Fishing is an activity in The Elder Scrolls Online which can be performed at fishing holes found all over Tamriel. Players are automatically given a starter fishing pole which does not show up in the players inventory. Players only have to find the fishing holes and bait. When next to a fishing hole, activating it will start the fishing animation, which will end when the player has caught something. While fishing, you cannot participate in other activities (such as chat or inventory management) without cancelling the attempt.
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Fishing Holes
Fishing holes can be found in most water sources across Tamriel. They appear as a small area of rippling water with fish jumping around in it. A fishing hole will provide a small number of fish or other items before it drys up and disappears. Currently, it is unknown how many fish a fishing hole can hold, whether all fishing holes hold similar amounts, whether fishing holes respawn in the same locations, or how long it takes for a fishing hole to respawn. While you can use any bait at a fishing hole, the chances for catching a fish, or rare fish for the achievement, are increased significantly by using the appropriate bait types for the water type.
Water Types
There are currently 4 types of water in Tamriel: Lake, River, Ocean, and Foul Water. Each type has its own type of fish, its own rare fish, and requires certain baits to be most effective.
- Lakes can be found all over Tamriel and each has the chance to spawn fishing holes. Bait for lakes includes guts and minnows. The regular fish available in lakes are Spadetail, Silverside Perch, and Shad.
- Rivers are found all over Tamriel and are usually connect to a lake or the ocean. Bait for rivers includes insect parts and shad. The regular fish available in rivers are Salmon, River Betty, and Fish Roe.
- Ocean fishing holes can be found all along the coast and usually there is one near major city docks. Bait for oceans includes worms or chub. The regular fish available in oceans are Dhufish, Longfin, and Minnows.
- Foul water is found in sewers, swamps, pools with bodies, and other polluted or tainted water sources in Tamriel. Bait for foul water includes crawlers and fish roe. The regular fish available in foul water are Slaughterfish, Trodh, and Chub.
Bait
Bait can be gathered around Tamriel, drop off of certain mobs, or be bought from merchants (Simple Bait). For the most success in fishing, use the right bait for the right water source.
- Guts drop off small level 1 passive mobs such as Frogs, Rats, and Chickens. They are used in Lakes.
- Minnows can only be found by fishing in the Ocean. They are used in Lakes.
- Insect parts can be harvested from butterflies or torchbugs. They are used in Rivers.
- Shad can only be found by fishing in Lakes. They are used in Rivers.
- Worms can be found when harvesting plants and drop off of undead mobs. They are used in the Ocean.
- Chub can only be found by fishing in Foul Water. It is used in the Ocean.
- Crawlers are found by killing small passive spiders and harvesting plants. They are used in Foul Water.
- Fish roe can only be found by fishing in Rivers. It is used in Foul Water.
- Simple Bait can be bought from any merchant for 15g.
Used Bait, which is often found when fishing, is completely useless, as it cannot be used as bait despite being labelled as such.
Simple Bait is regarded are a poor investment, because it costs 15g each and the fish you catch with it are only worth 2-5g each.
Rewards
Each fishing attempt can yield any of the following:
- Fish specific to the water type.
- One of three rare fish specific to the water type.
- Used Bait (junk item)
- Waterlogged Sacks (which can contain small items such as Glyphs, Gold, and Crafting Supplies)
Rare Fish
Each region of Tamriel has 12 rare fish. Catching all the rare fish in a region will reward and achievement and doing so in every region of Tamriel will reward an achievement and the title Master Angler. Each water type in the zone will have 3 rare fish associated with it. For instance, you will find Muskie, Blackspotted Pike, and Shimmerpike by fishing in Rivers in Auridon, but not Oceans or Lakes. It has been stated that multiple people fishing at the same hole will increase the chances of finding a rare fish however it will also cause the fishing hole to dry up faster. There is currently a bug where you are unable to loot the rare fish. It will not show up in your inventory but will count as progress towards that regions rare fish achievement. There is currently no fix.
Uses for Fish
Fish were originally included as provisioning and alchemy ingredients however that use was removed early in the Beta. Currently, they are listed as trophies and provide a small amount of gold when sold to vendors. There is currently no other use for fish in Elder Scrolls Online.
Known Bugs
When fishing rare fish, they will not enter your inventory after being looted. They will count towards the achievement in your journal.