RUST Fisherman Missions Guide (Quests, Locations, Rewards)
The Fisherman is a quest NPC found at the Fishing Village. You can find him near the water with a fishing rod in his hands. The missions given by the Fisherman are similar to the RUST Lumberjack missions in that you don’t need any specific tools or gear to complete the tasks.
The RUST Fisherman missions are intended for solo players and can be repeated after a lockout timer. You will be required to fish using a fishing rod and bait, a system introduced in the August 2021 Going Deep update, so you may need to take some time and practice this skill before starting the missions.
Fisherman Mission: Tackle The Day
How to start this mission
Locate the Fisherman within the Large Fishing Village monument. Interact with the Fisherman to start the dialogue.
The Fisherman says, “Out with it then! What do you need?”
You have two options for a response:
- I’m looking for work.
- I’m busy.
Choose “I’m looking for work.”
The Fisherman says, “Well, what can you do for me?”
You have two options for a response:
- I need a fishing rod.
- Nothing, I guess.
Choose “I need a fishing rod.”
The Fisherman replies, “Okay. Maybe we can help each other. I left a tackle box on the beach, return it to me, and I’ll give you this fishing rod and some bait in exchange. Sound good?”
You have two options for a response:
- Sounds good!
- Nah.
Choose “Sounds good!”
The Fisherman replies, “Okay, good luck, see you soon!” and ends the dialogue exchange.”
Upon completion, return to the Fisherman, they will greet you with:
The Fisherman replies, “Good job!”
You have one option for a response:
- Thanks,
Choose “Thanks.”
Tackle the Day Mission Objectives
- Tackle the day (locate the tackle box)
- Retrieve the lost tackle
- Return the tackle to the Fisherman
Tackle the Day mission walkthrough
You will be assigned the mission Tackle The Day, and your map will update with a blue waypoint icon to indicate the location of the mission objective. You will also have 1-hour timer set, in which the mission must be completed or it will automatically be abandoned. Depending on where the Fishing villages are on the map, you may have a longer or shorter distance to travel to locate the tackle box. Head to this location on the map and search for a red toolbox. You will know that you’ve found the toolbox when your mission objectives update.
Once you locate the red toolbox, loot the Fishing Tackle and rope to update your mission objectives. Now run these items back to the Fisherman to complete the mission. The mission waypoint will update its location on the map to indicate where the Fisherman is, just in case you’ve forgotten. Interact with the Fisherman to hand over the items and complete the last mission objective. You’ll receive a handmade fishing rod and 15 grubs as a reward.
Mission rewards
The Tackle the Day mission will reward you with the following:
- 1 x Handmade Fishing Rod
- 15 x Grubs
Fisherman Mission: Go Fish
Start this mission by talking to the Fisherman again after completing the Tackle the Day mission.
The Fisherman says, “Out with it then! What do you need?”
You have two options for a response:
- I’m looking for work.
- I’m busy.
Choose “I’m looking for work.”
The Fisherman says, “Well, what can you do for me?”
You have two options for a response:
- I need a kayak.
- Nothing, I guess.
Choose “I need a kayak.”
The Fisherman says, “Well.. I guess I could use a break. If you can catch 3 fish for me, I’ll let you have my kayak and paddle.”
You have two options for a response:
- Sure.
- No thanks.
Choose “Sure.”
Upon completion, return to the Fisherman, they will greet you with:
The Fisherman replies, “Good job!”
You have one option for a response:
- Thanks,
Choose “Thanks.”
Go Fish mission objectives
- Catch 3 Fish
- Return to the Fisherman
Go Fish mission walkthrough
This mission is simple–if you are decent at fishing. If you have no trouble catching fish, catch enough fish to meet the fishing objective and hand them to the Fisherman. If you are terrible at fishing or have never tried, head to the water and try this quick fishing tutorial.
Click and hold the right mouse button to prepare to cast your line. Notice that your bobber will be red out on the water. Move the mouse while still holding the right button until the bobber turns blue. When it’s blue, press the left mouse button to cast.
It doesn’t take long for a fish to bite, and you’ll see the bobber take off in a direction by a fish. Carefully reel your line in with ‘S’ and keep an eye on the rod. It’ll bend under the force of the fish pulling on your line. If you see your rod start to shake, ease up and let go of ‘S’ to release the tension on the line. Use ‘A’ and ‘D’ to pull left and right respectively to help you keep the bobber with the fish in front of you. Reel the fish in close enough to you, and you will automatically pick it from your line if you are successful.
Rinse and repeat this process as many times as needed to update the mission objective. Then, hand in your fish to the Fisherman.
For more information about fishing, see our fishing guide for helpful information about fishing strategy and bait quality.
Go Fish mission rewards
Upon completion of the Go Fish mission, you will receive the following:
Fisherman Mission: Oiled Up
The Fisherman says, “Out with it then! What do you need?”
You have two options for a response:
- I’m looking for work.
- I’m busy.
Choose “I’m looking for work.”
The Fisherman says, “Well, what can you do for me?”
You have two options for a response:
- I need some scrap.
- Nothing, I guess.
Choose “I need some scrap.”
The Fisherman says, “Alright. I need some fuel for my next fishing expedition. Head out to sea and search the flotsam for fuel. I’ll pay you 100 scrap for 100 crude oil.”
You have two options for a response:
- I’m on it.
- No Thanks.
Choose “I’m on it.”
The Fisherman says, “Okay, good luck, see you soon!”
You have one option for a response:
- [EXIT]
Choose “[EXIT]”
The Fisherman will grant you the mission Oiled Up and tell you to return once you’ve finished the objectives.
Oiled Up mission objectives
- Head out to sea
- Open 8 oil barrels
- Return with 100 Crude Oil
Oiled Up mission walkthrough
Using the handy Kayak and Paddle that you were rewarded in the last mission, head away from the Fishing Village far enough to set down the kayak. Mount your kayak and begin paddling in the direction of the mission objective waypoint on your map. Your compass will also mark the direction of the waypoint.
Your mission objective will update once you’ve arrived at the waypoint. From this point, visit as many floating junk piles as you can find and break open the red oil barrels. The mission UI will not update to show how many barrels you’ve broken so far, but it will update once you’ve broken the 8th barrel. You will likely gather 100 crude oil before you’ve hit 8 oil barrels, so be prepared to paddle around for a fair amount of time locating junk piles with the red barrels.
Once you’ve cracked open that 8th barrel, the mission objective will update. Paddle back to the Fishing Village to hand over the crude oil to the Fisherman and collect your reward.
Oiled Up mission reward
The Oiled Up mission will reward you with the following:
- 100 x Scrap
