just like Plentifins, these Wildsplashes will wait for a line dangling bait. Also just like Plentifins, the bait they seek is earthworms.

These wild wrigglers show up in these five colors: Russet, Coral, Sandy, Ocean, and Muddy.

Ancientscales

Ancientscales stick to The Ancient Isles. For these too, you will need some bait. However, these fish prefer leeches.

Ancientscales will be among these five color palettes: Almond, Sapphire, Starshine, Smoke, and Bone.

Devilfish

Devilfish swim amongst themselves in the Devil’s Roar. While it is not necessary to fish these devilish creatures out of boiling water, you will need grubs to lure them to the surface.

Devilfish will take one of these five forms: Ashen, Firelight, Seashell, Lava, and Forsaken.

Battlegills

Battlegills swim around Skeleton Ships and active Skull Forts. While you might be a bit distracted—fending off skeletons and perhaps other crews—be sure you don’t forget the grubs!

A Battlegill’s scale shield will display one of these colors: Jade, Bittersweet, Sky, Rum, and Sand.

Wreckers

Wreckers only swim around Shipwrecks. You can fish from your ship, fish from your rowboat, or you can find a perch on the last remaining bit of a shipwreck peaking out of the water. Wherever you settle, before you cast your line, be sure to add on a few earthworms.

Wreckers, too, have five color variations—but each comes with a glowing cherry on top: Rose, Moon, Sun, Blackcloud, and Snow.

Blackcloud Wreckers can be tricky to catch in particular as you must fish for them around Shipwrecks in a storm. If you need some help with these fish, you can always use your handy Storm Tracker to watch where the storm is heading. You can then try to find a shipwreck in its path!

Stormfish

Stormfish only swim about in storms. They love more than lightning and thunder, though. They’re fond of leeches, too.

The Stormfish comes in five varieties like the others. Two of which are: Twilight and Shadow.

The other three names harken to the three original map regions: Ancient, Shore, and Wild. Thus far, it seems these are—quite predictably—found more often in their corresponding regions.

Rare Fish

As mentioned above, each type of fish has five colors. Some of those colors are considered quite rare. Delivering a rare colored fish to The Hunter’s Call will unlock an achievement: “A Rare Delicacy.”

The rarest fish for each type are:

• Splashtails: Umber
• Podies: Bright
• Islehoppers: Honey
• Plentifins: Bonedust
• Wildsplashes: Muddy
• Ancientscales: Bone
• Devilfish: Forsaken
• Battlegills: Sand
• Wreckers: Snow
• Stormfish: Shadow

If you happen to forget, there is a quick way to refresh your memory. Hit “start” and scroll on over to your reputation tab. Open up The Hunter’s Call and find the fish whose color you can’t remember. When you click on the fish, you’ll see its 5 colors. The fish listed 4th is the Rare color with the exception of the Wreckers.

The “Market Price” of Fish

Speaking of fish values, we plan to provide values for every fish as soon as we’re reasonably certain they’ve been verified. However, we at least want you to know which fish you should not be eating, unless you want to forfeit a pretty penny.

The highest earners are: Sand Battlegills, Shadow Stormfish, and Snow Wreckers. Each of these will earn 1,875. Their Trophy versions will earn you 4,690.

The next highest earners are: Bone Ancientscales, Bonedust Plentifins, Forsaken Devilfish, Muddy Wildsplashes. These are rumored to earn you 1,500. Their Trophy versions supposedly earn 4,000.

Luminescent Fish

Try fishing by moonlight, and you might just catch one of these glowing beauties! Thus far, these fish only differ from their daytime versions in appearance. During the day, these fish look like any other fish. At night, they light up!

Nothing seems to change about the fish when it begins to glow. The name on the fish remains the same. The gold earned when sold remains the same. The health obtained when eaten remains the same.

However, it would be incorrect to assume that these fish just happen to have a “light brite” look about them after the sun sets. No, we know the game does distinguish these fish as a different type because there is a “Night Bite” achievement for delivering a “Luminescent Fish” to The Hunter’s Call.

So, while there does not yet seem to be a difference between non-luminescent and luminescent fish in terms of game mechanics, that could change in the future.

Catching luminescent fish could be worth more during an event. Eating a luminescent fish could provide special abilities. Feel free to let your imaginations run amok in the comments below!

Here are your glowing fish for each fish type:

• Splashtails: Seafoam
• Podies: Moonsky
• Islehoppers: Amethyst
• Plentifins: Watery
• Wildsplashes: Coral
• Ancientscales: Starshine
• Devilfish: Firelight
• Battlegills: Bittersweet
• Wreckers: Moon
• Stormfish: Twilight

As with the rare-colored fish—if you happen to forget, which ones glow, you can always look it up in the game. On the same screen where you found the rare colored fish listed 4th, you’ll see the luminescent fish listed 5th.

Trophy Fish

Every so often, you’ll find that you reel in a Trophy Fish. Trophy fish are not a separate type of fish in the same manner as the types listed above. Rather, Trophy Fish are much larger versions of the types listed above.

If you’d like to turn your fish into The Hunter’s Call trading company, Trophy Fish will earn you quite a bit more gold. If you’d like to eat your fish, a Trophy Fish will provide you with far more health.

There’s no special bait or manner of fishing that lures in a Trophy Fish. Catching a Trophy Fish is simply a game of chance.

Fish at night, and you just might be lucky enough to find a fish that is both luminescent and a Trophy!

Great Places to Find Fish!

Yes, the section above covered where you might find specific fish. However, there’s more to know about finding your favorite fishing spots.

Avoiding Skellies

Nothing can ruin a nice day of fishing like pesky skellies forcing you to abandon your line to fight them off. Luckily, there are a few places in the Sea of Thieves where you can find a bit of peace: inactive skeleton forts, seaposts, and outposts.

Inactive skeleton posts are likely your best bet, if you would also like to avoid running into other crews.

Speaking of which: skeleton forts are great places to find Pondies! Most forts have a little pond somewhere on the island, and—as long as it is not an active fort—it is unlikely that skeletons will spawn there and interrupt your fishing.

Seaposts are nice little spots because you can quickly cook your catch on your ship and turn them in to the Hunter’s Call.

If you’re on an island with pesky skeletons, but you’re bound and determined to fish, you can also simply wade out into the water beyond the reach of the skeletons and fish there. You’ll simply need to watch for sharks…

You can also always use your trusty rowboat. Row out into the middle of the sea. Maybe sing a few shanties, and crack open a grog while you’re at it.

Shipwrecks: Foraging for Fish

If you are struggling to find some kinds of fish it might be worth checking shipwrecks. Shipwrecks can be an absolute cornucopia of fish, from all over the Sea of Thieves—regardless of where the shipwreck is located!

Shipwrecks are also great spots to find kraken and megalodon meat, while mercifully sparing your ship the damage of fighting the beasts.

Cooking

You will want to cook your fish. First, as with all the new meat in the game, if you consume raw meats, you might get sick. Second, a cooked fish will give you more health than a raw fish.

Third—if you turn in your fish to the Hunter’s Call trading company—a cooked fish will net you far more gold than a raw fish. But, careful not to burn your fish! Burning your fish will mean far less sustenance and far less gold.

You can cook your fish in the skillet on board your ship. You can also cook your fish at any one of the many cook fires now found on the islands. You might not want to leave your cooking fish unattended. You’ll need to watch your fish to see when it has cooked.

Cooking Non-Trophy Fish

Around the 30-second mark, the fish will begin to change color to a pale tan—as though its colorful life has been drained from its once bright glittering scales…

Ahem. Don’t remove the fish just yet! If it’s only a pale tan-ish color, it’s still not cooked. Wait until the fish turns a deliciously golden brown. This should happen around the 40-second mark.

You have a bit of time after the fish cooks before it burns. Your fish will change color yet again—this time to a blackened hue—around one minute and 20 seconds.

The Sky Battlegill is a nice bright fish, which shows this change well. Sorry little buddy…

Click on each of the gallery images to get a good idea of each phase: raw, underdone and colorless, and cooked.

Cooking Trophy Fish

Trophy Fish take awhile longer to cook, but they are more than worth it for the gold!

Trophy Fish start to lose their bright colors around a minute and fifteen seconds—but remember—this does not mean they’re cooked! You’ll need to wait a bit longer until they turn that nice golden brown; this should happen around one minute and thirty-five seconds.

Selling Fish versus Cooking Fish

Selling Your Fish

You can sell your fish to any member of the Hunter’s Call trading company; you can find such a member at any Seapost.

As mentioned above, cooked food is worth more than raw, but burnt is worth less than raw. So, watch your fish!

Selling your fish to the Hunter’s Call will earn you gold, commendations, and achievements. Plus, you will increase your reputation in the Hunter’s Call.

This might be particularly appealing if you have not yet reached Pirate Legend. To reach Pirate Legend, you only need to reach level 50 in three of the four trading companies. So, if you’d rather fish than chase chickens, increasing your reputation might be well worth forgoing the sustenance.

Eating Your Fish

If you’d rather eat your fish than sell it, there are some great benefits. Eating raw fish will give you far less health, and you risk getting sick.

Eating cooked fish will give you the most health. In fact, eating cooked fish could provide you with some reserve health!

If you lose a bit of health—but your health then does not take any further damage for several seconds (typically 8–10 seconds) —your reserve health will replenish your health bar.

There are more than a few instances in which this might come in handy.

For example, let’s say you’re battling some skellies. You take a few hits from their sword, but then you make a run for it.

If you have reserve health from eating cooked meat—and if your run gives you a respite from their swords and guns for long enough—you won’t need to cronch on any fruit to get your health back up. Your reserve health will replenish your health bar.

There’s another time cooked meat might be a wise choice: before an epic battle with Meg, the Kraken, or Skeleton Ships! Damage in these fights tends to be a bit more spaced out, giving your reserve health time to bring you back to a full health bar!

Let’s say you’re battling a Skeleton Ship. As the ship takes fire, you take a bit of damage. It’s not a mortal wound—but the next blow might be—if you don’t replenish your health.

Arrr! But, you have the Skellie Ship right where you want it. You don’t want to miss taking these shots because you got off the cannon to eat a banana.

Well, if you ate some cooked meat before the start of the fight, you’ll have some reserve health. It’s a bit daring, but if you manage to not take any more damage for those precious seconds, your health bar will slowly refill while you continue to blast those skellies!

Do take note: you cannot sell half of a fish—or any type of meat for that matter. So, once you’ve decided to use one for health… eat up!

Answer the Hunter’s Call!

There you have it! Plenty of information to get you started, make the most of your fishing time, and help you use your catch wisely!

There will surely be more to uncover about the Sea of Thieves’ new favorite hobby. So, if you find any good tips yourself, be sure to leave a comment below!