What is the Fishing Rod, and what’s it used for?
If you don’t want to go wading with piranhas or are looking for an easier way to catch fish in Green Hell, consider making yourself a Fishing Rod. This clever tool consists of a wooden or bamboo rod with a line ending in an adorable Brazil nut bobber.
This guide will walk you through how to craft a Fishing Rod and offer some tips on how it can best be used.
How to craft a Fishing Rod in Green Hell
Two kinds of Fishing Rods are available for the player to craft: bamboo and wood. The only difference between the two is the decreased weight of the bamboo rod. Making this tool will require a couple of resources that can be hard to source, so be sure you know where to find them.
First, you’ll need to gather the following materials:
- 1 Long Stick or 1 Long Bamboo Stick
- 1 Rope
- 2 Bird Feathers
- 1 Brazil Nut Bowl
Long Sticks can be produced by cutting down trees or chopping Logs with a tool such as an Axe or Stone Blade. Long Bamboo Sticks can be collected after cutting down bamboo thickets. Rope can be collected by gathering Liana vines off of large trees. Bird Feathers can occasionally be found on the ground at the base of trees or may be harvested from the corpse of any bird. Brazil Nut Bowls can be collected by harvesting whole Brazil Nuts, which can only be found around the roots of the jungle’s largest trees.
Once you’ve collected the proper materials, craft the Fishing Rod following these steps:
- Opening the radial menu (by holding the
Ckey) - Select crafting from the options
- Drag the long stick or long bamboo stick, rope, feathers, and Brazil nut bowl to the crafting rock from the backpack or environment
- Press the craft button above the crafting rock
Note: The crafting menu can also be opened from the inventory sidebar or by holding the alt-select button (default RMB) over one of the ingredients and pressing craft.
How to equip the Fishing Rod
The Fishing Rod can be found in the tools tab of the inventory and occupies one of the four standard tool slots (numbered 1-4). It can be equipped at any time by pressing the number key corresponding to the slot this tool occupies.
Tips and tricks for using the Fishing Rod
The Fishing Rod is only useful for catching fish and cannot be used to attack or block. For this reason, it cannot be used in combat.
Before a Fishing Rod can catch fish, it must be equipped with either a Fish Hook or Bone Hook. Note that failing to catch a hooked fish or canceling your cast while a fish is on the line will destroy the attached hook and any bait on it.
The line for both rod variants is very short. Players will likely need to look down at the water they are casting into and may have to wade into the water to reach fish in deeper water.
Fish of any kind may be caught with a Fishing Rod.
An attached hook may be baited with one of several different kinds of bait to increase your chances of landing a fish. Different baits will more easily attract different fish, though any fish can technically be caught with any or no bait.
Players will only have a short period of time to react when a fish bites their hook. Make sure to click as soon as the bobber goes underwater, so pay close attention. Increasing your Fishing skill will give you more time to react.
The Fishing Rod can only capture fish already in the water. Unlike the Fishing Rod Trap or Stick Fish Trap, this tool will not spawn a new fish onto the hook.
Hooks and Bait
Two kinds of hooks can be crafted for use with the Fishing Rod, and five different kinds of bait can be attached to those hooks. Both hooks and bait can be attached to your rod by dragging the item to it from the inventory while it is equipped or on the ground nearby. The hook always needs to be attached first.
Only a hook is required to catch a fish, but baiting your hook greatly increases your chances of landing a fish. Furthermore, knowing what kind of bait to use can help you target specific fish, though any bait increases the likelihood of a fish biting. It should be noted that this is the only known case in which the kind of bait used affects the outcome.
Hook Types
You’ll need a hook if you want to catch fish. Both available hooks are relatively easy to craft and don’t differ in stats. Though, fish hooks may be more renewable since you’ll be catching fish anyway.
- Fish Hooks are created by adding a single fish bone to the crafting rock
- Bone Hooks are created by adding a bone needle to the crafting rock
Bait Types
| Type of Bait | Best used to Catch |
| Maggots | Angel Fish, Discus Fish |
| Larva | Arowana, Peacock Bass |
| Angelfish | Arowana, Piranha |
| Discus Fish | Arowana, Piranha |
| Scarlet Cup Mushroom | Arowana, Peacock Bass |
Final thoughts on the Fishing Rod
While perhaps not the most versatile compared to a spear, the Fishing Rod is easily the best tool for safely and reliably catching fish. The specialized nature of this tool adds an entirely new mechanic to the game, and Creepy Jar may soon expand fishing to be more robust.
Looking for some more pointers to help you survive Green Hell? Check out our 10 Tips for Getting Started or our walkthrough on How to Survive Your First Day.
