Valheim Fishing Guide Covers Rod Locations, Bait Crafting, and Mechanics

Fishing in Valheim requires specific gear and preparation because catching fish is entirely stamina based. Players need to eat enough food for a full stamina bar and bring stamina meads before attempting to reel in a catch. If a player runs out of stamina while reeling, the fish will escape.

To start fishing, players need a fishing rod and bait. The primary method for getting a fishing rod is purchasing one from Haldor, the vendor located in the black forest biome, for 350 coins. Haldor also sells 20 pieces of basic bait for 10 coins. Alternatively, fishing rods can very rarely be found as loot inside frost caves in the mountains biome.

With the rod equipped and bait selected in the inventory by right-clicking, players press mouse 1 to cast the line. When a fish nibbles and the bobbin tugs, players press mouse 2 to hook the fish. Holding mouse 2 reels the fish in while draining stamina. Once the fish is close, players target it with their crosshairs and press E to pick it up. Players can also catch fish by hand if they are fast enough or find them washed up on beaches.

Fish spawn as physical entities in the world, meaning players must spot them swimming near the edge of the water or take a boat out to find groups of fish. Players can craft additional bait from caught fish using a food preparation table, which requires 5 iron, 15 leather scraps, and 20 finewood. Catching at least one of every different fish in the game unlocks a recipe for a fishing hat that grants a plus 20 bonus to the fishing skill.