7 Sea of Thieves Fishing tips and tricks

There are three types of players in Sea of Thieves: PvE players, PvP players, and players who fish. If you want to join the latter group, here are seven tips and tricks to get you started with fishing in Sea of Thieves.

Best Fishing tips in Sea of Thieves

Master the basics

Learning and mastering the basics of fishing is the first step to becoming a great fisherman in Sea of Thieves. Use the tool wheel to equip a Fishing Rod and cast it into the sea. When the fish bites, you must tire it out before reeling in.

The fish can start fleeing in one of three directions: front, left, or right. To keep it hooked, pull the Rod in the opposite direction. Do this until the fish stops moving and reel it in. An average fish usually takes around three or four “fights” to catch.

You don’t need bait to catch fish

Sea of Thieves has multiple types of Bait for fishing: Earthworms, Leeches, and Grubs. You can get them by digging sand on islands with a Shovel or buying a Bait Crate. However, you don’t need any Bait to start fishing and catch the most basic fish. Simply cast your Rod into the ocean and wait until something bites.

Know what you’re fishing for

While you can catch Splashtails almost anywhere regardless of Bait, other types of fish are more situational and require you to fish in the right place with the right Bait. To know exactly what you must do, open the Hunter’s Call Reputation tab in the Pirate Log. 

There, you can find every fish and a description that tells you where to catch it and what Bait to use. For example, Devilfish are unique to The Devil’s Roar region and need Grubs. Here are all the fish types in Sea of Thieves and how to get them:

Every fish has variants

Every fish in the game has multiple rarities, a night variant, and a Trophy variant. The rarity depends on the color, and unfortunately, every fish type has its own rarity colors. I recommend checking out a full list of fish to see how they look.

The night and Trophy variants are much easier to identify. Night fish glow in the dark and can only be caught at nighttime, while Trophy fish are bigger versions of normal fish. Keep an eye on what you catch, or you may eat a couple thousand Gold worth of fish.

Fish and bait stay on the Rod when stowed

A small but handy thing to know is whatever is currently attached to your Fishing Rod will stay attached if you put it away or switch to a weapon. This is usually helpful when your food inventory is full and you can’t take the fish off. Feel free to stow your Rod and free up space. The fish (or Bait) will still be there after you take it back out.

Sell fish at the Seaposts

After catching enough fish, you can eat it or sell it to the Hunter’s Call at the Seaposts scattered across the map. Every Seapost has a Hunter’s Call member standing on the pier near the pot, and you can sell your catch to them to earn Reputation and complete Commendations.

These NPCs also serve as regular faction vendors. Unfortunately, there aren’t any fishing Voyages, but you can buy Promotions, cosmetics, and Bait Crates from them.

Cooked fish is worth more

Regardless of what you plan to do with the fish, always make sure to cook it. Cooked food restores more health and is worth more when selling it to Hunter’s Call. Use any Campfire or Stove you have to cook the food.

The cooking time depends on the fish, but you know it’s cooked when you hear the sizzling sound effect and the fish turns brown. Always watch the food, as you don’t want to burn it. Charcoal isn’t worth anything to the fishermen, and if you leave the fish on the Stove for too long, your ship may catch fire.