Palia fishing guide: How to find, catch, and bait fish

The beautiful landscapes of Palia’s World of Wonders aren’t just something to behold from afar. You can also experience its mysteries from up close through a host of activities, one of which is fishing. You’ll have to learn fishing early on, as soon as you receive your first rod, and improve it over time with upgrades. 

Fishing is key to surviving in Palia’s cozy world, which nurtures over 80 types of fish, each with unique spawn rules. You can sell them to earn Gold, keep them as pets in an aquarium, cook delicious recipes, or offer them to villagers as gifts.

While angling in real life requires quite a bit of patience, experience, and knowledge, it isn’t as difficult to master in Palia. Still, if you don’t know where to start, don’t worry—I’m here to simplify all the quirks of Palia’s fishing business for you.

How to catch fish in Palia?

To learn the fishing skill in Palia, first, you’ll need to earn the base fishing rod—the Makeshift Rod. Einar, the fishing skill master, will send you the Makeshift Rod via mail once you complete a few introductory quests and meet Auni, the mail delivery boy. 

After you receive the rod, visit Einar, who is almost always stationed in Fisherman’s Lagoon, and he’ll teach you the basics of fishing. Upon completing the tutorial, you’ll earn the Fishing skill, after which you can start visiting the water bodies to catch fish.

To catch a fish in Palia, you’ll have to know its preferences. Fish can be Common, Uncommon, Rare, or Epic and may or may not have a specific spawn time. Some fish require bait, while others don’t.

Depending on the type of fish you want to catch, head to the spot where they’re said to appear and cast the rod into a valid fishing spot by clicking the left mouse button. Hold the left mouse button, move around to select the target spot, and release to cast the rod. Make sure to throw it as deep into the pond, lake, river, or ocean as possible for a greater chance of catching a fish. 

When a fish takes interest in the bobber, you’ll hear a couple of light splashes. But don’t reel it in yet. You’ll have to let the fish bite the bobber first, indicated by a louder splash. Once the fish bites the bobber, hold the left mouse button to set the hook and start reeling in.

You’ll see two green curved markers appear around the fish and the bobber. This is a mini-game: you’ll need to keep the fish and the bobber in the area between the markers. If the bobber moves out of the marked area, your rod’s health will deplete, and if its health reaches zero, the fish will escape. 

The fish will obviously do its best to escape, so make sure to keep positioning the bobber within the marked area. Don’t reel in when the bobber moves out of the green area; release the left mouse button to stop reeling and reposition the fish to contain it in the safe area.

Once the fish reaches near you, release the left mouse button to catch it successfully.

Types of fish: How to find fish in Palia?

Here’s a list of fish you can catch in Palia and their characteristics. 

Make note of the time, location, and bait type needed before you head out to catch a fish. You can also catch ‘Star’ quality fish which can be exchanged for more Gold when sold. Look for ripples in the water and cast the rod in those spots for a chance to catch a premium fish.  

Types of baits, fishing rods, and upgrades in Palia

Besides the fishing rod, bait is an essential accessory for fishing in Palia. 

There are two kinds of baits in the game: Worms and Glow Worms. You can buy worms from Einar when you visit him in Fisherman’s Lagoon. All Rare and Epic fishes will require some kind of bait, so make sure to use the right kind. Some Common and Uncommon fishes, like the Dawnray, Cantankerous Koi, and more, don’t require any bait.

Most fish can be caught with the base fishing rod you receive from Einar. But fish for a while in Palia, and you’ll realize how limited the Makeshift Rod is. Luckily, there are better fishing rods.

You can upgrade to the Standard Rod, the Fine Rod, and the Exquisite Rod with higher health and speed as you level up your Fishing skill. These rods can be crafted by the Worktable using recipes bought from Einar’s Fishing Guild Store using Gold. 

Related: How to find and catch a Fire Breathing Dragonfly in Palia

Besides upgrading the rod itself, you can slap on accessories to boost the rod’s stats and efficacy. You’ll need Fishing Medals to purchase such speed, health, and safe area boosters—you’ll earn medals as you advance your Fishing skill. 

Here are some important items and recipes you’ll need in your fishing ventures in Palia.

All baits, fishing rod recipes, and partial rod upgrades can be bought from the Fishing Guild Store.