How to fish in Ark: Survival Ascended

Fishing is a great way to secure loot in Ark: Survival Ascended, but it’s not always an easy task and requires particular items.

The rivers and seas are full of life in Ark, ranging from small fish to the large Basilosaurus, and can provide a great source of food—as well as decent loot items like saddles, resources, and more if you take to fishing.

You won’t be able to cast your rod immediately, however, and some of the items required for fishing in Ark will take some effort to obtain.

All items required to fish in Ark: Survival Ascended

Fishing in Ark: Survival Ascended requires multiple items, the first of which, unsurprisingly, is the fishing rod. You can unlock the Engram for the fishing rod at level 15, though the Bow (level 10) must also be unlocked before you can craft a rod. The fishing rod can be crafted with 50 fiber, 20 thatch, and 20 wood within the crafting tab of the player inventory.

However, you can’t just start finishing after getting the rod, as you also need a chair or a bench to sit on and bait to attach to your rod.

Sap is the easiest bait to obtain, but only attracts Coelacanth. Leech Blood and Giant Bee Honey, on the other hand, can be used to attract Coelacanth, Piranhas and Sabertooth Salmon—all three fish types in Ark: Survival Ascended.

Sap is obtained by using a Tree Sap Tap on a Redwood tree, Leech Blood can be collected by harvesting Leeches or Diseased Leeches in the Swamp, while Giant Bee Honey can be collected from Giant Bee Hives.

While Sap does not spoil in Ark: Survival Ascended, Giant Bee Honey lasts only 20 minutes in a player inventory, so should be used quickly or stored in a Preserving Bin or Refrigerator. Leech Blood has a three-hour spoil time in player inventory.

How to fish in Ark: Survival Ascended

Once you have gathered all the required items, find a body of water that has plenty of visible fish in it. Usually, a quick peek beneath the surface will be enough—this is also useful for pulling the aggressive Piranhas closer to you.

Place your chair and bench facing the water, drag the bait onto your fishing rod, and sit down. Cast your rod towards the water in the same way you’d equip any item from your hotbar and wait for a fish to latch on.

Once a fish bites, you will enter a quick time event and must press all the keys or buttons that appear on your screen—larger fish will require more buttons to be pressed and are, therefore, slightly harder to catch.

Failing to press the right button or running out of time will result in the fish escaping and your bait being consumed. If successful, items will appear in your inventory, and a message will show on the screen informing you the fish has been caught.