¶ Fishing
The oceans are full of aquatic treasures, and fishing is how you'll claim them for yourself! Grab a rod, some bait and chum, and get your feet wet for some satisfying rewards.
Fish are important for a wide range of applications, from cooking and eating, to deliveries, chores, and bounties. Nearly every fish is useful in some way, and you might find some other valuable things at the end of your line…
A full list of all fish and suggestions on how to catch them are available here: https://sfl.world/info/fishing/type
¶ Fishing Rods
To get any fishing done, first you need a Rod. Visit the Workbench on your Home Island to make one out of some Wood and Stone, with a small fee of Coins as well. You can decrease the fee by 50% with the skill Reel Deal, but it reduces it from 20 to 10, which will only be a savings in the long run.
Unfortunately the craftsmanship on Rods is rather shoddy, and they will break after a single use. Rods have a stock limit like any other tool, but some are included in the free daily restock.
¶ Bait
The second component is bait. To get some, you will need to build a Composter. You can try your luck at treasure chests, but Composters are a much more reliable method. By default, you will get 2-3 worms out of each device along with your fertilizer, and this amount can be changed with several skills in the composting and Fishing categories.
The Fishing Lure is a special kind of bait that can be obtained by trading with Finn at the Beach, or as a reward from several types of chests. It is used to catch rare fish like Marine Marvels, so isn't recommended for regular use.
¶ Chum
You can now begin fishing, but you will get a lot more out of the process if you also collect some resources for chum. Adding chum is optional, and many fish can be caught without it, but most fish have a preferred chum that will increase your chances of catching it substantially. Once you choose a chum, it will remain selected until you change it, so pay attention if you're trying with something rare or valuable.
¶ Cast your line
Once you have all of your equipment together, visit the fisher at the bottom-left corner of your Home Island and Cast away! Wait a moment and click or tap on the Reel icon, then see what you've caught. Sometimes a rare fish will prompt you to play a small minigame, so pay close attention or you will lose the fish and your bait.
There is a limit on the amount of fishing you can do in a day, shown in the window as “# reels left". This can be increased with the skills Fisherman's 5 Fold (+5), Fisherman's 10 Fold (+10), and More with Less (+15, but -1 worm from all composters). There are also many items and decorations which increase fishing limit, some of which you'll earn just through fishing. If you find yourself completely out of reels, you can buy 5 more for 10 Gems.
The fish you get is determined by a random roll, influenced by your bait, chum, and the current season. There are some fish that can be caught 100% of the time, regardless of season, with the right combination.
- Anchovy- Earthworm + Carrot OR Earthworm + Egg
- Tuna- Grub + Orange OR Grub + Mushroom
- Red Snapper- Red Wiggler + Apple OR Red Wiggler + Honey
Since these three are the most requested fish for deliveries and used in the most recipes, they are worth memorizing, especially during the Fish Frenzy.
¶ Fish Types
Fish are categorized into types, just like many other things in the game. You can see each of the basic, advanced, and expert fish in your Codex, along with which you've caught, the season to find them in, and some suggestions on how to catch them again. There are several skills (the Fishy group) that will increase the chances of you getting another fish when you catch one in a specific category.
Marine Marvels are a rare type of fish that require special circumstances, but are so valuable that you can place them on your farm in a tank for all to see.
Chapter Fish are even rarer fish that are only available during the current Chapter and provide different boosts. But, you can trade for them on the marketplace if you missed out on one.
The Codex also shows you the rewards you can earn from certain fishing achievements. There's no indication in the game as to when you unlock one, so check back often!
¶ Cooking
Fish can be eaten for XP, but it is almost never a good idea to do so. Cooking recipes made from fish are always worth more XP, and many can be used for deliveries. The only time you would want to eat fish raw is when a Weekly Chore requests you to do so. Otherwise, save them.
The skill Fishy Feast increases the XP of eaten fish and all foods made with fish.
¶ Treasures
There are other things you can catch other than fish, such as Seaweed, Sea Cucumbers, and Old Bottles. These are valuable on their own, but do not count as fish for the purposes of boosts that increase the number of fish you get per catch.
¶ Fish Frenzy
Every so often, the waters around your island will teem with life and a Fish Frenzy will begin. You will earn an additional fish every time you make a successful catch. This is in addition to any other boosts you have that increase fish quantity, such as the Fishy skills. If those skills trigger you will get 3 fish, with the possibility for more.
The skill Frenzied Fish is considered the ultimate during the Fish Frenzy, as the event bonus increases to +2, and you have a 50% chance to get +3. Once again, every other chance for an additional fish still applies.
¶ History
Previously there was another fisher NPC at the Beach, near the entrance to the Plaza. Fishing from there was functionally the same as fishing from your home island, but it meant there were two separate chance tables for each fishing location: Ocean fishing from the Beach, and Wharf fishing from the home island. Ultimately this was determined to be too complicated, so Corale chased off the Beach fisher and he hasn't been seen since.
Contributors to this page
librophagus - primary content
iSPANK - tagging