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The Fishing Rod is one of the farming tools you’ll want to use quite often. You can catch all kinds of fish for dinner or sell them for extra money. Here’s a guide to all things fishing so you can start fishing like a pro!
Eastward Octopia Full Fishing Guide
I found fishing in Octopia a bit different than your usual farming sim experience, but once you start doing it more and more, you’ll quickly get the hang of it. You’ll want to ensure you use all features at your disposal to make it easier and more bountiful each time. Here’s how!
How to get a Fishing Rod in Eastward Octopia
First and foremost, you will need a Fishing Rod before you can start the actual activity. You will not start with one like other farming sim experiences; instead, you can track one down on the land below your farm. To get the Fishing Rod, head down from your farm and across the bridge to the right. The Fishing Rod is in the gated area, but you’ll need to use the Axe (given to us by William) to break through the rocks. With the rocks gone, you can walk in and collect your Fishing Rod.
How to catch fish in Eastward Octopia
Now that you have your Fishing Rod, head to a body of water anywhere around your farm area. You cannot use your Fishing Rod in the town area on the map. Once you approach some water, a prompt will pop up, allowing you to initiate the activity (Space on PC, X on Switch or Controller).
Here’s the fun part! In the water, you’ll see the silhouette of the fish inside. They can come in a few different colors: white, blue, red, etc. This determines what type of rarity fish they are. Your bobber will start around the outer corners of the water circle. Before dropping it in, you can switch your bobber by pressing Q or D-Pad Up. Different bobbers will be better geared for various fish species. You will start with only one bobber option (Balanced Bobber).
You can use your walking controls (WASD/Arrows on PC or joysticks on Switch/Controller) to move the bobber left or right around the outer circle. The goal is to line it up in a fish’s path and then drop your bobber in by pressing M1/Space on PC or A on Switch/Controller. With your bobber in the water, wait for the fish to approach and grab on. Once they do, they will begin to run away from the bobber, leaving a trail of the line behind them.
To avoid them getting free, you must follow the trail with the bobber, moving left or right. While you are chasing them, every time the bobber lines up with their silhouette, press Space or A to attempt to pull them up (it will flash red if you hit them successfully). It usually takes one to three times to repeat this process. If the fish gets too far away from the bobber, they will break free.
How to use bait in Eastward Octopia
Bait is beneficial for fishing in Octopia, but not exactly how you might think. It will not make catching the fish easier or even draw them in more. Bait is used explicitly for refreshing the fish in the fishing spot. This means that if you have already fished in the spot and caught all the fish, or the fish were scared away, you can use your bait to bring in new fish. To use your bait in a fishing spot, press R or LB to select the bait and click on it to apply.
You can buy Bait from William’s Trading Post in the town area of the map around the third day after collecting the materials he needs. It sells for about 40 Salts each and is a one-time use per bag.
What to do with fish in Eastward Octopia?
After you catch your fish, you may wonder what to do with it. There are two main uses for fish in Octopia: cooking and selling. I suggest using fish primarily for cooking. Plenty of recipes are available, and you will always stay stocked up on them, allowing you to refresh your energy and health each night. However, if you have an excess of them, you can also sell them to make decent money at William’s Trading Post. Depending on the rarity of the fish, you can make 40-60 Salt each or more.
We hope this gives you a better understanding of fishing in Octopia. Once you do it more, you will get the hang of it quickly. Fish is great to have and a must for progressing your farm.
Looking for more Eastward content? Check out our guides on What is Salt in Eastward? or All Ingredients in Eastward!