With so much to kill and create in New World, it can be beneficial to take some time to relax by a pond or on a dock to just do some fishing.
To start your fishing journey, you can collect Woodlouse bait from any bush and take them to the large pond that sits just west of the Windsward Hamlet. There, Master Fisher Shields will gift you a fishing pole and teach you the basics of fishing. If you want to skip the tutorial and if you have the materials, you can also craft a fishing pole at a workshop. A basic Wooden Fishing Pole only needs one piece of Green Wood and one Fiber. A more advanced Treated Wood Fishing Pole requires you to be level five or six and costs 12 Timber, three Coarse Leather, and two Linen.
Once you have your pole, you can start fishing at any source of open water or at a fishing hotspot. One of the types of bait you can use is Nightcrawler. And if you know where to look for them, you can have a bait box that’s full of them.
Where to find Nightcrawler bait in New World
You can find Nightcrawler bait under random pieces of flint, but only during the daytime since the Nightcrawler fittingly only comes out to crawl at night. If you pick up flint at night, you’ll get Glowworm bait instead.
Both Nightcrawler and Glowworm bait boost your chances of catching better fish from saltwater. Saltwater is the water you find at the beach, so this bait won’t do you any good at freshwater sources like ponds or lakes. If you’re not sure what kind of water you’re at, wade into it for a bit and see if you can collect it. Since you can only collect fresh water, if you can’t collect the water at all, you’re probably in saltwater.
Speaking of beaches, this will be your best spot to do some flint collecting as well as in coastal hills. You can also find flint scattered around forests, but it’s more abundant on beaches and is easier to spot. Every starter zone has some beach areas, but First Light has the most beach areas of any of them.
When you go fishing, hit R to equip your bait and select your Nightcrawler bait.
