Fishing locations and bait: current species route planner

Fishing is easier to plan when the water is treated as a zone rather than as a decorative landmark. A pool can share common catches with another area while also having one species or rare variant tied to its own conditions. The useful question is therefore not simply "where can I cast?" It is "which water zone matches the catch I need, and what must I equip before I travel there?"

This guide covers the current fishing route from safe facility water to later portal and sector zones. It does not promise a catch on a fixed number of casts. The official fishing reference notes that zone weights, bait, time, and other modifiers interact, and not every part of that calculation is documented.

Fishing route at a glance

The diagram is a decision aid based on the current official Fishing and Bait references. It is not a scale map and does not represent travel distance.

What is required before the first cast

A Fishing Rod or Insulated Rod is required. Bait is not required for an ordinary catch. This distinction matters because an old route that says the rod cannot be used without bait sends a new player into an unnecessary crafting loop. A first catch can unlock the matching bait recipe, after which that bait increases the chance of the associated fish and enables its rare variant.

To start the minigame, cast into a body of water and wait for a silhouette to approach the bobber. When the fish pulls, move in the opposite direction until it tires. Reel during the tired phase. Repeat until the catch reaches you. Keep the bobber in view throughout the sequence. The official Fishing page warns that losing sight of it snaps the line immediately, so pillars, fountain features, railings, and sharp shoreline corners can cause a failure even when the directional inputs were correct.

Use the reload key, R by default, to open the bait wheel. Hover over the bait and release the key to attach it. Do not spend target bait while merely testing whether a new pool is fishable. Save it for a species or rare variant that is part of the trip objective.

Zone and target table

This table selects route-defining zones from the current official Fishing reference. It is intended for trip planning rather than as a claim that every possible body of water has been individually mapped.

The official list also documents other fishing zones and newer catches. Check the linked Fishing reference before a version-sensitive completion run. This page deliberately avoids copying undocumented probabilities into the table. Two common catches have progression conditions even where the zone table lists them: the current fish list places Portal Fish after completing Far Garden and IS-0098 after entering Cascade Laboratories. A missing catch before those milestones does not by itself mean the water or bait is wrong.

Choose the trip by outcome

First-catch and bait-unlock trip

Use safe water and start without bait. The objective is to land one species, not to fill food storage. After the catch, check the crafting menu for its bait recipe. Move to another zone when repeated casts produce the same target pool. This route builds future targeting options while using little bait.

Rare-variant trip

Bring the matching bait and enough durability for repeated attempts. The current Fishing reference lists rare variants for the targets in this table, but its Rudd Fish row has no listed rare variant; do not assume every species has one. Matching bait, or the documented equipment substitute for Chordfish and Inkfish, is required to catch a rare fish. A rare specimen produces more resources when butchered at a Chef's Counter. That makes the Chef's Counter part of the route: reserve inventory space and decide where the catch will be processed before entering a hazardous portal world.

Chordfish and Inkfish are special cases. The Fog Lantern and Night Helmet act as their bait respectively. If either species is the objective, an ordinary bait stack does not replace the required equipment.

Food or repeat-resource trip

Return to a known, safe pool rather than chasing a rare zone by name. Matching bait improves targeting, but the route still needs a clear stop condition. A useful stop condition is an inventory limit, rod durability threshold, or meal batch size. It is safer than assuming a fixed number of casts because fishing can also produce junk and the documented catch weights vary by zone.

Gutfish Eel trip

Do not treat Canaan's eel water like another pond. Fishing Gutfish Eels with a normal Fishing Rod causes electricity damage. The Insulated Rod prevents that damage. If the correct rod is unavailable, postpone the target rather than trying to compensate with healing items during the minigame.

Skill checkpoints that change the route

Fishing skill adds practical route tools. At level 3, visible bubbling hotspots can be identified. Casting into one guarantees a fish instead of junk, although the hotspot has limited uses. At level 5, the Tacklebox becomes available; its buff makes fish tire faster when the player sits on it. At level 10, the Lucky Fishing Hat and Mud Waders unlock. The hat supports Fishing experience and rare fish attempts. The Mud Waders do the opposite of a normal fish trip by making the player catch only junk, so check equipment before assuming a pool is broken.

These checkpoints change efficiency, not zone eligibility. A new player can still make ordinary catches before level 3. The later unlocks should improve a route that already works rather than serve as prerequisites for the system.

Failure diagnosis

Change one variable between attempts. Switching the water, bait, time, and gear all at once makes it impossible to know which requirement fixed the route.

A practical trip checklist

1. Name one target species or decide that the trip is for bait discovery.
2. Match that target to a documented water zone.
3. Confirm whether it needs ordinary bait, special equipment, or the Insulated Rod.
4. Choose an open casting point where the bobber will remain visible.
5. Set a durability, inventory, or time-based stop condition.
6. Keep the catch until it can be butchered at a Chef's Counter if its materials are the goal.
7. Record the zone and equipment that worked before the next visit.

The checklist is the original value added by this page. The official wiki holds the changing species weights and item data; this guide turns those facts into a repeatable route while avoiding unsupported guarantees.

Related guides

• Fishing rod and bait workflow
• Food buff loadouts by activity
• Canaan first-clear route
• Hydroplant walkthrough