When fishing arrived and what came with it
Fishing came with Wake of the Water, the seventh major Early Access update, which Keen scheduled for November 10, 2025. The same update added dynamic water, swimming, watering for crops and building in and under water. It also opened the Veilwater Basin, a tropical biome meant for high-level Flameborn.
The 1.0 release on October 15, 2026 kept fishing as part of the survival loop. Fish are food that stops hunger, and a few species are crafting ingredients. That makes a rod worth carrying even if you do not plan to fish for fun.
The community wiki warns that its catch-chance numbers may not match what players see, because the fishing system has had bugs. Treat the percentages you read online as a guide rather than a promise. Your own results over a few sessions are the better test.
How to unlock your first fishing rod
Fishing is tied to the Hunter, one of the crafting survivors you rescue for your base. Accepting the Hunter's quest Unknown Waters works as the fishing tutorial and unlocks the Simple Fishing Rod in manual crafting. You do not have to finish the quest before you can build the rod.
BisectHosting lists the Simple Fishing Rod recipe as 2 Twigs, 2 Metal Scraps and 1 String. All three are early materials, so the rod is cheap to replace. Check the recipe in your own crafting menu, since 1.0 may have adjusted amounts.
You also need bait equipped before the rod will cast. Simple Fishing Bait can be made through manual crafting, and insects you catch in the wild work as bait too. Once you have both, any lake, river or coast is a place to try.
Every fishing rod and how to get it
The wiki lists five rods, and each one improves two stats. Strength controls how fast the fish's red stamina bar drains. Endurance controls how slowly your own green bar empties during the fight.
| Rod | Strength | Endurance | How to get it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple | +1 | 30 | Manual crafting after accepting Unknown Waters |
| Cursed | +2 | 40 | Reward from the quest A Cursed Catch |
| Improved | +2 | 45 | Recipe unlocks once you craft Iron Bars |
| Lucky | +3 | 50 | Quest Lucky Catch, then crafted at the Fisher |
| Excellent | +3 | 55 | Quest Nice Day For Fishing, then crafted at the Fisher |
The Lucky rod has a hidden lean toward non-fish items, which is why players describe it as a treasure rod. The Excellent rod has the best Endurance and is the usual pick for epic fish. One player guide notes that Nice Day For Fishing sends you to a Fishing Island where frogs are plentiful.
What bait really does
Older guides say better bait raises your chance of rare fish, and many still repeat it. The current wiki says bait no longer decides which fish species you catch. Bait now only decides which items come from the trash loot pool, such as potions, rings, gems and more bait.
Wild bait comes from the regions you explore, and each biome has its own insect or animal. Crafted bait comes in Simple, Common, Uncommon, Rare and Epic tiers. Simple bait is a manual recipe, while the higher tiers are made by the Fisher.
- Fire Fly: Springlands, at night
- Moth: Revelwood, at night
- Grasshopper: Nomad Highlands
- Scarab: Kindlewastes
- Pillbug: Albaneve Summits
- Frog: Veilwater Basin
BisectHosting names the fishing trader as Captain Melville Fontane, who sells or crafts bait. If you are short on materials, a stack of Fire Flies from a night walk in the Springlands is enough to practise. Save crafted bait for spots where the loot table matters to you.
Where to fish for rare and epic catches
Fish can bite in almost any water, but each spot has its own table of fish, trash and treasure. The tiers follow the regions, from the Springlands at tier one to the Veilwater Basin at tier six. Look for ripples and small waves on the surface, which mark a hotspot, and stand close to the shore.
| Tier | Fish | Best region |
|---|---|---|
| Common | Lakehopper, Shimmerfin, Silverback | Springlands |
| Uncommon | Stripetail, Sunscale, Whiskerfin | Revelwood, Nomad Highlands |
| Rare | Emberfin, Shadowtail, Waveleaper, Crimsonback | Kindlewastes, Albaneve Summits |
| Epic | Shockfin, Thornridge, Yellowfin | Veilwater Basin |
A player guide confirms that Springlands water never gave them an epic fish, even with frogs. If you want Shockfin, Thornridge or Yellowfin, travel to the Veilwater Basin first. The Nomad Highlands also hold Fishfarm spots that lean toward trash and treasure instead of fish.
The Revelwood guide covers the second region, where uncommon fish are more common. Plan longer trips from an unlocked Ancient Spire, so you can return to base with a full bag. The map guide explains how to filter spires and regions.
How to win the reel fight
Hold the left mouse button to cast, and hold longer to throw the line farther. When a fish bites, click the left mouse button to hook it and start reeling. Non-fish items skip the fight and can be landed straight away.
- Watch which way the fish swims, then pull the opposite way with A or D.
- Keep reeling while the fish's red bar drops.
- When the red bar stops dropping, the fish has changed direction, so switch sides at once.
- Rehook when the sound cue plays for each new section of the bar.
- Land the fish when its red bar is empty, then press E to keep it or right-click to release it.
If your green bar runs out first, the fish escapes and the bait is gone. Epic fish switch direction quickly, so a higher Endurance rod gives you more room for mistakes. A player guide also mentions an early skill that adds 30 percent fishing stamina, which is separate from your normal stamina.
A simple fishing routine for new players
Start small and let the rods come to you through the quests. The Simple rod and a few Fire Flies are enough to learn the fight in the Springlands. Move on to stronger rods only when fish start escaping because your green bar runs dry.
- Accept Unknown Waters from the Hunter and craft the Simple Fishing Rod.
- Collect Fire Flies at night and practise near your base until the fight feels easy.
- Follow the Hunter and Fisher quests to earn the Cursed, Lucky and Excellent rods.
- Fish Revelwood and the Nomad Highlands for uncommon fish on the way.
- Head to the Veilwater Basin with the Excellent rod when you want epic fish.
In co-op, one player with a good rod can supply the kitchen for the whole group. Agree on a shared food chest, so fish do not end up scattered across inventories. The co-op guide has more ideas for splitting roles.
What to do with the fish you catch
Fish are food, and eating them keeps hunger away on long trips. Keen also described fishing as a source of cooking ingredients and crafting materials. Most catches therefore belong in the food chest next to your kitchen.
Three epic fish have special uses as crafting materials. Shockfin gives Electric Nerve, Thornridge gives Fish Bones and Yellowfin gives Fish Teeth. Keep a few of each before you cook them, in case a later recipe asks for them.
Fishing and Water go together at a base. The Water guide shows how to build a well so cooking never stalls. For the wider base plan, see the best base locations page and pick a site near a lake.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I unlock fishing in Enshrouded?
- Accept the Hunter's quest Unknown Waters. Accepting it unlocks the Simple Fishing Rod in manual crafting, which BisectHosting lists as 2 Twigs, 2 Metal Scraps and 1 String.
- Does bait change which fish I catch?
- Not any more, according to the community wiki. The fishing spot decides the fish, and bait only changes which non-fish items you can pull up.
- Where are the epic fish?
- Shockfin, Thornridge and Yellowfin are epic fish found most often in the Veilwater Basin. A player guide reports no epic catches in the Springlands.
- What is the best fishing rod?
- The Excellent Fishing Rod has the highest Endurance at 55, with Strength +3. You get it from the quest Nice Day For Fishing and can then craft it at the Fisher.