How to get Fishing Rods and Fish in Ark: Survival Evolved

In Ark: Survival Evolved, there are a ton of different ways to gather resources and items. You can go the traditional method, using tools or creatures to harvest raw nodes, then process them. Or, you can use less traditional methods such as looting Supply Crates, Underwater Crates and Raiding if you’re on a PvP server. However, one of the older and sometimes more relaxing methods is Fishing. In this guide we’ll explain exactly how to fish, as well as where to get Fishing Rods in Ark: Survival Evolved.

Where to get a Fishing Rod in Ark: Survival Evolved

While you can easily craft a Fishing Rod in Ark: Survival Evolved, no two rods are the same. The one that you can craft automatically is always going to be Primitive with much lower stats. This means that the quality of the loot you fish up will never be particularly high. This means that you’ll have to find higher-quality Fishing Rods, and sadly, there’s usually only one way to do so.

If you’re on a server with customized Supply Crates, you may get lucky enough to find a Fishing Rod in one of them, but if you’re not playing on the one you’ll have to load up your Scuba Gear, your best-tamed water creature, and a whole lot of patience. Alternatively, you can set up a trap in the water, but whatever you do, you’re going to need to be prepared. 

Higher tier Fishing Rods can only be obtained from Alpha Mosasaurs and Alpha Tusoteuthis. While the Alpha Mosasaur will randomly drop a Fishing Rod, the Alpha Tuso will always drop a Fishing Rod. If you’re lucky, or your loot scale is set up, you might even get an Ascended Fishing Rod Blueprint. Remember that these Blueprints, unlike other Blueprints, have limited uses so once they’re consumed you’ll have to head back into the ocean on another Alpha run.

How to Fish in Ark: Survival Evolved

Once you’ve acquired your Fishing Rod, you need to head over to a body of water that has fish in it. There are three kinds of fish you can catch, but their loot quality is vastly different, and you’ll need different bait for your Fishing Rod:

On PC, Xbox, and PlayStation versions there are sizes of fish that you can catch, and in general the larger the size, the better your loot and rewards. In general, Sabertooth Salmon are the top tier when it comes to loot, followed by the Coelacanth. The quality of your loot is based on the server settings and the quality of your Fishing Rod.

Related: How to get Plant Species R seeds in Ark: Survival Evolved

To fish, you’ll need to set up a Wooden Chair near the water’s edge, or on a Raft. Drag your chosen Bait type onto your Fishing Rod while it’s still in your inventory, and then place it in your Hotbar. Seat yourself in the chair with your interact key, select the Fishing Rod, aim it in the water, and cast. A fish has to be within the radius of the bait to be attracted from around 20 – 45 seconds, or 45 – 90 seconds depending on your bait, so sit back and relax, because once they bite you have to act fast.

A mini-game will occur when you get a bite, and you’ll have to press the keys in the order they appear on your screen within 21 seconds or your line will snap, your Fishing Rod will lose Durability, and your Bait will be lost. Once the fish has been reeled in you’ll get your loot, and Raw Fish Meat or Raw Prime Fish Meat.