How to fish in Crimson Desert

Spending time fishing in Crimson Desert is just the kind of outside activity Kliff needs to relax before invading another camp or beating down some bandits. Fish can be tricky to collect as you’ll engage in a battle of reeling and resting. However, Kliff and the Greymanes stand to gain a lot from these creatures.

If you plan on becoming a master angler, you’ll need to first learn how to fish in Crimson Desert and where you can find a fishing rod to start your career! If you only want some fish, you can pay a visit to the fishing vendor instead of fishing yourself.

How to fish in Crimson Desert

In Crimson Desert, all you need to start fishing is a fishing rod. You don’t need bait or to unlock the system through quests, and you can fish in most bodies of natural water with enough depth.

Equip the fishing rod and press L2/LT when playing on the controller or Q on the keyboard to check if fishing is possible. While holding the rod, a glowing bait icon will appear on the surface. If it’s blue, it means you can throw your lure and start fishing.

Image: Pearl Abyss via Polygon

After throwing the bait, you must wait a few seconds. Eventually, you will hear a sound as if something has entered the water. This is the sign that a fish is approaching the bait. Once the fish bites it, you must press R2/RT on the controller or the right mouse button to hook it.

A montage of two Crimson Desert images showing how to fish in the game

The next step is to tire out the fish until it stops moving and splashing water. Move the rod in the opposite direction of the fish’s pull. When the fish goes to another side, let the line go slack briefly. Only when the fish stops splashing water, indicating it is tired, should you start reeling it in. Don’t do it before or the fish will escape.

Where to get a fishing rod in Crimson Desert

A montage of two Crimson Desert images showing the location of the provisioner's shop

Although the fishing rod is the only tool you need to fish, it’s hard to find one for free. Early on, it’s better to simply buy one. There are two vendors from whom you can buy a fishing rod in the first area of the game. The first one is Alden at the provisioner’s shop, which is located east of Oakenshield Manor in Hernand, and they sell a fishing rod for 15 copper coins.

A montage of two Crimson Desert images showing the location of the fishing shop

The other location is at the Rodbel Fishing Dock on the south side of Rocca’s Hill and east of Hernand. Depending on your progress in Crimson Desert, the dock may be overrun with bandits, who you’ll need to defeat. After retaking the dock from the bandits, you can talk to Hailard, who is the owner of the fishing shop. He sells each fishing rod for 15 copper coins.

Where to buy fish in Crimson Desert

A Crimson Desert screenshot showing the Fishing Shop stock of items

Although starting your angler career doesn’t cost much, you might just want to skip the fishing and purchase some fish. You can buy fish from Hailard’s fishing shop at the Rodbel Fishing Dock, the same place where you can buy a fishing rod. Here’s what the shop has to offer:

Pond Loach (27 copper coins)
Small Rasbora (27 copper coins)
Small Gudgeon (27 copper coins)
Tench (79 copper coins)
Yellow Bass (85 copper coins)

Just starting out in Crimson Desert? We have guides to help you learn the basics and refresh your memory on how some of its systems work. The world of Pywel is huge, so you might have a hard time deciding where to go first, but you can make your journey a little easier with the help of our interactive map. Along the way, make sure to learn a few life skills like logging, cooking, and mining, all of which can help you make money.

We also have walkthroughs for main story quests like “Abyss Without Balance” and “Familiar Curses,” and puzzles in the Abyss like the Root’s End.