Fishing

The subject of this article is from the Aquarius update.
The information from this article is up-to-date as of 22 October, 2024.

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A player fishing in a lush biome

Fishing is a resource gathering method.

Summary

Fishing is an activity the player can engage in, using one of the Angling Equipment Multi-tool upgrades. It was added with the Aquarius update, as the method for gathering the newly introduced Fish and Collected Flotsam resources.

It is also the central theme of the related Aquarius Expedition.

Fishing Equipment

There is a range of fishing equipment available:

• Fishing Rig - Required for fishing.
• Lost Angler's Rig - Fishing rig with different cosmetics.
• Exo-Skiff - Creates a static platform for fishing, and has a cold storage.
• Automated Trap - Automatic fish trap.

Catching Fish

Catching a Blind Titancore after falling into water.

One of the Rigs installed on the Multi-Tool, and a body of water are required. Once these requirements are met:

• Select the rig with //, then aim your crosshairs at the nearby water and press // to cast your line into it.

• With your line in the water, it will attract three translucent white fish.

• One fish will approach your line and start nibbling on it. Eventually the colour of the line will change and it will go taut.

• If you press and hold // when the line is green, you will catch a fish, which will be added to your inventory.

• If you press and hold // when the line is white or yellow, you will reel the line back in and will not catch any fish.

Releasing early will reel in without any fish. A brief press will bob the line in the water, without reeling it in.

• You can press // at any time to reel the line back in.

Fishing Mechanics

A fish with specific requirements for catching.

There are a variety of systems at play that can influence what kind of fish can be caught. Some aren't clearly explained by the game. Using the guidelines below, it should be possible to at least guarantee what fish you will catch by size, biome, and conditions.

Fishing Conditions

Some fishes can only be caught under certain conditions:

• During the day or night.
• During Storms.
• Within certain Biomes.

Due to biome weather and storms, high level hazard protection and resources for recharging are highly recommended for catching some fishes.

Some baits can increase your chances of catching fish under specific conditions.

Water Depth

Water depth determines what size of fish can be caught. All fishes (except for The Angler) are described as being either small, medium-sized, large, or colossal. The deeper the water, the higher the chance of catching larger fishes. Water too shallow prevents the largest fishes being caught, and vice versa.

When casting your line, if the bottom left of your HUD is displayed, it will show the depth of water the line has been cast into.

The Three Fish

A colossal fish about to nibble the line.

The three translucent fish that can be seen when fishing indicate what size of fish can be caught, they are distinct from any nearby aquatic fauna. It can be hard to tell, but the small, medium, large and colossal fish are all visually distinct by relative size.

Catching a desired fish size:

• If you recast your line after the fish have appeared, you can generate a new trio of fish. Doing this before they nibble saves losing any bait.
• There are always three fish, and they will either all be the same size, or two smaller, and one larger.
• If they are mixed, they will always be two small fish and one medium, or two large and one colossal.
• If there is a mix of sizes, the larger fish will always be caught.

Bait Box

Solanium added to the Bait Box

The Bait Box can be accessed by navigating to the Multi-tool inventory and selecting the installed Rig, or from the Quick Menu (//) 'Utilities' then 'Access Bait Box'.

When an item is applied to the bait box, a tooltip below the added item will show the increased chances of catching bigger fish, rarer fish, or fish that can only be caught under certain fishing conditions. As soon as a fish starts nibbling on the line, one piece of bait will be removed from your bait box. If you reel your line in before this happens, no bait will be lost.

Crafted Fishing Bait, caught fish, and any cooking ingredients or Edible Products can be used as bait. You will learn the blueprints of crafted baits as soon as you get the Fishing Rig blueprint.

See Bait for more detailed information, and a list of items that can be added to the Bait Box.

Fishes

Fishes vary in rarity, ranging from common, uncommon, and rare, to legendary.

When you catch individual fish, their size is recorded in kilograms (kg). The size in kg of a fish has no effect on its value or use, but the highest values for each of the fishes caught will be recorded in the player's Catalogue.

You can also collect Assorted Flotsam. Some flotsam can only be sold for 500 units, but some may have other uses, such as Message in a Bottle or Rusted Technology.

See Fish for further information, and a list of fishes.

Tips

• Fishing on top of a Starship (requires an Aqua-Jets for water landing) is a better choice than standing on an Exo-Skiff, as the skiff becomes highly unstable during extreme climates and the skiff does not offer protections from unwanted climates.
• Catching rare fishes is an effective method to earn money, as rarer fish provides more money when being sold on the Galactic Trade Terminal.
• Catching rare fishes also provides more healthy foods when being cooked through the Nutrient Processor.
• Anomalous and Dead planets will not have water. If players are struggling to find water on any normal planet, they should try leaving the planet & going to the opposite side of the planet; where they should find an abundance of it.

Additional Information

• What you have caught in the past, and their highest recorded values, can be tracked in the Catalogue under the Fishing Records tab of the Wonders section.
• Fishing difficulty can be changed in the game, at the easiest setting you don't need to add any input to catch a fish, other than casting your line into water.

Release History

• Aquarius - Added as a new resource gathering activity.

Gallery

• 
  Iced Screams being added as bait.
• 
  Fishing Records with Lush biome completed.